How The City Of Bismarck Got Its Name

You may have lived in Bismarck your entire life and never heard this story. How did North Dakota get its name? I moved here a little over six years ago, so I'm still trying to learn all of Bismarck's history. I did a little research to find the answer to this question.

According to the city of Bismarck's website, Bismarck came into existence in 1872, but it wasn't called Bismarck at that time. Interestingly enough, Bismarck was originally called Edwinton. Crazy right?

The following year, in 1873, they decided to give the area a more regal name and switch it to Bismarck. They named the capital city to honor the German Chancellor, "Prince Baron Otto Eduard Leopold Schoenhausen Von Bismarck."

First, you're probably thinking, why is this man's name so ridiculously long? That's valid; that was my initial thought, too. Second, you probably want to know why they wanted to honor this man.

According to the source, this was done in hopes of attracting German investment to the railway.

Bismarck Becomes the Capitol

Did you know that Bismarck didn't become the state's capital city until the Dakota Territory was split in two? The source says the original capital of the territory (Yankton) is in South Dakota. When the territory was divided in 1889, North Dakota's capital became Bismarck.

That's all the North Dakota history I have for you now. Hopefully, this satisfied your curiosity like it did mine. Thanks for reading!