Minot, North Dakota, incorporated on June 28,…

Minot, North Dakota, incorporated on June 28, 1887, had come into existence in 1886, when James J. Hill's Great Northern Railway ended its push through the state for the winter, after having difficulty constructing a trestle across Gassman Coulee.

It is the end of the railway's line, so whenever a train comes into the town and the stop is announced, the conductor would call out "Minot, this is Minot, North Dakota, prepare to meet your doom".

A tent town had sprung up overnight, as if by "magic", thus the city comes to be known as the Magic City, and in the next five months, the population had increased to over five thousand residents, further adding to the nickname's validity.

The town site had been chosen by the railroad to be placed on the land of then-homesteader Erik Ramstad.

Ramstad had been convinced to relinquish his claim, and becomes one of the city leaders.

The town is named after Henry D. Minot, a railroad investor, an ornithologist and friend of Hill.