The stock market crashed in October 1929, causing widespread economic chaos across the United States. Hastening local hardship, the Dust Bowl greatly affected agriculture, one of North Dakota’s most important commodities.
Although less affected than some parts of the country, North Dakota did take a hit during the Depression. Perhaps most impacted, many farmers abandoned their rural farms to move into North Dakota’s urban cities. As a result, Bismarck’s population more than doubled from 1920 to 1940.
1930: Fire Destroys Capitol
Fire consumed the State Capitol on December 28, 1930. The fire was determined to have been caused by spontaneous combustion from a collection of rags covered with turpentine and varnish that had been used earlier to prepare for the upcoming legislative assembly.
Insurance only covered $728,000 of the resulting damage. The actual loss was in the millions. Most of the important state documents were destroyed in the fire, including all but one copy of the State Constitution.
Prior to the Capitol’s destruction, the state had already been anticipating the need for a new capitol. Completed in 1884 to be Dakota Territory’s Capitol, five years before statehood, the overcrowded building was approaching fifty years old. The Liberty Memorial Building was built in 1924 to help alleviate overcrowding of the growing state government until funding for a new capitol was secured, which was suddenly stifled by the economic crisis.
Wachter Expansion
Also in 1930, Wachter School expanded with three additional classrooms and a gymnasium.
1931: World War Memorial Building
World War Memorial Building is dedicated on January 9, 1931. The joint city-county community center was approved in 1929. The Art Deco-style building deployed the most modern construction techniques of the time. It contained the largest convention center in the state upon opening.
Streetcar Line Discontinued, Airline Service Established
The state-owned streetcar line is disestablished in the aftermath of the Capitol’s destruction, on February 28th. Later that year, the first commercial airplane landed in Bismarck. Northwest Airways (later Norwest Airlines, now part of Delta) established Bismarck service. It is the longest-service airline for Bismarck, and even the sole airline provider for many years.
Pioneer Park
Pioneer Park was dedicated on July 2nd.
Buttrey’s
Montana-based Buttrey’s opens a Bismarck store at 404 E Main Avenue in 1931. The store moved to the corner of 4th Street and Broadway Avenue in 1941, where it remained until 1974 when local competitor A.W. Lucas purchased the building for expansion. Buttrey’s then relocated to 218 N 4th Street. Records indicate that Buttrey’s at one time also had a store in Mandan, as well as North Dakota stores in Minot, Grand Forks, Dickinson, and Fargo.
New Burleigh County Courthouse
On July 25th, 1931, the current Burleigh County Courthouse was dedicated at 6th and Broadway on land donated by Dr. Quain. At a cost of about $300,000, the art-deco courthouse and accompanying jail replaced one used since 1875 on the same site. The 2nd and 3rd floors weren’t fully finished until 1984. An annex was added in the early 1960s. A parking ramp and larger 42,920-square-foot detention center and were completed in 1992, at an approximate cost of $4.5 million. The expanded detention center increases capacity from 23 prisoners to 68 standard, and up to 92 with some double-bunking. The fourth floor was left unfinished for future expansion.
1933: Alcohol Re-Legalized
Voters legalized the sale and manufacture of beer in September 1933. It was the first time alcohol could legally be sold in North Dakota since being admitted as a dry state in 1889, which carried over into the nationwide Prohibition beginning in 1920.
Schultz Creamery
Depending on the source, Enoch Schultz founded Schultz Creamery sometime between 1933-1935. Schulz Creamery evolved into a multi-million dollar regional dairy producer, at one time being Burleigh County’s only privately-owned creamery. Over the years, products produced at the Schultz Creamery have included milk, butter, ice cream, and cheese, which was introduced in 1943.
1934: New Capitol; Governor Langer’s Forced Removal
Forced to finance constructing a capitol in the midst of the Great Depression, North Dakota opted for efficiency with an art-deco skyscraper, which would tower the city at nineteen stories when completed in 1934. Its construction was turbulent, and its completion overshadowed by the forced removal of Governor Langer that same year.
In the wake of the Capitol’s fire, Jamestown attempted to procure the capitol for itself, but voters overwhelmingly defeated the attempt in 1932, keeping it in Bismarck. Ground for the new capitol was first broken on August 13th of that year, but a second ground breaking ceremony would later take place when the original cornerstone is damaged.
Capitol Construction Strike
Striking laborers stand before the Capitol during construction.
On May 16, 1933, construction workers went on strike for better working conditions and a pay increase to fifty cents per hour. The strike lasted for weeks, and resulted in several arrests and injuries. Governor William Langer declared martial law on June 1 to put an end to the strike.
The new North Dakota State Capitol was dedicated in September 1934 and formally occupied the following January.
Governor Langer Convicted, Removed
As their new capitol neared completion, North Dakotans shifted attention to the controversial felony convictions – and forced removal – of their governor, the infamous William “Wild Bill” Langer.
Governor Langer was charged with two felonies: conspiracy to extort funds from federal employees, and blocking orderly operation of an act of congress. Seven others were originally charged. Four of them stood trial with Langer.
The trial began on May 22, 1934 in Fargo. Twelve jurors would decide the fate of their widely reputed governor. Langer and his co-defendants entered a plea of “not guilty” and denied all charges.
After 60 hours of deliberation, the jury found Langer and his co-defendants guilty on June 16th, with a maximum possible fine of $10,000 and sentence up to two years in prison. Langer was sentenced to eighteen months in prison and required to pay the maximum fine. Three of his co-defendants were sentenced to thirteen months in prison, with a fine of $3,000. The remaining co-defendant, Harold McDonald, was sentenced to only four months.
Following his felony convictions, the North Dakota Supreme Court ordered that Langer be removed from office and replaced by his Lieutenant Governor, Ole Olson. Langer did not relinquish his position willingly. When the United States Congress officially recognized Olson as governor, Langer declared North Dakota’s secession from the United States. He then declared martial law and called a special legislative session, where he would appear before the house and proclaim “I am still your governor.” Langer asked for impeaching members of the state supreme court and his replacement, Ole Olson. Facing no legal remedies, Langer eventually stepped down and Olson assumed governorship.
Langer’s wife, Lydia, ran for governor later that year, but lost. After three additional trials, Langer was eventually acquitted of all charges. After his acquittal, Langer was re-elected governor, serving again from 1937-1939, before moving on to represent North Dakota at the United States Senate, where he died in office in 1959.
1935: Bismarck High School replaced
The current Bismarck High School facility opened in 1935.
Construction of the current Bismarck High School building commenced in 1934 and was completed for the 1935-1936 school year at an initial cost of $404,000. The school board considered three different sites before choosing to build the new high school immediately adjacent to the 1912-built schoolhouse that housed both junior and senior high students, bustling with 634 students at the time. The former schoolhouse continued to house junior high students until 1962. Its demolition was approved in 1963.
Bismarck High remains housed inside the 1935-built art deco schoolhouse, which has received numerous renovations and additions through the ensuing decades. The building’s first significant – and by some accounts its largest – expansion was completed in 1963, after voters approved a $1,850,000 bond measure that also funded a second junior high (today known as Simle Middle School) to compliment Hughes Junior High. It also provided funding to demolish the 1912-built former high school. In addition to a new classroom wing to its south, the project added an additional physical education classroom, music room, and an expanded gymnasium to the northeast.
The building completed another significant expansion and renovation in 1987, adding a commons area, which doubles as a cafeteria, to the east and relocating the library to the 2nd floor, as well as heating, electrical, and plumbing upgrades. The project cost $5.9 million, with $4.3 million funded through a voter-approved bond.
It was a much smaller renovation project than was initially proposed, after voters overwhelmingly rejected a $16.4 million bond measure on June 4, 1984. The larger proposed “modernization” contained three phases that also included a new gymnasium, swimming pool, and additional parking.
In anticipation of the full expansion, the District previously purchased 33 properties in a two-block area for $2 million to be demolished – many of which were already condemned, with plans to engulf portions of 8th Street and Avenue D.
A smaller $9.8 million bond measure, $5.3 million of which dedicated for Bismarck High, was defeated by 163 votes on April 30, 1985 before a revised proposal, shifting $1 million from Bismarck High towards other projects, was narrowly approved in November of that year.
The next major expansion and renovation commenced in 1996, essentially gutting the interior while adding the Swanson Wing to the north, named for Em & Ardys Swanson, both former long-time teachers and one a former principal. The new wing houses two gymnasiums, a fine arts center, music rooms, and social studies rooms.
Its most recent remodel and addition commenced in 2018, as part of a voter-approved $57.5 million bond measure for improvements of both Bismarck and Century High Schools, as well as the three public middle schools. The Bismarck High component cost $17 million, adding a 25,600-square-foot auditorium, an 8,700-square-foot third court to the main (Karlgaard) gymnasium, and 10,000 square feet dedicated to fitness, a weight room, and wrestling. Prior to this, Bismarck High was the state’s only Class A high school without a dedicated auditorium – instead utilizing the Knaack Center (also a gymnasium) for such functions.
Vantine Paint & Glass
Also in 1935, Vantine Paint & Glass opened at 313 E Main Avenue.
1936: The Ring
Edward Patterson established The Ring – a boxing-theme bar and restaurant located at 117 N 5th Street.
1937: Shark’s Menswear
1937 witnessed the opening of Shark’s Men’s Store in Bismarck. Established by Leo Shark, the enterprise was independent of the Shark’s clothing store first founded by his father, Herman, twenty-six years earlier in Devil’s Lake. A Minot store eventually followed.
Leo’s son, Evan, later will operate his own independent menswear store as “Evan’s Menswear.” The two operations eventually merge to become “Shark’s and Evan’s Men’s Wear.” That store was an original tenant when the Parkade opened in 1970, of which Evan was a principal partner in. Evan sold the menswear store in 1977 to concentrate efforts as an investor and real estate broker, but the retail store continued until at least 1979.
Federal Building Expansion
The 1913-built Federal Building received a large addition on the building’s north side in 1937. At the street-level, the two sections blend as one.
National Guard acquires former Indian School site
Following a formal application by Governor Langer, North Dakota’s National Guard took possession of the former “Indian School” site in October, originally with a temporary use permit granted by the Department of Interior. The controversial boarding school had operated on the site since 1907.
The Federal Government deeded the land to the state in 1944. It was renamed Fraine Barracks in honor of the late Brigadier General John H. Fraine the following year, in 1945. Fraine was a long-time member of the Guard.
1938: Bismarck Tribune wins Pulitzer
Bismarck Tribune won a Pulitzer Prize in 1938 for a series of articles entitled “Self-Help in the Dustbowl.”
1939: Bismarck Junior College established
Voters authorized a junior college in a special election held on June 5, 1939. Bismarck Junior College held its first classes on September 4th of that year, with classes held on the third floor of the Bismarck High School building. Only a one-year program was initially available, consisting of general education courses. Its initial enrollment included 68 students and 4 part-time teachers (according to a September 1939 Bismarck Tribune article, but sources vary on both counts).
Sources do vary on the first-year enrollment and teacher counts. One source states initial enrollment was 73 students, Bismarck State College’s website lists the initial enrollment was 104. Bismarck State College’s 75-anniversary special publication listed 12 initial instructors. Perhaps these figures are from the school’s first year offering a full degree program.
The college relocated in 1955 and to its current campus in 1961. More on the college’s history is explored with its relocation to the current campus in 1961.
Piggly Wiggly
1939 saw the opening of Bismarck’s second chain grocer, Piggly Wiggly, which was established by W.W. Oliver. Piggly Wiggly went onto be purchased by Roy Rockstad and Eugene Leary ten years later, which became the precursor to Dan’s Supermarket.
Traffic Control: Speed limits implemented, first traffic light, underpass
Local speed limits were implemented for first time in 1939, but only on certain stretches along Main Avenue: 25 MPH between 9th & Washington Streets, and various ranges of 30-40 MPH between 12th & 26th Streets. Also that year, the first traffic signal was installed at 9th Street & Main Avenue. The 9th Street underpass beneath the railroad was completed the following year, in 1940.
1940: Weather Bureau departs Camp Hancock
The U.S. Weather Bureau departed Camp Hancock in 1940, where it had been housed since 1894. The camp was among Bismarck’s earliest establishments, in 1872, as an infantry post and supply depot. The Department of Agriculture used the facility until 1949, when it was gutted by a major fire caused by the furnace. At that time, the building was donated to the State Historical Society, who began restoring the damaged building. Camp Hancock was designated as a historic site on October 12, 1955.
Kuilman’s Motel
Kuilman’s Motel was established in 1940. The building is demolished in 1985 or 1986 to create additional parking for Kroll’s Kitchen.
1941: Fort Lincoln Internment Camp
Fort Lincoln, now home to United Tribes, was used as an internment camp during World War II.
Bismarck became an integral part of World War II when, in 1941, Fort Lincoln, located just south of Bismarck – not be confused with Fort Abraham Lincoln south of Mandan, was designated an internment camp to house German and Japanese civilians and POWs. It became the largest of such camps in the United States during the war, housing more than 4,030 people by the time the last prisoner departed in March 1946.
The first detainees at Fort Lincoln arrived on June 2 and, for the most part, those detained at Fort Lincoln were able to maintain an ordinary life. The detainees established their own city within the camp, complete with a cafe, barber shop, doctor’s office, and even a casino.
Fire guts Morton County Courthouse
Also in 1941, the Morton County Courthouse in Mandan is destroyed by fire. The 56-year-old brick building was built in 1885. Initial damage estimates were $50,000. Few loose items were saved, but most of the official records housed in a fireproof safe were salvaged.
Logan’s Grocery closes
Logan’s Grocery closed after sixty-four years. Austin Logan established Logan’s Grocery in 1877. With only $200 in his pocket, Logan had arrived in Bismarck from Connecticut a year earlier, at the age of 21. He built a new store on the same site in 1881. Logan’s son, Roy, bought the business from his father in 1915 and constructed the present-day Logan Building in 1917, where it remained until closing. The Logan Building, also known today as Logan’s on Third, was gutted by fire in 1984. A $1.75 million renovation was completed in July 1986. It has housed numerous tenants over the years, including a namesake restaurant (later Caffe Aroma) and May’s Camera & Model Shop.
1942: Gold Seal founded
Local businessman Harold Schafer founded Gold Seal Products in 1942. Known for its popular consumer products, including Mr. Bubble and Glass Floor Wax, Gold Seal grew to become one of the largest privately-owned institutions to ever exist in North Dakota, with sales topping $50 million before its sale to Airwick Industries in 1986.
Gold Seal’s first product was Gold Seal Floor Wax. Gold Seal netted a profit of $901.02 in its first year. Glass Wax was introduced in 1945, and went national three years later. Snowy Bleach boosted Gold Seal’s revenues during the 1950s, and the company’s most iconic product, Mr. Bubble, debuted in 1961.
The former Gold Seal corporate headquarters, located on Divide Avenue in Bismarck, now houses various offices. The building, still known as the Gold Seal Building, is easily recognizable due to its gold-tinted windows. Prior to this location, Gold Seal was headquartered in downtown Bismarck.
Harold Schafer is also well remembered for establishing Medora into one of the state’s most popular tourist destinations. Harold’s son, former North Dakota Governor and former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Edward Schafer, later operated the company from 1978-1985.
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