8/11/2012:
Did you know that much of North Dakota was once a Spanish possession? From the time Spanish forces took possession of St. Louis on this date in 1768, until Spain struck a secret agreement with France in 1800, all of New France, including what would become North Dakota, was under Spanish authority. France was forced to turn the western portion of New France over to Spain after the Seven Years’ War. The area was meant to compensate Spain for the loss of Florida, although the Spanish never established much of a presence outside of St. Louis. Spain saw little to admire in their northern realm, and in 1800 they ceded the territory back to the French, who sold it to the United States only three years later.
Dakota Datebook written by Jayme Job
Sources:
Lounsberry, Clement Augustus. 1919 Early History of North Dakota: Essential Outlines of American History. Liberty Press: New York: p. 156.