Color postcard of the Northern Pacific Railway depot in Bismarck, North Dakota — the handsome Romanesque Revival station building with its distinctive twin domed towers and arched arcade, a freight train at the tracks on the left, a water tower rising beside it, and the broad treeless Missouri River plain stretching to the horizon beyond. Bismarck was both the state capital of North Dakota and the NP's key division point on the transcontinental main line; the depot was the gateway through which settlers, soldiers, politicians, and freight all passed. Posted in September 1909 and sent to Cleveland, Ohio, this card carries an unusual distinction: a red Postage Due stamp affixed alongside the regular stamp, indicating a postal irregularity that required the recipient to pay additional postage on arrival.

• Caption: N.P. Depot and Main St., Bismarck, N. Dak.
• Card no.: A No. 177 / 64796
• Publisher: American Import Co., Publishers, Minneapolis (made in Germany)
• Postmark: Bismarck, N. Dak., September 27, 1909
• Status: Posted