Before Roads, Railroads, and Taxis: Thousands of Years of Indigenous Travel
For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples moved through the northern Great Plains using waterways, prairie routes, river crossings, and seasonal transportation networks.
The region now called North Dakota has long been home to, or part of the histories of, numerous Indigenous nations. They include the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, Anishinaabe, and other peoples whose homelands and traditional routes extend beyond modern state boundaries.
River valleys as transportation corridors
The Missouri River, Red River, Sheyenne River, James River, and other waterways influenced settlement, communication, and movement across the region.
River valleys offered sources of water, vegetation, wildlife, and landmarks useful for navigation.
For the agricultural villages of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara along the Missouri River, transportation and trade were essential elements of community life.
Walking, watercraft, and dogs
Walking remained fundamental to travel. People carried supplies and used dogs to transport belongings, sometimes with travois frames.
Watercraft, including forms of bull boats made with hides stretched across frames, were important on the Missouri River.
Bull boats were particularly associated with transporting goods and crossing waterways. They illustrate the ingenuity of transportation systems adapted to the available materials and local environment.
The arrival and spread of horses
During the eighteenth century, horses became increasingly important among many Plains communities.
Horse transportation greatly increased the distance people could travel and the amount of equipment they could carry.
Horses transformed trade, hunting, and mobility across the northern Plains.
The Missouri River: North Dakota's Early Transportation Highway
Before North Dakota developed a railroad network, the Missouri River served as one of the region's most important long-distance transportation corridors.
Indigenous communities had used the river for transportation, communication, and commerce for centuries.
1804–1806: Lewis and Clark
The Lewis and Clark expedition traveled through the region during its journey west and its return east.
During the winter of 1804–1805, the expedition stayed at Fort Mandan near present-day Washburn.
Its records describe encounters with local Indigenous communities and the importance of river travel to the expedition.
Steamboats on the upper Missouri
During the nineteenth century, steamboats became important carriers of commercial goods, military supplies, travelers, and freight along navigable sections of the Missouri River.
They helped connect river landings and settlements in Dakota Territory with commercial centers farther downstream.
Steamboats faced significant operational challenges. Shifting sandbars, fluctuating water levels, river obstructions, and seasonal conditions could interrupt voyages.
Bismarck and river commerce
As Bismarck developed during the 1870s, its location near the Missouri River and the Northern Pacific Railroad made it an important connection point.
River and rail transportation interacted, with goods and passengers transferring between different transportation systems.
The Fur Trade, Red River Carts, and Commercial Transportation
The development of fur-trade networks brought new forms of commercial transportation to the northern Great Plains.
Traders moved goods among Indigenous communities, trading posts, and commercial destinations across what are now North Dakota, Minnesota, Manitoba, and neighboring regions.
Red River ox carts
One of the region's most distinctive transportation technologies was the Red River cart.
These two-wheeled wooden carts, often pulled by oxen, became associated with Métis commerce and travel across the Red River Valley.
Cart trains carried furs, food, trade goods, and other cargo over long distances.
Their movement helped establish commercial connections between settlements such as Pembina and trading centers beyond the modern international border.
The Pembina region
Pembina became an important location in northern Dakota transportation history because of its position near the Red River and the Canadian border.
The wider region was connected to trade routes serving the Red River Settlement and commercial centers to the south.
The transition to more organized passenger transportation
As settlement expanded, travelers increasingly relied on stagecoaches, ferries, and scheduled transportation services.
These systems gradually created more formal commercial passenger routes across the prairie.
The railroad eventually displaced many long-distance cart trains and stagecoach services, but their historical importance remains substantial.
North Dakota's Stagecoach Era: The Commercial Ancestor of Modern Taxis
Stagecoaches were among the earliest formal paid passenger transportation services operating overland through northern Dakota Territory.
Customers purchased passage on established routes, often traveling long distances in uncomfortable conditions.
1871: The Red River Valley stagecoach network
The Minnesota Stage Company operated a route along the Minnesota side of the Red River.
Beginning in 1871, coaches crossed the river near Georgetown, Minnesota, and traveled north on the Dakota side toward Pembina and Fort Garry.
These services linked travelers with regional commercial and settlement centers before the railroad assumed much of that role.
1877: The Bismarck–Deadwood Stage Trail
One of the most important stagecoach routes in Dakota Territory connected Bismarck with the Black Hills mining region.
The Northern Pacific Railway Company and the Minnesota Stage Company helped establish the Northwest Express and Transportation Company.
The operation developed a route of approximately 240 miles between Bismarck and Deadwood.
On April 11, 1877, the first stagecoaches departed Bismarck carrying a total of 68 passengers.
Regular service began in May 1877, and the route soon supported daily passenger transportation.
A major commercial transportation operation
The enterprise operated 26 Concord coaches, approximately 200 horse teams, and other equipment needed for transporting passengers, mail, and freight.
The company employed approximately 175 workers.
At the height of activity, Bismarck experienced a substantial influx of travelers heading toward the Black Hills.
Stagecoach fares and journey time
A one-way ticket on the Bismarck–Deadwood route cost approximately $23.
The journey typically required around 36 hours.
Stage stations supplied replacement horses, food, and places for passengers to rest during long trips.
The Cannonball Stage Station
The Cannonball Stage Station served as one of the relay points on the route.
Located along the Cannonball River southeast of present-day Carson, it provided facilities for exchanging tired horse teams.
Today, the site is preserved as a state historic location, providing a tangible connection to North Dakota's early commercial passenger transportation industry.
1880: The Bismarck route declines
The Bismarck–Deadwood operation lost much of its business after rail transportation and a shorter route through Pierre changed the economics of reaching the Black Hills.
Its decline demonstrates how new transportation infrastructure can transform existing commercial travel businesses.
1884–1886: The Medora Stage Company
The Medora Stage Company operated another notable route connecting Medora with Deadwood.
The journey covered approximately 215 miles and cost around $21.50 one way, based on a fare of ten cents per mile.
A typical trip took around 36 hours.
The company operated from 1884 until 1886, reflecting the relatively short lifespan of many frontier transportation ventures.
Railroads Revolutionize Transportation in North Dakota
Railroad development transformed northern Dakota Territory, creating new communities, expanding settlement, and changing how people traveled.
1872: The railroad enters North Dakota
The Northern Pacific Railroad reached the Red River at Moorhead, Minnesota, at the end of 1871.
A bridge across the river allowed the railroad to reach Fargo in 1872.
On June 6, 1872, a group of Fargo women traveled across the river to Moorhead, decorated a locomotive, and participated in an early train crossing into Dakota Territory.
This became a symbolic milestone in the arrival of railroad passenger transportation.
1873: The railroad reaches Bismarck
The Northern Pacific Railroad reached the Missouri River region in 1873.
On June 5, 1873, the first train reached the settlement then called Edwinton.
The community was renamed Bismarck later that year.
Railroad expansion temporarily paused because of financial difficulties, making Bismarck a major terminal and transfer point.
Railroad stations create local transportation demand
Railroad passengers still needed to reach hotels, businesses, and residences after their trains arrived.
Horse-drawn carriages and later automobile taxis were well suited to connecting railroad terminals with individual destinations.
This relationship between scheduled long-distance transportation and local hired vehicles helped shape the development of taxi services across the country.
1879–1881: Railroad expansion westward
Railroad crews resumed construction toward Montana, crossing rivers and building the infrastructure necessary to extend service west.
The line reached Sentinel Butte in 1880 and continued toward the Montana boundary.
The Great Northern Railway
The Great Northern Railway became another major force in North Dakota transportation.
Its routes connected northern communities with regional economic centers and encouraged the development of towns and agricultural commerce.
The Soo Line
The Soo Line also developed an extensive network in North Dakota, serving agricultural and commercial communities.
These railroads contributed to population growth and changed settlement geography.
Passenger rail stations and hotels
Railway stations provided important points where passengers transferred between transportation modes.
Rail travel supported a surrounding economy of hotels, restaurants, baggage services, hired vehicles, and other businesses.
The automobile era eventually reduced passenger rail's dominance, but many former rail corridors and historical stations remain significant.
Statehood, Growing Cities, and the Demand for Local Transportation
North Dakota became the thirty-ninth state on November 2, 1889.
By then, railroads, commercial agriculture, and expanding communities had substantially changed the region.
Fargo
Fargo developed into an important commercial and railroad center in the Red River Valley.
Passenger transportation needs grew alongside downtown commerce, hotels, and residential development.
Bismarck
Bismarck's position as a river city, railroad terminal, and state capital contributed to demand for transportation serving government offices, businesses, and travelers.
Grand Forks
Grand Forks developed connections to the railroad economy, higher education, and commercial transportation.
As the city expanded, urban street transportation became increasingly significant.
Minot
Minot grew as an important northern railroad community.
The city became a significant transportation location for the surrounding region.
Jamestown and Valley City
Central North Dakota communities benefited from railroad connections and eventually developed road networks serving surrounding towns and farms.
Williston and Dickinson
Western North Dakota communities developed around railroads, agriculture, and later energy-related economic activity.
The state's relatively low population density and substantial distances between communities would remain important factors in commercial passenger transportation.
Horse-Drawn Streetcars and North Dakota's Electric Trolley Generation
As North Dakota cities grew, public street transportation became increasingly important.
1879: Fargo's early horse-drawn streetcars
Fargo's earliest horse-drawn streetcar experiments began in 1879.
Unpaved streets and poor conditions caused tracks to sink into the mud, contributing to early service failure.
1882: Another streetcar experiment
A second horse-drawn street railway began in Fargo in 1882.
This operation also proved short-lived after a fire destroyed equipment and infrastructure.
November 24, 1904: Electric streetcars arrive
Fargo's electric streetcar system began carrying passengers on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1904.
The fare was five cents per passenger.
The opening fleet contained seven cars equipped with electric lighting, rattan seats, and hot-water heating.
Service connected Fargo with Moorhead, Minnesota, creating an early cross-border urban transportation network.
The electric trolley becomes popular
The system developed into an important mode of public transportation for workers, students, shoppers, and other travelers.
By the middle of the 1920s, the network had nearly 16 miles of track and a substantial collection of passenger and service vehicles.
It influenced residential growth by making neighborhoods more accessible to downtown businesses.
Grand Forks streetcars
Grand Forks also developed electric street railway service.
An early University-area streetcar line began carrying passengers in November 1904.
The Grand Forks Street Railway Company obtained a franchise in 1908 and developed routes serving downtown, university areas, neighborhoods, and public destinations.
Its archived company records are preserved by the University of North Dakota Special Collections.
1937: Fargo–Moorhead electric service ends
Automobile ownership and road-based transportation gradually reduced demand for fixed-track electric streetcars.
Service to Moorhead ended on June 30, 1937.
Fargo electric streetcar operations ended on August 21, 1937.
The Arrival of the Automobile and the Beginning of Motor Transportation
The late nineteenth century introduced another transportation revolution: the horseless carriage.
1897: A Benz-Velo appears in Grand Forks
One of North Dakota's earliest documented automobile events occurred in 1897.
A German-built Benz-Velo appeared in Grand Forks as part of an advertising promotion associated with a St. Paul business.
The unusual vehicle attracted public attention because it could move without horses.
1898: Samuel Holland builds an automobile
Samuel Holland, a blacksmith in Park River, became one of North Dakota's pioneering automobile builders.
In 1898, Holland constructed a motorized vehicle powered by steam.
He built mechanical components himself and continued experimenting with automobile manufacturing.
1905: North Dakota regulates automobiles
The state adopted early automobile operating rules in 1905.
Those regulations included speed limits of eight miles per hour in towns and twenty-five miles per hour outside communities.
Drivers also faced requirements involving lighting, mufflers, road positioning, and warnings to horse-drawn traffic.
1911: Automobile registration
North Dakota established statewide registration requirements for motor vehicles in 1911.
Motorists were assigned vehicle numbers, and licensing revenue helped support road maintenance.
1920: Automobile ownership expands
By 1920, North Dakotans owned approximately 83,000 automobiles.
About 55,000 of those vehicles belonged to farmers, demonstrating how important automobiles had become in rural life.
From personal automobiles to passenger vehicles for hire
As automobiles became more available, they created new opportunities for commercial passenger transportation.
Across the United States, gasoline-powered motor taxis increasingly replaced horse-drawn hacks.
In North Dakota, developing roads, vehicle registrations, urban growth, and railway passenger connections created an environment in which commercial motor transportation could operate.
An exact statewide first motor taxicab company has not been verified through the historical materials used here.
Traditional North Dakota Taxis: Hotels, Rail Stations, Airports, and Telephone Dispatch
As automobile transportation expanded, taxis became one form of commercial passenger service available to people who did not wish or were unable to drive themselves.
How traditional taxi transportation worked
Before smartphone applications, passengers typically requested transportation through a dispatch office, telephone number, hotel desk, or direct arrangement with a driver.
Taxi operators could provide local point-to-point trips, airport connections, transportation to businesses, and other passenger services.
Railway stations as pickup locations
Travelers arriving by train often needed a way to reach local destinations.
Station-area hired vehicles became a familiar feature of American passenger transportation, and railroad-centered North Dakota communities provided a natural setting for that type of demand.
Fargo and West Fargo
Fargo's regional business activity, medical facilities, educational institutions, airport, and surrounding communities created many possible reasons for passengers to request hired transportation.
The area's proximity to Moorhead, Minnesota, also made interstate transportation an important regional consideration.
Bismarck and Mandan
The capital region generated transportation needs associated with government services, commerce, medical appointments, and regional travel.
Grand Forks
Grand Forks developed passenger transportation demand associated with the University of North Dakota, regional aviation, healthcare, business activity, and local residential travel.
Minot
Minot's railway connections, air transportation, military-related activity, commerce, and regional population supported a variety of passenger transportation needs.
Western North Dakota
Western communities such as Williston and Dickinson experienced changes in transportation demand during periods of expanding oil and energy activity.
Long travel distances made commercial transportation different from taxi operations in larger metropolitan areas.
Telephone dispatch and radio systems
Traditional taxi companies commonly used telephone dispatch and two-way radio technology to coordinate trips.
These methods allowed customers to contact a business and drivers to receive assignments while on the road.
Historical record limitations
A complete directory of North Dakota's earliest taxi companies and their first operating dates is not available from the sources compiled for this page.
City directories, historical newspapers, business licenses, advertisements, photographs, and archive collections may help researchers reconstruct that history in greater detail.
Building North Dakota's Roads and Interstate Highway System
Commercial automobile transportation depended on the gradual improvement of North Dakota's roads and bridges.
1913: The State Highway Commission
North Dakota created its first highway commission in 1913.
The state was beginning to organize road development around the growing automobile industry.
1917: State Highway Department
The state created a highway department in 1917 to coordinate infrastructure development and access federal transportation funding.
1922: Mostly unpaved roads
By the middle of 1922, more than 1,000 miles of state highways had been improved, but only approximately 20 miles were graveled. The remainder were largely graded-earth roads.
Motorists still faced serious difficulties from mud, snow, and changing seasonal conditions.
1935: Driver licensing
North Dakota issued its first driver's licenses in 1935.
1956: The Interstate Highway System
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 established the framework for developing the modern Interstate Highway System.
North Dakota's principal interstate routes became Interstate 94 and Interstate 29.
Interstate 94
Interstate 94 crosses the southern portion of North Dakota, connecting Fargo, Valley City, Jamestown, Bismarck, Dickinson, and other communities.
It created an important east-west automobile corridor linking North Dakota with Minnesota and Montana.
Interstate 29
Interstate 29 runs north-south through the eastern part of the state, connecting Fargo, Grand Forks, and the Canadian border region.
The highway became an important route for regional passenger travel and commercial transportation.
1977: North Dakota completes its original interstate system
North Dakota became the first state in the nation to complete its original Interstate Highway System in 1977.
This infrastructure milestone dramatically improved long-distance automobile travel and made regional commercial passenger transportation more practical.
Buses, Public Transit, Rail Passenger Service, and Rural Mobility
Taxi transportation developed alongside bus services, rail transportation, and other forms of passenger travel.
Intercity buses
Intercity bus companies provided scheduled transportation between communities and across state borders.
These services allowed passengers to make trips that might otherwise require a private automobile or a substantially longer hired vehicle journey.
Local public transit
Public bus networks developed to serve daily urban transportation needs.
Fargo–Moorhead, Bismarck–Mandan, Grand Forks, and other communities have operated public transit services with differing schedules, routes, and service models.
Rural transit systems
North Dakota's rural transit operators help residents who need transportation to medical appointments, shopping locations, community services, and other destinations.
These public and nonprofit transportation models should be distinguished from conventional commercial taxi service.
Amtrak and the Empire Builder
Amtrak's Empire Builder provides passenger rail service through northern North Dakota.
Communities along the North Dakota route include Fargo, Grand Forks, Devils Lake, Rugby, Minot, Stanley, Williston, and other scheduled stops.
Rail passengers may need onward transportation from a station to a final destination.
However, passenger train service and taxi availability depend on current operations and should always be checked independently.
Regional airports
Commercial aviation also changed passenger transportation patterns.
Airports in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, and other communities became important locations for ground transportation connections.
Different transportation providers may serve these airports, subject to their own operating rules and availability.
Why Rural North Dakota Developed a Different Transportation Environment
North Dakota's large geographic area, relatively low population density, and concentration of services in regional centers create distinctive transportation conditions.
Long-distance travel
Residents of smaller communities may need to travel considerable distances to hospitals, airports, schools, government offices, and commercial centers.
Commercial transportation providers must account for the time and cost of traveling to a passenger before the trip begins.
Winter conditions
Severe winter weather can make transportation particularly challenging.
Blizzards, drifting snow, extremely low temperatures, poor visibility, and road closures can affect all types of passenger vehicles.
Medical and regional services
Patients, families, and other travelers may rely on a combination of private automobiles, scheduled transportation, public transit, specialized medical transportation, and hired vehicles.
Cross-border travel
North Dakota's connections with Minnesota, South Dakota, Montana, and Canada have historically influenced passenger and commercial travel.
Interstate and international transportation can involve regulatory requirements different from local city transportation.
The Future of Passenger Transportation in North Dakota
Transportation technology continues to change, but North Dakota's geographic and climatic conditions remain important considerations.
Online transportation systems
Web reservations, electronic confirmations, navigation, and automated information tools can help passengers communicate their transportation needs.
Electric vehicles
Electric vehicle development is changing the wider automobile industry.
The practical role of electric vehicles in rural transportation depends on charging infrastructure, operating range, weather, vehicle performance, and business economics.
Autonomous driving
Automated vehicle technologies may influence transportation in the future.
However, autonomous commercial taxi operations across rural North Dakota cannot be presumed from developments in other regions.
Transportation accessibility
Accessible transportation remains an important public policy and service issue.
Different operators have different vehicle capabilities, and passengers may need specialized transportation arrangements.
The continuing need for human transportation
From the first documented stagecoach routes to present-day digital reservations, every generation has depended on transportation systems designed to overcome distance.
The technology has changed, but the fundamental need remains.
North Dakota Transportation: Photographs and Visual Archives
These period images and archival records provide a visual connection to earlier generations of transportation. Each image links to its source or historical collection. External images remain the property of their respective rights holders, and publication permissions should be verified.
Additional historic photographs and original records
Searchable historical photographs, postcards, documents, and regional heritage collections.
Original historical records, manuscripts, government documents, and photographic collections.
Historical images and descriptions of stagecoach transportation in Dakota Territory.
Historical street railway images, technical details, and early passenger transportation history.
Company records documenting streetcar activity and development in Grand Forks.
State Archives research guide covering early automobiles, manufacturers, registrations, and historical photographs.
North Dakota Transportation Timeline
Indigenous communities maintain travel and trade networks throughout the northern Plains.
Horses become increasingly important to transportation across the northern Plains.
The Lewis and Clark expedition travels through the region.
Members of the expedition winter at Fort Mandan.
Red River carts, fur-trade transport, riverboats, and overland travel develop commercial routes.
Stagecoaches use the Red River Valley route toward Pembina and Fort Garry.
The Northern Pacific Railroad crosses the Red River into Fargo.
The railroad reaches the Missouri River settlement that becomes Bismarck.
The Bismarck–Deadwood stagecoach operation begins April 11.
Early horse-drawn streetcar routes begin in Fargo.
The Bismarck–Deadwood stage operation begins declining.
Another horse-drawn streetcar operation is attempted in Fargo.
The Medora Stage Company operates a passenger route toward Deadwood.
North Dakota becomes a state on November 2.
A German-built Benz-Velo automobile appears in Grand Forks.
Samuel Holland builds a steam automobile in Park River.
Electric streetcar service begins in Fargo–Moorhead and an early University-area line operates in Grand Forks.
North Dakota adopts early automobile operating rules.
The Grand Forks Street Railway Company obtains its franchise.
Motor vehicle registration requirements are established.
North Dakota establishes a State Highway Commission.
The State Highway Department is established.
North Dakota residents own approximately 83,000 automobiles.
North Dakota begins issuing driver's licenses.
Fargo–Moorhead electric streetcar service ends.
The modern Interstate Highway System begins development.
North Dakota becomes the first state to complete its original Interstate Highway System.
The State Highway Department becomes the North Dakota Department of Transportation.
Uber expands its North Dakota service area beginning October 22.
Digital reservations, rideshare platforms, and electronic payments continue influencing passenger transportation.
Original Documents, Museums, and North Dakota Transportation Archives
This research collection is designed to help visitors continue exploring the history behind North Dakota passenger transportation.
State history, archives, historic sites, manuscripts, and preservation records.
Detailed educational history with historical photographs and documentary sources.
Original commercial passenger transportation and freight-route history.
Physical remains and preservation information for a historic passenger relay station.
Extensive historical research into railroad development and infrastructure.
Original records housed in the University of North Dakota Special Collections.
Early manufacturers, drivers, automobile clubs, and historical documentation.
Documents connected to the development of Interstate 29 and Interstate 94.
Historical photographs, early automobile ownership, and the changing road system.
Historical reporting, audio features, and North Dakota transportation stories.
Modern transportation records, infrastructure, safety information, and agency history.
Searchable digitized photographs, newspapers, manuscripts, and regional records.
Researching old North Dakota taxi companies
Future historical research may identify early commercial taxi operators through newspaper advertisements, municipal business licenses, city directories, telephone books, tax records, photographs, and personal papers.
Important questions include when the first commercial motor taxi began operating in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, Minot, and other cities; how fares were calculated; and which businesses provided railway and airport passenger connections.
Records should be preserved with the original publication date, source citation, and any available archive identification number.
Editorial scope: This historical overview does not claim to contain every vehicle, route, company, or transportation operator in North Dakota history. Specific industry firsts are stated only where historical documentation supports them.
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