History of Bismarck, North Dakota real impetus for growth. In 1883, Bismarck became the capital of the Dakota Territory and, in 1889, of the state of North Dakota. The first well-documented inhabitants of what is now Bismarck were the Mandan Nation. The remains of Chief Looking's Village, one of the Mandan towns, is now a park within the city limits, while another six to eight town sites, including On-a-Slant Village, Large-and-Scattered Village, and Double Ditch Village, made up the homeland of the Mandan Nation from about the mid-1500s to the late 1700s and surround present-day Bismarck for a few miles to the north and south.
North Dakota State University Press North Dakota State University Press The North Dakota State University Press, also known as NDSU Press, is a historical publishing institute located at North Dakota State University. The NDSU Press is for publishing literary works with a “regional focus,” which includes the regions of “the Red River Valley, the state of North Dakota, the plains of North America (comprising both the Great Plains of the United States and the prairies of Canada), and comparable regions of other continents.” This institute was originally established in 1950 as the North Dakota Institute for Regional Studies (NDIRS). The established purpose of the NDIRS,