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.
South Dakota Highway 15 South Dakota Highway 15 South Dakota Highway 15 (SD 15) is a state highway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of South Dakota. It connects Clear Lake, Milbank, and Wilmot. SD 15 originally traveled from the Nebraska state line to the North Dakota state line. It followed what would eventually become U.S. Route 77 (US 77), which had been designated before 1931. Part of its path went north from Wilmot to Sisseton, then north to Hammer, along US 81's former path, west to Claire City, north to the North Dakota state line north of Claire City, where it