North Dakota

From Encyclopediak

North Dakota, THE FLICKERTAIL STATE, one of the West North Central States, is bounded on the north by the Dominion of Canada, on the east by Minnesota, from which it is separated by the Red River of the North, on the south by South Dakota and on the west by Montana.

SIZE. The length from north to south is 210 miles and the breadth is 360 miles. The area is 70,837 sq. miles, of which 654 sq. miles are water. The state is a little smaller than South Dakota or, Nebraska, and the 16th state in area.

POPULATION. In 1920 the population was 646,872. From 1910 to 1920 there was a gain in population of 69,816, or 12.1 per cent. There are 9.2 inhabitants to the square mile and the state's rank in population is 36. SURFACE. The surface of North Dakota consists of three distinct regions. In the east is the Valley of the Red River of the North, a level plain, on the North Dakota side from 20 to 50 miles wide, and varying in altitude from 965 ft. at Wahpeton to 836 ft. at the northern boundary. West of this plain is a region of rolling prairie which is separated from the valley by an abrupt slope that gradually rises westward from a height of about 40 ft. to one ranging from 200 ft. to 300 ft. The Pembina Mountains, a tane of low hills near the Canadian boundary, form a part of this slope, and the Turtle Mountains, an uplift from 300 to 400 ft. high, also along the Canadian boundary nearly midway between its eastern and western extremities, belong to this region. The ridge separating the Valley of the Red River from the plain to the west gradually descends as it extends southward, until at Walsh County it blends with the surrounding country. The prairie region gradually rises until on its western border it meets the Coteau du Missouri, a ridge from 300 to 400 ft, high and from 20 to 50 m. wide. To the west of this ridge lies the third surface region, which embraces the highest plain of the state and occupies nearly one-half of its area. East of the Missouri River this region has a billowy appearance and tins continues in some places west of the river. Along the streams are deep ravines. Tile hillsides of the Bad Lands have been eroded by wind and water and many of them have taken on fantastic forms whose beauty is enhanced by the variety of colors in the rock. Much of this region is good grazing land.

RIVERS AND LAKES. The eastern part of the state is drained by the Red River of the North into Hudson Bay. The Sheyenne, the Park and the Pembina are its most important tributaries. The Souris, or Mouse, River crosses the Canadian boundary three times and drains the north-central part into the Assiniboine and thence into Hudson Bay. The Missouri and its tributaries drain that part of the state west of the Coteau du Missouri. The Missouri is the most important stream in the state. Its chief tributaries from the north are the Muddy, the White Earth, the Shell, Paintcdwoods Creek, the Apple and the Big Beaver. From the south and west are the Little Missouri, the Knife, the Big Heart and the Cannon Ball. The tributaries from the south and west are much larger and longer than those from the north and east. The James, flowing into South Dakota, drains the central part of the state. North Dakota has but few lakes. Devils Lake between Ramsey and Benson counties is the largest. This is a beautiful sheet of water surrounded by wooded shores, and is a favorite summer resort. Other lakes of importance are Stump Lake in Nelson County and Bush Lake. Arrowood and Spiritwood.

CLIMATE. North Dakota has a cool, temperate and changeable climate. The winters are long and cold but the atmosphere is clear, dry and bracing, so that the cold here is not felt so much as in many places having a higher winter temperature but greater humidity. The summers are cool and delightful. There are occasional hot days but the nights are cool. The mean annual temperature is 39.4. The annual rainfall in the Valley of the Red River is about 24 inches, but in the western part of the state it is much less. The eastern part of the state has sufficient rainfall for agricultural purposes by ordinary methods of tillage and in the wetern part farming is not always successfully carried on. See (DRY-FARMING).

MINERALS AND MINING. That part of the state southwest of the Missouri River contains extensive deposits of lignite coal, the fields practically covering the entire region. Coal fields are also generally distributed over that part of the state west of the 100th meridian, though they are less extensive than those in the first field. The coal outcrops in many places and farmers frequently obtain their fuel by digging it from these veins. In the southwestern part of the state are a number of coal mines in operation and about 300,000 tons of coal are mined each year. Good clay for making brick is found in many localities, and building stone occurs in the Turtle Mountains.

AGRICULTURE. North Dakota is preeminently an agricultural state and has under tillage the largest farms in the United States, some of them containing 30,000 acres under a single management. Modern farm implements and machinery, including steam thrashers and steam plows, are used and scientific methods are employed, all of which bring about very good results. Soil. In the Valley of the Red River of the North the soil is rich alluvium of great depth. In the prairie region clay and sandy loams are found. In general the soils contain an abundance of plant food and produce excellent crops. Products. Wheat is the leading crop and North Dakota is one of the foremost states in raising No. 1 Hard spring wheat, the crop some years amounting to 100,000,000 bushels, with an average of over 90,000,000 bushels. The other products in the order of value are flax-seed, oats, barley, corn, hay and potatoes. Garden vegetables and small fruits flourish and crab apples and the hardier varieties of other apples are also grown. The western part of the state is well suited to grazing, and large numbers of horses, cattle and sheep are raised in this region. The annual wool clip exceeds 300,000,000 Ib. Dairying is common through the state and is a thriving and growing industry.

MANUFACTURES. The production of flour is the leading manufacturing industry and is quite equally distributed over the wheat-growing part of the state. Making brick and pottery is the next industry of importance. Other manufactures local in their nature, that is, designed to supply neighborhood demands, are necessarily of limited extent. Fargo and Grand Forks are the chief manufacturing centers.

TRANSPORTATION AND COMMERCE. The Red River of the North is navigable at high water, but since the construction of railways it is but litttle used. The Great Northern, the Northern Pacific, the Soo and the Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul railway systems have numerous lines in the state. Most of the lines, however, are under control of the Great Northern and Northern Pacific railway systems. The trunk lines extend east and west, and numerous cross lines connect these at numerous points. The counties in the eastern part of the state and those in the western part crossed by trunk lines have good railway facilities, but railway construction has not yet reached all the counties in the southern and western sections. Fargo and Grand Forks are the chief railway centers. Wheat, flour, live stock, dairy products and agricultural products are exported, and manufactured goods and some foodstuffs are imported. There are no great commercial centers and the trade is quite equally distributed over the state. This even distribution of commercial and other industries contributes to the general welfare of the people, and North Dakota is said to be the "state without a millionaire and without a pauper."

GOVERNMENT. The constitution was adopted in 1889. It contains a clause prohibiting anyone from interfering with another's obtaining employment or interfering with the enjoying such employment after it is obtained. It also contained a clause prohibiting liquor traffic. The executive department consists of a governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer, attorney-general, commissioner of insurance, commissioner of agriculture and labor, superintendent of public instruction and three railroad commissioners, each elected for two years. The Legislature consists of a Senate of not less than 30 nor more than 50 members, and a House of Representatives of not less than 60 nor more than 140 members. Senators are elected for four years and representatives for two years. Sessions are held biennially and are limited to 60 days. The judicial department consists of a Supreme Court of five judges elected for six years, and 12 District Courts presided over by a judge for each district, elected for four years. There are local courts in counties and cities.

EDUCATION. North Dakota has a large educational fund derived from public school lands. The state has also made large appropriations of land for state institutions. Public schools are under the general supervision of a superintendent of public instruction and the schools of each county are under the supervision of a county superintendent. There is a board of education consisting of the superintendent of public instruction, the president of the state university, the president of the agricultural college and two additional members appointed by the governor, which has charge of the high schools. State normal schools are maintained at Mayville and Valley City, at Dickinson and at Minot. There is an industrial normal school maintained at Ellendale, a school of forestry at Bottineau and a scientific school at Wahpeton. The state agricultural college is at Fargo and there are substations at Dickinson, Edgeley, Williston, Langdon, and Hettinger. There are also 24 demonstration farms located in different parts of the state. The state university at Grand Forks is at the head of the education system. Fargo College at Fargo is under the auspices of the Congregational Church.

STATE INSTITUTIONS. The asylum for the insane is at Jamestown, the school for the blind is at Bathgate, that for the deaf and dumb is at Devils Lake and the institute for the feeble-minded is at Grafton. There is a soldiers home at Lisbon. The state penitentiary is at Bismarck and the state reform school at Mandan.

CITIES. The chief cities are Bismarck, the capital Fargo, Grand Forks, Valley City, Minot, Devils Lake, Jamestown and Mandan. HISTORY. North Dakota Dakota is the Sioux word was part of the territory bought from Napoleon, in 1803. See (LOUISIANA PURCHASE). The first permanent settlement was made by British traders at Pembina in 1870. Because of a mistaken idea as to the location of the Canadian line, Lord Selkirk's colony dwelt here from 1812 to 1823. In 1861 Dakota Territory was organized. By 1875 it had less than 1000 white settlers. Until 1883 Yankton was the capital, when the seat of government was removed to Bismarck. In November, 1889, being separated from South Dakota, North Dakota became a state. Of late years its great agricultural resources have given it exceptional prosperity.

GOVERNORS. John Miller, 1889-1891 Andrew H. Burke, 1891-1893 Eli C. D. Shortridge, 1893-1895 Roger Allin, 1895-1897 Frank A. Briggs, 1897-1898 Joseph M. Devine, 1898-1899 Frederick B. Fancher, 1899-1901 Frank White, 1901-1905 Elmore Y. Sarles, 1905-1907 John Burke, 1907-1913 Louis B. Hanna, 1913-1917 L. J. Frazier, 1917-1921.