The centerpiece of the North Dakota State Capitol grounds of six buildings in Bismarck is the 19-story, 241 foot art deco skyscraper. It was built during the Depression and finished in 1934 only after martial law forced striking workers back to work. The state’s tallest building is lit up during the holiday season to resemble a Christmas tree and, two weeks later, the numbers of the new year. The Dakotas, which means “friend,” were named after the Indian tribe and became states on November 2, 1889. North Dakota is considered the 39th state because alphabetically it is before South Dakota.
