The Northern Pacific Railroad helped to bring the first settlers to the region. The company was organized to construct the northern transcontinental railroad. By 1872, the railroad had pushed into Dakota Territory and was approaching the Missouri River. As the railroad approached the river, the town of Edwinton (renamed Bismarck one year later) was established\u00a0near the point where Northern Pacific planned to span the Missouri River.\u00a0\u201cEdwinton\u201d was named for\u00a0Edwin Johnson<\/a>, Chief Engineer for the Northern Pacific Railroad.<\/p>\n Commissioned by Doctor Walter Burleigh, the first buildings for the town were constructed in 1872, which included the establishment of\u00a0Camp Greeley<\/a>\u00a0(later renamed Camp Hancock). The camp\u00a0served as a supply depot and military post to ensure expansion of the railroad.\u00a0\u00a0The military also established Fort McKeen at this time, later renamed Fort Abraham Lincoln, to ensure protection for the railroad and settlers. Fort Abraham Lincoln, which was commanded by\u00a0Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer,\u00a0would later gain recognition for Custer’s Land Stand at Little Bighorn in 1876.<\/p>\n Upon the founding of Edwinton, the first business was established by John Yegen<\/a>, which was\u00a0a bakery and restaurant he operated out of a tent.<\/p>\n 1873<\/strong><\/p>\n The railroad reached Edwinton in June 1873. The town was renamed Bismarck the following month\u00a0in an attempt to attract German settlers and\u00a0investors to the region. Burleigh County was also organized in 1873 and Bismarck was named as its county seat.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Bismarck Tribune<\/a><\/em>\u00a0published its first edition on July 11, 1873 and Linda Slaughter, wife of surgeon Dr. B.F. “Frank” Slaughter, opened the\u00a0first school<\/a>\u00a0in September of that year inside the Congressional Church.<\/p>\n Despite its promising future, the fate of Bismarck seemed doomed when the Panic of 1873 caused Northern Pacific to file for bankruptcy and forced construction of the railroad to cease, leaving the railroad reaching an abrupt end at Bismarck for nearly ten years. At the time construction\u00a0halted, most of the railroad had been completed except for the bridge that was to span the Missouri River. \u00a0Until funding for a bridge was obtained, trains had to be ferried across the river during the warm months and use temporary tracks built on the frozen river during the winter. Naturally, this made train transportation difficult and Northern Pacific’s bankruptcy added even further limitations on this necessary mode of transportation.<\/p>\n Gold Discovery Brings Boom<\/strong><\/p>\n Northern Pacific completed its bridge over the Missouri River in 1882.<\/p><\/div>\n Perhaps saving the new city from sudden extinction was the discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills in 1874, which sparked a minor gold rush to the region that lasted until approximately 1878. Most of the prospectors arrived in the area via the railroad to its terminus in Bismarck before setting out on their journey to the Black Hills. Ironically, it was the railroad\u2019s sudden end in Bismarck that mostly contributed to the city’s initial growth.<\/p>\n Bismarck was incorporated as a city in 1875, electing John McLean as its first mayor.<\/p>\n In 1876, the region received national attention when Bismarck Tribune<\/em> reporter Mark Kellogg was first to report on the massacre at Little Big Horn,\u00a0popularly\u00a0known today as “Custer’s Last Stand”. Kellogg himself was killed during the battle.<\/p>\n The first schoolhouse was constructed in 1877\u00a0at the southwest corner of Thayer Avenue and Sixth Street.\u00a0The second bank in Dakota Territory, First National Bank, opened at corner of 4th Street and Main Avenue two years later.<\/p>\n After surviving bankruptcy, Northern Pacific emerged with enough capital to finish construction of the northern transcontinental railroad. The\u00a0multi-million dollar railroad bridge spanning the Missouri River in Bismarck finally opened in October 1882, officially completing the railroad line.<\/p>\n The original capitol was completed in 1884. Photo Courtesy North Dakota Historical Society.<\/p><\/div>\n The following year, in 1883, the capital of Dakota Territory was relocated from Yankton to Bismarck. The city of Jamestown was also being considered as the possible new capital.\u00a0Alexander McKenzie<\/a>, a prominent and sometimes\u00a0controversial\u00a0political figure with close ties to Northern Pacific executives, is credited for bringing the capital to Bismarck. Construction on the new capitol building<\/a> commenced immediately; completed the following year.<\/p>\n With the growing city came major business and industry.\u00a0Webb Brothers<\/a> opened as a furniture store in 1884, but would eventually expand its merchandise. For years, Webb Brothers was the only dry goods store in Bismarck, and the only furniture store in the region. North Ward School<\/a> also opened that year, with 364 students, replacing the original 2-room schoolhouse. The first graduating class consisted of just two students in 1887.<\/p>\n The first hospital in Dakota Territory, Saint Alexius, opened in 1885, in addition to the Territorial Prison, now known as the State Penitentiary. Bismarck now had everything necessary to support a thriving city.<\/p>\n Upon entering statehood in 1889, Dakota Territory was divided and Bismarck assumed the role as capital of North Dakota. Even though Bismarck had grown substantially, it still mostly resembled a frontier town. Most of the buildings to this point had been constructed of wood, which would provide endless fuel to a fire that devastated Bismarck in August 1898<\/a>. The fire spread quickly from one wood structure to the next, and in the end, most of the buildings in Bismarck had been affected in some way from fire. Heavy winds had spread the flames as far north as the capitol.\u00a0The total loss was estimated at nearly half a million dollars (in 1898 figures).<\/p>\n Following the fire, a large portion of Bismarck had to be rebuilt. New, stricter fire codes were enacted, and rising from the ashes were buildings not made from wood, but from brick and concrete. Many of these new buildings were even labeled as “fire proof”. The\u00a0Fire of 1898\u00a0helped push Bismarck away from its frontier roots and into a modernized city.<\/p>\n Bismarck History Chapter Index:<\/p>\n![\"BNSF\/Northern](\"http:\/\/www.bismarckcafe.com\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/12\/missouririver06282009-21b-200x150.jpg\" "\\"Northern")
<\/a>Bismarck Becomes Government, Commerce, and Healthcare Hub<\/h4>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.bismarckcafe.com\/about\/NEW\/histor2.gif\" "\\"Original")
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