Bismarck, North Dakota the capital of the Dakota Territory, and in 1889 as the state capital of the new state of North Dakota. Bismarck is at (46.813343, −100.779004). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which, is land and is water. The city has developed around downtown Bismarck, the center of historic development. It is distinctive because the city's major shopping center, Kirkwood Mall, is in the center city rather than in the suburbs. Several other major retail stores are in the vicinity of Kirkwood Mall, which was developed near the Bismarck Civic Center. The
North Dakota State Normal and Industrial School North Dakota State Normal and Industrial School The North Dakota State Normal and Industrial School at Ellendale was a state-supported institution of higher learning located in Ellendale, North Dakota. Provisions were established for its creation at the North Dakota Constitutional Convention in 1889. The school's original name was the State Manual Training School, and this is reflected in the large molded concrete marquee on the west end of the campus Armory building, which reads "MTS." In 1907, with permission of the state legislature, the school's name was changed to "State Normal and Industrial School" and the term "SNI" was adopted