North Dakota
7 Stunning Small Towns In North Dakota
North Dakota’s small towns get less attention than they deserve. Mandan keeps the state’s oldest park alive at Fort Abraham Lincoln, where reconstructed earth lodges sit a few minutes from a working farmers’ market. Valley City earns its City of Bridges nickname with a downtown tour that crosses the Sheyenne River eight times. New Salem holds onto its 19th-century Custer Trail story while pointing visitors toward miles of open prairie. Bottineau adds a creamery operating since the 1930s and a giant turtle statue that has somehow become the town mascot. The seven towns below pack more character into a quiet state than most people expect.
Mandan
Mandan’s past is layered in different eras of American history. First, this town was a village for the Mandan tribe; it later became a cavalry fort, then a railroad town, and finally a hub for the region’s farmers and ranchers.
Attractions include the Mandan Heritage Plaza, which houses a wonderful local farmers’ market. Another great attraction is Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, which is the oldest state park in North Dakota. This state park features educational opportunities about the Mandan Native Americans through reconstructed earth lodges. For those of a mind seeking adventure, Huff Hills Ski Area contains some of the best slopes in the state.
Bottineau
Though it does make for a fun stop, there is even more to Bottineau than the giant statue of Tommy the turtle keeping vigil by the roadside. For example, you may want to visit Pride Dairy, the last small-town creamery in all of North Dakota. Named by USA Today as the best ice cream in the state, this family-oriented shop has been servicing its customers since the 1930s. For further culinary options, one may want to visit Marie’s on Main Street; operating as a bistro, fine-dining experience, and cocktail bar all at once, Marie’s is a local favorite. Lastly, excursions to nearby Lake Metigoshe State Park offer hiking trails, fishing holes, and more.
Rugby
Many of Rugby’s best attractions are in its history. The Prairie Village Museum showcases some of the county’s oldest artifacts, and the 1907 Great Northern Railroad Depot gives a great glimpse into the past. Built in red-brick Tudor style, this depot is one of many scattered across the nation to be repurposed and preserved. The Victorian Dress Museum is located in a former church and provides a delightful look into Victorian-era fashion and accessories. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Main Street Boutique is also a local highlight. Here, attendees can shop for everything from clothing to kitchen items.
Valley City
Nicknamed the City of Bridges for a reason, Valley City encourages its visitors to embark on the Valley City Historic Bridges Tour to best appreciate this town’s unique place in history. The many bridges of the tour cross over the Sheyenne River at various points, but none stand out more than the Hi-line Railroad Bridge, which is one of the highest and longest single-track railroad bridges in the country. After this interesting tour, you may want to check out Medicine Wheel Park, located on the grounds of Valley City State University. Scenic and lush, this Park contains 30 acres and a large rock sculpture meant to track Earth’s rotation around the sun.
Speaking of planets: the downtown Valley City State Planetarium makes for a perfect family outing. As of 2025 it has been equipped with a new domed projection system and a 24-foot ceiling.
Lisbon
Lisbon, settled in the heart of the Sheyenne River Valley, has a Main Street lively with restaurants, shopping, and history. Among its best places to eat is the Bronc, a local favorite that combines social atmosphere with delicious meals. Nearby, one can also find the Rustic Hanger, a boutique with clothing, gifts, and home decor that adds to the town’s charm.
As promised, there are plenty of outdoor experiences to enjoy both in Lisbon and the valley in which it is situated. The North Country Trail is a great opportunity for visitors to hike and explore, challenging themselves on a trail that runs from the Sheyenne River National Scenic Byway on the north side of Lisbon and the beautiful Sheyenne River bluffs on the south side.
Dickinson
Speaking of trails to explore, outdoorsy types will also love Dickinson for its proximity to the Crooked Crane Trail, which offers wide-open landscapes and wildlife. Nearby Patterson Lake, too, provides visitors a chance to have a day on the water or enjoy a shoreline stroll.
Also exploring its own nature and history is the Dickinson Museum Center, which (amongst other options) is home to the Badlands Dinosaur Museum – an exciting chance for families to enjoy a deep exploration of an ever-evolving exhibit displaying fossils, minerals, and a public preparation lab. The museum provides an excellent glimpse into prehistoric life in the area and is always working to provide new exhibits and opportunities for all guests.
New Salem
Established in 1883, New Salem’s history is best explored in the Custer Trail Museum. Featuring multiple buildings, this impressive museum contains a church from 1904, two schoolhouses, the Old New Salem depot, a blacksmith shop, and others. Following this, visitors may want to stop by Metro Perk & Market, a local restaurant/bakery and a coveted coffee shop.
There are several options for accommodations should one wish to explore New Salem and its beautiful, expansive prairie fields in more depth. This includes the Metropolitan Hotel and the Arrowhead Inn.
The towns explored on this list are each historic and full of character. North Dakota’s best offerings are found in the walking tour across Valley City’s bridges, in the nature around Lisbon, and in the historic train depots of Rugby. There is much more to North Dakota than can be found on these towns’ streets and in their surroundings, so do not wait: these seven small towns are ready to be visited.
MCHENRY, N.D. — A 58-year-old man was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash Saturday, May 30, south of Devils Lake.
According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, a Neche man was riding a 2017 Harley Davidson Tri Glide Ultra Trike eastbound on Highway 15 at an unknown speed, 11 miles northwest of McHenry. The trike struck an area of broken payment and rolled over.
The driver was not wearing a helmet and was seriously injured. He was taken by air ambulance to Sanford Medical Center in Fargo.
The Highway Patrol is investigating the crash.
McHenry is located in Foster County, roughly equidistant between Jamestown and Devils Lake.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
“The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him.” Genesis 12:7
These verses have been used to justify all kinds of land disputes in the Middle East. Indeed, I have heard people in Christian circles in our own country use this verse to justify their support for Israel in wars to preserve “their” God-given land, because the Israelites were the children of Abram (later called Abraham).
While that is true, Abraham was the father of two sons: Ishmael and Isaac. Jewish and Christian believers consider themselves descendants of Abraham through Isaac. Muslim believers consider themselves descendants of Abraham through Ishmael. Therefore, the land God gave to Abraham, and his descendants is not Jewish land, Muslim land or Christian land. It belongs to all of these “cousins” who believe in God/Yahweh/Allah (etc.….).
One of the most alarming trends in the world of faith is the rise of religious nationalism. According to Wikipedia, “religious nationalism is the fusion of national identity with religious beliefs, where a nation is defined by a shared faith, and religion serves as a central pillar of its political and social life. It seeks to align government policies and laws with religious doctrines.” This happens among all of the cousins of Abraham’s descendants. There are Islamic nationalists, Jewish Zionists, and Christian nationalists, and they are all dangerous.
In the same way Zionists will claim the Middle East as given to them by God, religious nationalists use the beliefs and texts (Bible, Koran) out of context to rationalize their political views, policies and even wars. They attempt to convince people that one political viewpoint supports their faith, and others do not. In the United States, Christian nationalism is on the rise. Politicians repeatedly use scripture to support their policies and ideals, attempting to convince us that what they are doing is the “Christian” thing to do, when, in fact, quite often these policies and ideals not only have nothing to do with the Christian faith, but they also occasionally go completely against it.
I once heard a state politician say, “It’s my God-given right to carry a gun.” Say WHAT??? God did not give anyone the right to carry a gun. Period. That’s just foolishness. And nobody even commented about it, which tells me it doesn’t bother us to hear people say things like that.
Our faith in God, no matter which branch of the family tree we come from, should “inform” our political and ethical views, but we cannot become like other countries and base our laws on one religious belief or another. Especially in a country where we are diverse in our religious beliefs. This is not a “Christian” nation, a “Muslim” nation or a “Jewish” nation. It is a nation of people who come from all kinds of faith traditions, and we are promised the freedom to practice our religion, no matter what it is.
God gave the descendants of Abraham – all of the descendants of Abraham — blessings too numerous to mention. We can be grateful for those blessings without trying to claim all of them as our own.
Rev. Janel F. Kolar is the pastor at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Dickinson, North Dakota.
BISMARCK — Fargo Shanley shined in a battle of unbeatens Saturday afternoon at Sanford Sports Complex, while unseating the defending state champion.
The Deacons got goals from Carly Hulstein, Emma Rohrich and Annie Yablonski to earn a 3-0 victory against Mandan for the North Dakota girls soccer state championship.
Shanley completed its unbeaten season, while shutting out defending champ Mandan for the first time this spring.
“The girls were excited to play Mandan, two undefeated teams and someone had to come out as the winner,” Deacons head coach Ryan Christianson said. “Whoever worked the hardest was going to come out champions, our girls were hungry.”
Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune
The Deacons (13-0-4) won their first state crown since 2019 and third overall. Mandan (17-0-1) fell one win shy of a repeat.
“Tough game, I felt like we controlled the game, to be honest,” Mandan head coach Aaron McElwee said. “We knew they would be dangerous on set pieces and that’s what they created.”
Shanley converted on a corner kick in the opening half for what proved to be the game-winning goal. Hulstein got a late head touch on a corner off the foot Rohrich, giving the Deacons a 1-0 lead with 16 minutes remaining until halftime.
“The first goal in the first half, that sparked momentum,” Christianson said. “Coming off of last year, we scored a bunch of corners, but this year I think we only had one or two. To make it count in the state championship game, I’ll take it.”
Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune
The first insurance goal for the Deacons came with less than 18 minutes left in the second, as Rohrich scored off a rebound.
“That second goal was a hustle effort by Emma with an awesome finish,” Christianson said. “Emma was locked in from yesterday’s game, two goals sparked the fire and led into today. She deserved that one.”
Yablonski, a freshman, scored her first varsity goal for a 3-0 lead with 1 minute, 31 seconds remaining, as Mandan tried to apply pressure late.
“Annie with the cherry on top with the deep ball after the goalie was pushed up to help her team,” Christianson said. “That’s a way to start off your varsity career. She was close earlier in the game with a shot that went wide of the post, but that was a heads-up play by her, noticing the goalie was out.”
Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune
Mandan’s best chance came from senior Sarah Helderop, off a corner kick in the second half, but Shanley goalkeeper Kailey Ottmar knocked the ball down and grabbed the rebound before any Braves players could arrive.
“Kailey was focused from the beginning of the game, usually I talk to her a bit, but she wanted to be by herself,” Christianson said. “She didn’t have to do too much, but there was a corner, a free kick. She was heads-up and had a good handle on the ball.”
Ottmar finished with six saves to earn the shutout. Gabby Frohlich had three saves for Mandan.
“Congrats to Shanley,” McElwee said. “We were close.”
Tanner Ecker / Bismarck Tribune
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