History of Bismarck, North Dakota History of Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck is the capital of the state of North Dakota, the county seat of Burleigh County, and the second most populous city in North Dakota after Fargo. The city was formed in 1872 as "Edwinton" after Edwin Ferry Johnson, a chief engineer for the Northern Pacific Railway company, when the railroad reached the eastern banks of the Missouri River. The name was changed less than one year later, honoring German chancellor Otto von Bismarck, in an effort to attract German immigrants. The discovery of gold in the nearby Black Hills in 1874 was the first
USS North Dakota (BB-29) USS North Dakota (BB-29) USS "North Dakota" (BB-29) was a dreadnought battleship of the United States Navy, the second member of the , her only sister ship being . "North Dakota" was laid down at the Fore River Shipyard in December 1907, was launched in November 1908, and commissioned into the US Navy in April 1910. She was armed with a main battery of ten guns and was capable of a top speed of . "North Dakota" was the first vessel of the US Navy to be named after the 39th state. "North Dakota" had a peaceful career; she was