1610: Henry Hudson claimed Hudson Bay watershed for England, including eastern North Dakota 1682: LaSalle claimed Mississippi River drainage, including Missouri River drainage in North Dakota for France 1713: France gives England northern North Dakota 1738: French explorer, Pierre Gaultier de la Verendyre, visited Mandan villages 1762: Land claimed by LaSalle for France given to Spain 1794: Rene Jusseaume established fur post near Knife River 1797: English explorer, David Thompson, mapped northern part of state 1801: First white settlement established in Pembina 1803: Spain returned Missouri River watershed to France; Louisiana Purchase transferred area from France to United States 1804: Lewis and Clark arrived, built Fort Mandan 1806: Lewis and Clark expedition arrived at Fort Mandan on return to east 1812: William Douglas established a Scottish settlement near Pembina 1818: North Dakota became part of Missouri Territory 1828: American Fur Company opened Fort Union, remained the most important trading post in the area for 40 years 1837: Smallpox epidomic annihilated Mandan Indians 1851: Permanent agricultural settlement established at Pembina 1860: Regular steamboat service began on Missouri River 1861: Dakota Territory officially organized; William Jayne appointed first governor 1863: Dakota Territory opened for homesteading 1867: Fort Totten Indian Reservation established 1868: Laramie Treaty defined Sioux lands as west of Missouri River in Dakota Territory; Joseph Rolette was first homesteader 1870: Fort Berthold Indian Reservation established 1874: Col. George A. Custer explored Black Hills, verified existence of gold 1875: U. S. War Department allowed white settlement on Indian lands causing major uprising 1876: Custer defeated at Little Big Horn River 1878: Ranching began in western Dakota Territory 1879: Great Dakota land boom began 1882: Last Indian buffalo hunt occurred; fire destroyed much of Grand Forks 1883: Territorial capital moved to Bismarck from Yankton 1884: Fire destroyed half of city of Devils Lake 1886: Severe winter ended open range ranching 1889: North Dakota became 39th state 1890: Sitting Bull killed 1893: Fire destroyed business section of Fargo 1898: Fire destroyed Bismarck business section 1901: Ranch operator, Theodore Roosevelt, became president of U. S. 1911: State flag designated 1915: Wheat crop largest to date 1918: Influenza epidemic killed 2,700 1919: Windstorm killed 8, injured 40; first airplane fatality occurred 1921: Governor, Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture and Labor recalled by voters 1922: First motor vehicle bridge across Missouri River established at Bismarck 1929: Severe drought began, lasted nearly eight years 1930: Severe windstore damaged 1,847 buildings 1932: Prohibition agents made biggest raid west of Chicago at Jamestown 1936: Highest and lowest temperatures recorded, 60 degrees below zero at Parshall and 120 degrees above at Steele; drought devastated crops 1938: First hard-surfaced highway completed across state 1941: Red River Valley blizzard killed 90 1951: Oil discovered near Tioga; voter registration repealed 1953: Bones of Sitting Bull stolen from grave at Fort Yates, reburied near Mobridge, South Dakota 1956: Construction began at Grand Forks Air Force Base; Garrison Dam began generating electricity 1957: Construction began at Minot Air Force Base 1960: Garrison Dam completed; Lake Sakakawea formed 1961: Roger Maris of Fargo broke Babe Ruth's home run record 1963: Uranium recovery began; Minuteman Missiles arrived at Grand Forks and Minot Air Force bases 1965: North Dakota's first Minuteman Missile installed in underground site 1966: Worst blizzard in state history occurred 1968: First recorded earthquake in state recorded near Ashley 1969: Minot hit by flood; 126 Minot teachers dismissed during strike 1973: Sales taxes on groceries repealed 1975: Blizzard killed 12 residents, countless cattle; resulting floods caused $1 billion in damages; North Dakota only state to ratify ERA 1978: Oil boom began in western part of state; sunflowers became second largest cash crop; 23 counties eligible for disaster assistance due to spring flooding 1984: Ruth Meiers became first woman Lieutenant Governor 1985: State's first ethanol plant built at Walhalla; Beryl Levine became first woman Justice of North Dakota Supreme Court 1987: 10,000 people evacuated homes in Minot due to fire at agricultural chemical warehouse 1988: Severe drought destroyed acres of wheat 1997: Red River flooding devastated Grand Forks