North Dakota - Peace Garden State
We spent just 5 days in North Dakota, and that turned out to be just right. I had never been there before, so it was all new territory for me. We went in June of 2015 and had very good weather. We flew into and out of Bismarck, which is the capitol. We stayed in a hotel a couple of miles from the town center but went downtown to what was considered the best restaurant in Bismarck for dinner that first night. The food and service were excellent and since it was such a pleasant evening, we decided to take a walk on the main street. We heard some live music on a roof top bar and went to have an after-dinner drink. We were able to watch cars and pickup trucks driving up and down the street, with loud music booming from the radios and lots of shouting from guys wearing cowboy hats. It was a Saturday night and it seemed like this was what the local young people liked to do for fun in Bismarck.
The next day, we went to the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum, which is located on the State Capitol grounds. Most impressive were the mastodon, triceratops and tyrannosaurus skeletons in the paleontology section, but there were also many interesting historical artifacts of indigenous tribes and pioneers who first settled in North Dakota. I loved the recreation of a diner of 1950’s era, including a cash register, counter and black and white linoleum. Directly below are three photos of displays we saw in this center.
From the museum we walked to the Capitol building, a 21-story art deco tower which is the tallest habitable building in the state and is known as The Skyscraper on the Prairie. We were able to tour the interior and enjoyed walking through the spacious and beautifully landscaped grounds afterward.
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park in nearby Mandan is home to the replica On-a-Slant Indian Village and reconstructed military buildings including the Custer House. The Mandan Indian tribe established this village in about 1575 and built earth lodges, which was explained to us by a friendly State Park Forest ranger. Lieutenant Colonel George Custer and his wife lived in Fort Abraham Lincoln from 1873 until his death in 1876 at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The Custer House is an attractive reconstructed wooden 2-story home, spacious inside with a wide front porch. The tour guides are dressed in period clothes and talk to visitors as if it were still the 1870’s. It was easy to put myself back in that time period, and to think about what life would have been like then, and what it must have been like for Libbie Custer when she got word that her husband had been killed in battle. Apparently, Lt. Col. Custer thought too highly of his abilities and too little of the abilities and numbers of the Indians he was fighting; therefore, the Seventh Cavalry didn’t have a chance. Descendants of the family donated many personal belongings of the Custers, including photographs, which are displayed throughout the house.
We took a cruise on a large paddleboat called the Lewis and Clark on the Missouri River later that afternoon. We enjoyed the scenery along the river and met some nice folks who shared snacks with us. From there we drove to Fort Mandan State Historic Site, where Lewis and Clark met Sacagawea. Fort Mandan was originally an encampment where the Lewis and Clark expedition spent the winter of 1804 -1805. While seeking protection from the winter, and I can only imagine how cold a North Dakota winter must have been, Lewis and Clark were also seeking to establish diplomatic contact with Native American tribes who lived in that area. Apparently, they tried to establish friendly relations while at the same time declaring United States sovereignty over land that had been occupied by natives for thousands of years. Sacagawea’s husband served as an interpreter at Fort Mandan and their son was born there. When Sacagawea went west with the Lewis and Clark expedition, she kept her son with her. This is a fascinating place with so much history and many artifacts from that important time period.
The last part of our trip to North Dakota was spent in the southwestern region of the state, another location filled with historical sites, natural beauty and interesting anecdotal information about Teddy Roosevelt. The scenery was gloriously beautiful and many animals, from small prairie dogs to huge buffalo roam the plains. The North Dakota Badlands are rugged and wide open where you can see for miles and miles from several overlooks, especially Painted Cave Overlook. We saw wildflowers and flowering cactus in Little Missouri River National Grassland, a great place to just sit and watch the water slowly glide by. The Grassland, the largest in the country, has over a million acres. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is enclaved within it.
The Maltese Cross Cabin, just outside the town of Medora, was used by Theodore Roosevelt before he was president, from 1883 to 1884. In 1901, he became the nation’s 26th president and ultimately one of its greatest conservationists. He once said, “I would not have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.” He thrived on the vigorous outdoor lifestyle and actively participated in the life of a working cowboy. Several of the items in the cabin today belonged to Teddy Roosevelt, including a rocking chair. His traveling trunk sits in the bedroom, inscribed with his initials.
Chateau de Mores State Historic Site took us by complete surprise; certainly, we had never heard of it. This 26-room home was built by the Marquis de Mores in 1883 as a hunting lodge and summer home for his family and guests. Among his many enterprises were a beef-packing plant, a freighting company, refrigerated railway cars, cattle and sheep raising, land ownership, and a new town which he called Medora in honor of his wife. Obviously, this French nobleman had a great deal of energy! Not only was he know for his grandiose moneymaking schemes, but also for his skill as a rifleman. He and Roosevelt did not always get along and when at one point he was charged with murder, from which he was later acquitted, he sent a letter to Roosevelt asking if he was involved in the false charge. Teddy was not, but the Marquis reportedly was never certain this was true. The lifestyle of the Marquis and his family was very luxurious, especially compared to North Dakota ranchers in the area, and they eventually returned to Europe. It was great fun visiting this house and hearing all the stories.
Speaking of hearing stories, on our last night we went to the Medora Musical and BBQ. This was also a surprise, since Medora is a very small town. But the outdoor open-air amphitheater and picnic area are large, and this musical is a “must” for visitors. While it was a bit touristy, it was also very enjoyable, with a talented singing and dancing cast who reenacted scenes from the history of this part of North Dakota. It is a look back to the Wild West days of the region and, of course, includes references to Theodore Roosevelt. To make our experience even more special, a rainstorm, with booming thunder and spectacular flashes of lightening, descended upon us while we were eating our BBQ dinner. We ran for cover and, fortunately, the storm didn’t last long (and we were treated to a beautiful rainbow) so the show went on. It was the perfect way for us to end our North Dakota visit! Oh, and by the way, we learned that the natives call themselves “Nodakkers”.
