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
U.S. Route 52 in North Dakota U.S. Route 52 in North Dakota U.S. Highway 52 (US 52) is a United States Numbered Highway in the U.S. state of North Dakota, which travels from the Canada–United States border east to the Red River at Fargo. The highway connects the cities of Minot and Fargo and travels concurrent with Interstate 94 (I-94) between Jamestown and the Minnesota state line. In North Dakota, US 52 continues from Saskatchewan Highway 39 from the Canada–United States border at North Portal, Saskatchewan and Portal, North Dakota to the Red River in Fargo, a distance of . US 52 passes through Burke, Ward,