North and South Dakota were admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889. President Benjamin Harrison directed his Secretary of State to shuffle the papers and obscure from him which he was signing first and the actual order went unrecorded. North Dakota is either the 39th or 40th state to join the Union. The State Quarters Program chose to go alphabetically and have Norht Dakota as the 39th. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota (Sioux) American Indian tribes.
North Dakota has enjoyed two statehouses, the first constructed during the territorial period (1883-4) five years before statehood in 1889. Fire consumed the Capitol in 1930. The second and present Capitol was completed in 1934, in the depths of the Great Depression. They eliminated much of the exterior ornament from the original design. North Dakota's Capitol was slightly under its $2 million dollar limit, has 80 percent usable space, it cost merely 46 cents per cubic foot. The Capitol Building is 241 feet and 8 inches in height. It's known as the "Skycraper on the Prairie".
The unornate design of the Capitol's exterior is also found in the interior.
The Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts.
Each of the five justices are elected on a no-party ballot to ten year terms, arranged such that one seat is contested every two years. The Chief Justice is elected from the Justices every five years (or upon vacancy) by vote of the Supreme Court justices and the District Court judges.
The North Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly. North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as determined by the decennial census. The 2000 redistricting plan provided for 47 districts. As each district elects 2 Representatives to the House, there are currently 94 Representatives in the House. Representatives serve 4-year terms. Elections are staggered such that half the districts have elections every 2 years.
The North Dakota Senate is the upper house of the North Dakota Legislative Assembly. North Dakota is divided into between 40 and 54 legislative districts apportioned by population as determined by the decennial census. The 2000 redistricting plan provided for 47 districts. As each district elects 1 representative to the Senate, there are 47 Senators. Senators serve 4-year terms. Elections are staggered such that half the districts have elections every 2 years.
North Dakota Hall of Fame
The North Dakota Theodore Roosevelt Rough Riders was established during the 1961 Dakota Territory Centennial. The award recognizes present or former North Dakotans who have been influenced by this state in achieving national recognition in their fields of endeavor, thereby reflecting credit and honor upon North Dakota and its citizens.
Theodore Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States. As a young man, he spent several years in the North Dakota Badlands. Roosevelt said if it had not been for his experiences in North Dakota, he never would have been President of the United States.
The Capitol has an observation floor. It's nice that it is a floor and not an observation deck; at the time of my visit the outside temperature was 5 degrees and breezy. From the way it's set up it's a nice place to take a break.
Burke was a State Legislator, Governor 1907-1913, Supreme Court Justice 1925-1937, and a U.S. Treasurer. Located in front of the Capitol Building Tower. Donated February 15, 1963
The Pioneer Family was dedicated to honor the memory of the great northwest. Donated in 1946 by sculptor Avard Fairbanks.
Children are our future. Dedicated in 1989.
The Memorial is a large monument dedicated to all North Dakotans who served in the armed foces during the first 100 years of statehood, as it was finished and dedicated on June 10, 1989. The names of 4,050 men and women who died during the nation's wars are inscribed on the bronze tablets displayed under a large block of stone supported by columms.
Located in front of the Heritage Center. Donated September 1986 by sculptor Bennett Brein.
This statue is of the Shoshone Indian "Bird Woman" who in 1805 guided the Lewis and Clark expedition from Missouri River to the Yellowstone River. Located directly north of the Liberty Memorial Building. Donated October 1910 by sculptor Leonard Crunelle.
