North Dakota

The Mandan, Sioux, Chippewa, and other Native American tribes lived in the region that would become North Dakota for centuries before the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through the area in 1804–05. A small settlement was established soon afterwards by the Hudson's Bay Trading Company, and it was not until 1861 that the Dakota Territory was established, with North Dakota gaining statehood on November 2, 1889. Six years earlier, North Dakota—along with South Dakota—introduced compulsory education for all children between the ages of 7 and 16. Early pioneer women struggled to bring up families, but by the 1920s many had extended families to help them, along with church groups and community associations. However, the droughts in the 1930s that resulted in the Dust Bowl caused ...