Following its 19th-century beginnings — when sickness could claim lives easily and industrial activity had yet to evolve to its full potential in America’s heartland — Midland National began to come of age from 1910 through 1929.

After six years as a publicly traded business, the word “mutual” was dropped from Dakota Mutual Life Insurance Co.’s title in 1915 — streamlining down to “Dakota Life Insurance Co.” After the original company’s first death claim in 1908, archived historical data illustrates the full impact of the ensuing decade with the advent of America’s first infectious disease outbreak — as the 1918-19 Spanish Flu became the world’s first and worst epidemic of the 20th century.

The late teens proved challenging for the company, with Dakota Life’s death claims spiraling as the outbreak claimed half a million American lives, with the firm’s 1918 claims jointly dominated by influenza and pneumonia. It wasn’t until the following decade that the company which began as Dakota Mutual Life Insurance officially became known as the firm that today’s consumers recognize as Midland National Life Insurance Co., with deliberate choices leading to the permanent moniker.

Hence, it was 1925 when stockholders held an important vote, opting to rebrand as Midland National Life Insurance Co. in a careful, unanimous decision reflecting the company’s plan for national development.

From that point on, the insurance giant that began in the Dakota heartland and now operating under the Sammons Financial Group umbrella would bear its modern-day name.