History of Bismarck, North Dakota Northern Pacific, which survived bankruptcy and continued the railroad. Upon emerging from bankruptcy, construction immediately commenced on a $1 million bridge to span the Missouri River. The first passenger train crossed the Missouri in 1882, bringing never-ending traffic to the area. The territorial capital of Dakota Territory was moved from Yankton to Bismarck in 1883, putting Bismarck in the national spotlight. Local political boss Alexander McKenzie is credited for achieving the new role for Bismarck. When the Dakota Territory was split into two states, North Dakota and South Dakota, Jamestown, ND was chosen as the new state capital for North
Politics of North Dakota federal court ruled that North Dakota's new voter ID law was too restrictive, reverting the state's voting rules to their 2013 revision for the following election. Under the nullified rules, the state would have disallowed use of federal tribal IDs that did not include street addresses, even though most Native Americans on reservations use post office boxes. The court found the state had created a discriminatory burden on Native American voters. As in the national government of the United States, power in North Dakota is divided into three main branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The capital of the state is