History of North Dakota

The region around North Dakota has been inhabited for more than 13,000 years. Before the arrival of the Europeans, the state was inhabited by the native Americans who were hunter gatherers.

Europeans started arriving in the state in the eighteenth century. The first European to enter the region was a French-Canadian trader, Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de la Verendrye. He came to the region to establish fur trade which spread farther into the Red and Missouri river valleys.

The United States acquired the northwestern part of North Dakota as terms of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The land had already been explored by the Lewis and Clark expeditions (1804-1806) but the final settlement was made only in 1812 at Pembina. The southeastern portion of the state was acquired from the United Kingdom in 1818; and the present day boundaries of North Dakota were organized on March 2, 1861.

The entry of the railroads in the region boosted the economy and people from other states began to penetrate the Dakota Territory. On February 22, 1889, a bill for statehood known as the Enabling Act was passed. It was a few months later that North and South Dakota were admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889.

After North Dakota achieved statehood, its politics was dominated by the Republicans. However, the Republican government was unsuccessful in meeting the demands of the wheat farmers. This led to a rebel movement by the farmers; Arthur C. Townley assumed leadership and organized the Farmers' Nonpartisan Political League (NPL). The NPL collaborated with the Democrats and founded the state-owned Bank of North Dakota and North Dakota Mill and Elevator, and also established a state-owned railroad line.
The Great Depression of the 1930s shattered the economy of the state. North Dakota was marked with drought, political disunity, and unemployment. The Second World War revived the economy that lasted for a few decades. There was a boom in the oil industry and high petroleum prices made heavy profits.