April 19, 2024: Tomorrow is National North Dakota Day! This day recognizes the 39th state to join the U.S. Some interesting facts about ‘The Peace Garden State’ include:
· North Dakota may or may not have been the 39th state to have joined the union. Both North and South Dakota were admitted at the same time. President Benjamin Harrison asked then Secretary of State James Blaine, to shuffle up the paperwork to avoid anyone ever knowing the state that was signed first. Still, North Dakota is listed as the 39th state with South Dakota occupying the 40th spot. This is due to alphabetical order.
· A few attempts were launched to drop “North” from the state’s name and go by the simpler “Dakota”. The first attempt was in 1947 and the second was in 1989. However, both were unsuccessful due to the pushback from the Legislative Assembly.
· North Dakota is the leading producer of honey in the U.S., followed by South Dakota, California, Montana, and Florida.
· Lake Sakakawea formed by Garrison Dam on the Missouri River is named after a Shoshone woman named Sacagawea. In 1805 – 1806, she worked as a guide and interpreter during the Lewis and Clark expedition. The lake was created in 1954. It is one of the largest artificial reservoirs in the United States.
The Four Bears Bridge in New Town, North Dakota, was North Dakota’s first precast concrete segmental bridge. This bridge crosses the Missouri River, where the river is widened by Garrison Dam, creating Lake Sakakawea. The bridge features a variable depth superstructure that was built in balanced cantilever, minimizing the impact on the environment.
FIGG designed this bridge for the North Dakota Department of Transportation Department of Transportation. FIGG also provided construction engineering and inspection support to the Owner.
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