When North Dakota ratified its constitution in 1889, it included a provision for a forestry school. However, it took time to establish the school. In 1894, state residents voted to locate the North Dakota School of Forestry in Bottineau. Progress was slow, and by 1906, no school had yet been built. The residents of Bottineau took matters into their own hands, raising $8,000—worth over $250,000 today—and donating 15 acres of land. The North Dakota School of Forestry opened in January 1907 with 30 students.