Construction crews unearth piece of downtown Bismarck History

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Construction on 4th Street in downtown Bismarck came to an abrupt halt on Wednesday after a discovery was made.

Construction crews discovered remnants of trolley tracks as the City of Bismarck continues its construction project. According to Mark Halverson at the State Historical Society the trolley ran from what was then the McKenzie Hotel, up 4th street to the Capitol building. But the unearthed piece, didn’t quite match up.

“There was one trolley track which consisted of an eight-foot-long rail that was previously part of the trolley system but was repurposed for a different purpose at this particular location. It was not intact with other pieces, and it was not at the elevation or orientated how you would expect it,” said Bismarck City Engineer Gabe Schell.

They believe it was used to help cover an abandoned steam line as they built pavement on top of it. Schell said, construction only paused for a few hours while the State Historical Society was called in to evaluate the finding, but eventually resumed that day. He said this has not caused any major delay in the project.

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