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
State Bar Association of North Dakota State Bar Association of North Dakota The State Bar Association of North Dakota (SBAND) is the integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of North Dakota. Founded in 1899, SBAND is the oldest integrated bar association in the United States. The SBAND is governed by a Board of Governors, consisting of 6 member and 4 officers. The Association provides a wide range of services including Association committees actively address issues involving judicial qualifications, public information programs, and law-related education in the public school system. Association staff also administer programs sponsored by the North Dakota Bar Foundation, the philanthropic arm