Information and history of the state of North Dakota

North Dakota was explored in 1738–1740 by French Canadians led by Sieur de la Verendrye. In 1803, the U.S. acquired most of North Dakota from France in the Louisiana Purchase.

The first settlements were made at Pembina in 1812 by Scottish and Irish families. In 1818, the U.S. obtained the northeast part of North Dakota by treaty with Great Britain. However, the region remained largely unsettled until the construction of the railroad in the 1870s and 1880s.

North Dakota is the most rural of all the states, with farms covering more than 90% of the land.

Some North Dakota Symbols

1. State Bird	2. State Mammal	3. State Flower	4. State Fossil	5. State Insect
6. State Tree	7. State Beverage	8. State Fruit	9. State Fish	10. State Soil

1. Western Meadowlark - The western meadowlark was designated official state bird of North Dakota in 1947.
2. Nokota Horse- North Dakota designated the Nokota horse as the state horse in 1993.
3. Prairie Rose -North Dakota designated the wild prairie rose as the official state flower in 1907.
4. Teredo Petrified Wood - North Dakota designated teredo petrified wood as the official state fossil in 1967.
5. Ladybug - North Dakota designated the ladybug as the official state insect on March 15, 2011.
6. American Elm - North Dakota designated the American Elm as the official state tree in 1947.
7. Milk - Milk was designated the official state beverage of North Dakota in 1983.
8. Chokecherry - In 2007 North Dakota designated the chokecherry as the official state fruit.
9. Northern Pike - North Dakota named the northern pike as the state fish in 1969.
10. Williams Soil - The Williams soil series was recognized as the official soil of North Dakota in 1900. Williams soils are extensive and economically important soils to North Dakota.

Did you know?

• The piles of rock on White Butte, North Dakota's highest point, are known of as rock johnnies or sheepherder's monuments and according to legend were piled there by sheepherders as a way to pass the time while they tended their flocks.
• The Lewis and Clark expedition encountered their first grizzly bears in North Dakota.
• An attempt to drop the word North from the state name was defeated by the 1947 Legislative Assembly. Again in 1989 the Legislature rejected two resolutions intended to rename the state Dakota.
• The World's Largest Buffalo monument is located at Frontier Village in Jamestown. The structure is 26 feet high, 46 feet long, and weighs 60 ton.
• The town of Rugby is the geographical center of North America. A rock obelisk about 15 feet tall, flanked by poles flying the United States and Canadian flags marks the location.