In 1883, the University of North Dakota was founded by George H. Walsh before North Dakota was formally recognized as an independent state (born from the Dakota Territory). In 1893, The Diamond Milling Company of Grand Forks started making a new breakfast cereal they called Cream of Wheat, invented by mill employee Thomas Amidon. By the dawn of the 20th century, the city had become the commercial, transportation, educational, health care, entertainment, and cultural center of the region and boasted many amenities usually found in larger cities.