North Dakota has quietly built some very big things. Count down five tech firsts from the Peace Garden State — from a roll-film camera idea patented on a Dakota farm to a TV mast that was once the tallest structure on Earth and the Bobcat loader first built in Gwinner — plus two bonus picks, including the plug-in engine heater.
#5: Great Plains Software (Fargo, 1981)
Business accounting software for the new personal computers. Great Plains Software was founded in Fargo in 1981. Microsoft bought it in 2001 — Fargo got a Microsoft campus. An early backer mortgaged family farmland to buy in.
#4: Great Plains Synfuels Plant (Beulah, 1984)
A giant plant that turns coal into natural gas. It started up just outside Beulah in 1984. It’s the only coal-to-natural-gas plant in the US. Its CO2 is piped 205 miles to oil fields in Canada.
#3: Roll film camera holder (Hunter, 1881)
Before roll film, photos were made on heavy glass plates. Hunter farmer David Houston patented a roll holder in 1881. George Eastman used it in the very first Kodak camera. Legend says “Kodak” came from “Nodak” — it’s unproven.
#2: KVLY-TV mast (Blanchard, 1963)
A TV mast near Blanchard, held up by miles of guy wires. Finished in 1963, it stood 2,063 feet tall. The world’s tallest structure, on and off, until 2008. An 11-person crew put it up in about a month.
#1: Bobcat skid-steer loader (Gwinner, 1960)
A small loader that can spin around in its own length. Melroe Manufacturing of Gwinner built the M400 in 1960. Bobcat calls it the world’s first true skid-steer. The idea began with a turkey barn in Minnesota.
Bonus Picks From North Dakota
Engine head bolt heater (Grand Forks, 1949). A plug-in heater that keeps a car engine warm overnight. Grand Forks engineer Andrew Freeman patented it in 1949. His first test: 29 below — and the engine started.
Aldevron (Fargo, 1998). Two NDSU grads founded Aldevron in Fargo in 1998. It makes DNA “blueprints” used to build new medicines. It made the DNA used to create Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Tech From Every State
This is part of my Tech From Every State series: the top tech inventions and firsts from each of the 50 states, told with simple animations. Watch the whole series on YouTube and subscribe to The Tech Ranch so you don’t miss your state. Short on time? Here’s the quick Short version.
Did we miss something invented in North Dakota? Tell me in the YouTube comments — and give the video a thumbs up if you learned something.
