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1871-1872: Establishment
Bismarck was founded as the town of Edwinton in 1872 by the Northern Pacific Railway at the... -
1873-1877: Railroad Arrives, New Name, Panic!
In the year following its founding, 1873 marked several key developments for the fledgling town… the first... -
1878-1883: Railroad Completes, Mandan Founded, Bismarck Assumes Capital
The years spanning 1878-1883 were quite possibly the most important in Bismarck’s history, cementing Bismarck’s future as... -
1884-1898: Industry, Statehood, and Fire
The next fifteen years reinvented Bismarck from an isolated frontier town into a dynamic modern city, fueled... -
1898 Fire
The Fire of 1898 was Bismarck’s most devastating fire, wiping out a large portion of the city, including... -
1899-1928: Phoenix: Bismarck’s Rebirth
The 1898 Fire left much of Bismarck in ruin and forced the city to rebuild, propelling Bismarck... -
1929-1944: Great Depression And The War
The stock market crashed in October 1929, causing widespread economic chaos across the United States. To make... -
1945-1959: Post-War Boom
Following World War II, Bismarck experienced significant growth and development. Its population nearly doubled from 1940 to... -
1960-1969: Demands Of A Growing City
By 1960, the city had over 27,000 citizens, and its aging public facilities were becoming inadequate. Even... -
1970-1979: Building Boom, Evolving Trends, & The Decay of Downtown
The 1970s were a time of major change for Bismarck. The decade would see the most development... -
1980-1999: Declining Growth
The 1980s opened with the recent completion of Gateway Mall and the expansion of the area’s largest... -
2000-Present: Reinventing Bismarck
By the new millennium, Bismarck had grown to more than 55,000 citizens. The tough retail trend that...