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
North Dakota State Bison wrestling North Dakota State Bison wrestling The North Dakota State Bison Wrestling team is part of the athletic program at the North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, North Dakota. They are members of the NCAA Division I and the Big 12 Conference (NDSU's main conference, The Summit League, does not sponsor wrestling). The Bison are coached by Roger Kish. NDSU wrestling began in 1957 when head coach Tom Neuberger led the team to victory in their first dual meet against Valley City State University. Neuberger passed the coaching reins to Bucky Maughan in 1964. Since that time, NDSU has won