Dakota Territory

Dakota Territory was a decade away from statehood and nearing political upheaval after the death of Governor William A. Howard. In 1878, President Hayes…

School Hill marked the end of John Christiansen’s journey west.He was a 21-year-old German immigrant riding a freight train withthree horses, lumber,…

One of northern Dakota Territory’s earliest counties took its name from one of its early politicians.Jefferson Parish Kidder was born in 1815 in Vermont…

Several early businesses in Bismarck went up in flames when the city’s first major fire swept the downtown, starting in a saloon late one night in March…

Dakota’s territorial lawmakers convened in Bismarck in January of 1885. It was the first legislative session after the territory’s capitol was yanked from…

Jack McCall was an Old West legend, and he left a name for himself, but not a good one. An impromptu group of locals charged him with killing Wild Bill…

As settlement of northern Dakota Territory was well underway, two military leaders disagreed in letters to newspapers about the plains’ main attraction:…