North Dakota
These Small Towns in North Dakota Have the Best Historic Districts
North Dakota sits at the crossroads of the continent and, as such, has played an important part in the history of the United States, especially during the settlement of the West. Featuring historic buildings and locations related to westward expansion, mining, and conflicts with Indigenous American tribes, the state boasts an impressive number of sites on the National Register of Historic Places. Many small towns are home to historic districts that are fascinating, relevant, and eclectic. Take a brief tour of small towns in the Peace Garden State and dive into their histories.
Medora
The Custer Military Trail Historic Archeological District contains five historic sites within its 18,000 acres that relate to the Plains Indian War, waged between 1864 and 1876. Located near the scenic town of Medora, the district features campsites of Custer’s 7th Cavalry on its way to the Little Bighorn. Visitors can also take in the Battle of the Badlands historic battlefield and see rocks with initials carved by some of Custer’s men.
While in the area, another historic site can be experienced roughly 35 miles north of Medora. Elkhorn Ranch was established by future President Theodore Roosevelt in 1884. Sitting on the banks of the Little Missouri River, the ranch was considered one of the success stories of post-Little Bighorn ranching in the north-central part of the country. Roosevelt hired two backwoodsmen from Maine to run the ranch, which they did quite well for several years, until the Starvation Winter of 1886-7 decimated the cattle stock. In addition to losing his interest in running a ranch, Roosevelt lost 60% of his herd and only returned to North Dakota a few times afterward.
Noonan
In the extreme northwest corner of the state, Noonan, in Divide County, boasts several historic sites worth a visit. Near the town of Noonan, one can see the Niels Nielsen Fourteen-Side Barn, a nearly round structure built in 1914 using a pre-fab kit purchased from the Chicago House Wrecking Company. On Main Street in Noonan, the Travelers Hotel has welcomed guests since 1910, including such distinguished visitors as railroad executive James Hill and sharpshooter Annie Oakley. The hotel has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2010.
Sitting a short drive from Noonan, the Ambrose-Torquay Border Crossing connects Ambrose, North Dakota to Torquay, Saskatchewan, and is one of the relatively few international border crossings between Washington State and the Great Lakes, although Ambrose itself is now just a ghost town.
West Fargo
Bonanzaville must be your first stop in the West Fargo area. The best way to describe this one-stop shop is, if it happened in North Dakota in the past, it is represented here. From exploring life in the region 100 years ago, to the experience of the first settlers of the Red River valley, fans of history and culture will find plenty to keep busy. During Pioneer Days, the community is invited to bring their old tractors and farm machinery to show off.
The Red River Zoo is unlike most zoos you may visit. Their animals are very hands-on. Visitors can interact with many of them and even feed them, so it resembles a petting zoo in that respect. Also, in harmony with the area, the zoo focuses on cold-weather species, so you are sure to see animals not seen in zoos further south, and they are more likely to be active in winter months when other animals are more interested in huddling and hibernating.
Sports fans will want to experience the Roger Maris Museum. A shy and humble man, Maris declined the original offer to build a museum about him, but he later relented and agreed that it should be in his hometown. Although the museum does not keep statistics (strange for a sport obsessed with numbers), it is estimated that yearly visitors number in the millions.
Devil’s Lake
For lovers of all things outdoors, Devil’s Lake outshines the rest. The town serves as the gateway to the massive brackish lake that hosts boating, fishing, camping, hiking, skiing, and tubing. If it can be done on or near water, this gem in the center of the state has it covered. If camping is too rustic for your tastes, the Devil’s Lake area is peppered with finer resorts and lodges. If your idea of nightlife has less to do with sitting around a campfire and more with sitting around a green felt table, there are even casinos in the area.
Golfers will not want to miss out on the Coyotee Flats Golf Center, while Civil War enthusiasts must visit the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery. The half-dozen waterfowl protection areas that surround the lake draw birdwatchers from around the world.
Mandan
Mandan, on the banks of the Missouri River, serves as your base to explore the center of the state, as well as the capital city. Cross the river into Bismarck to visit the Bismarck Cathedral Historic District, home to the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit. Built during the Second World War in the Art Deco style, it remains the seat of the Diocese of Bismarck. The Old Governor’s Mansion still stands in the middle of town, as does the Northern Pacific Railway Depot, which resembles an old Spanish mission of the Southwest. The Towne-Williams House is worth a look, as is the Camp Hancock Site.
A site of great interest to Indigenous American historians is Chief Looking’s Village, located in Pioneer Park. Since the site of the former Mandan settlement has been relatively untouched by archaeologists and vandals, it is of great value to researchers, as is the nearby Menoken Indian Village Site located about 20 miles away.
Cooperstown
Located in Griggs County, Cooperstown is one of the few places where you can tour a Cold War-era nuclear missile silo. The Oscar-Zero Missile Alert Facility is part of the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site and is open to visitors who remember the Cold War and those who would like to know more about it. The Topside Facilities Area includes the original recreational areas for the service men and women, including a lounge, pool tables and ping-pong tables, the old security center, and a visitor center. 50 feet below, visitors can tour the launch control center, which housed the missiles themselves, and the control rooms from where launch commands were issued. It is a somber and sobering reminder of a perilous world.
Hazen
Many culturally and historically important Indigenous American sites are located near Hazen in Mercer County, near the center of the state. Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site in nearby Stanton, contains the remains of three Hidatsa Indian villages that date back to around the year 1600. Visitors can see remains of earthen dwellings some of which were 40 feet across and 14 feet high. This site was immortalized in the travels of Lewis and Clark, as Sacagawea brokered peace between the explorers and Indigenous peoples.
Other nearby sites of Native American historical significance include the Turtle Effigy State Historic Site and the Fort Clark Trading Post Site, which at various times was home to the Mandan and Arikara peoples and later was the location of an American fur trading post.
North Dakota enjoys a rich history and rewards the visitor around every turn. With roots running deep through the history of American architecture, westward expansion, Native American history and culture, and even the recent history of the Cold War, North Dakota deserves more than passing glance. Towns with historic districts are found from one end of North Dakota to the other, so pack your bags and prepare to spend time among the lesser known parts of the state.
BISMARCK — North Dakota K-12 Superintendent Kirsten Baesler announced the 2024 county teachers of the year Wednesday, May 1.
Forty-nine teachers were chosen from a pool of 356 different nominees for the honor, according to a news release from the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Two teachers were chosen from LaMoure County as they both tied in the award’s scoring system. The ultimate goal of the program is for one teacher to be represented from each of the state’s 53 counties.
The county teachers of the year were:
- Adams: Anna Block, Hettinger Public School
- Barnes: Tresa Cruff, Barnes County North
- Benson: Abel Sacatani, Warwick Public School
- Billings: Jennifer O’Brien, Prairie Elementary School
- Bottineau: Casey Mills, Westhope Public School
- Bowman: Amy Burke, Bowman County
- Burke: Whitney Rick, Burke Central
- Burleigh: Kendall Bergrud, Wachter Middle School
- Cass: Deb Pieper, West Fargo High School
- Cavalier: Lane Lindseth, Langdon Area Schools
- Dickey: Anna Kemmer, Southeast Region Career and Technology Center, Oakes
- Divide: Rayme Haggin, Divide County Elementary
- Dunn: Vicki Carney, Killdeer Public School
- Emmons: Kadie Walls, Linton Public School
- Foster: Kristen Hewitt, Carrington High School
- Golden Valley: Chelsey Erdmann, Lincoln Elementary
- Grand Forks: John Stempinski, Valley Middle School
- Grant: Kayla Tatro, Roosevelt Public School, Carson
- Griggs: Kayla Danielson, Griggs County Central
- Hettinger: Eamon Alido, Mott Regent Public School
- Kidder: Danielle Wachter, Kidder County Public School
- LaMoure: Cameron Young, Edgeley Public School; Heidi Mathern, Edgeley Public School
- Logan: Christina Gross, Napoleon Public School
- McHenry: Emma Cook, TGU Towner
- McIntosh: Alli Mogen, Wishek Public School
- McKenzie: Tiffany Olson, Fox Hills Elementary
- McLean: Seleena Briones, White Shield School
- Mercer: Katie Isaak, Beulah Elementary School
- Morton: Mary McHugh, Sweet Briar School
- Mountrail: Erica McRae, Parshall High School
- Nelson: Jill Wall, Lakota Elementary School
- Oliver: Lynn Schwalk, Center-Stanton High School
- Pembina: Heather Lafferty, North Border
- Pierce: Ashleigh Blikre, Ely Elementary
- Ramsey: Kelly Anderson, Sweetwater Elementary
- Ransom: Ashley Nudell, Lisbon Public Schools
- Renville: Chaleigh Clark, MLS Mohall
- Richland: Kristi Nordick, Zimmerman Elementary
- Rolette: Brooke Zupan, St. John’s Public School
- Sheridan: Lucas Senske, McClusky-Goodrich High School
- Sioux: Tessa Jahner, Solen High School
- Steele: Denise Carlson, Finley-Sharon Public School
- Stutsman: Charity Dosch, Montpelier Public School
- Traill: Wendy Dafforn, Hatton Eielson School
- Walsh: Trisha Cole, Park River Area School
- Ward: Macie Harris-Nelson, Kenmare Public Schools
- Wells: Angel Opdahl, Central Regional Special Education Unit
- Williams: Kari Hall, Williston High School
The county winners are eligible to apply for the state teacher of the year award. The 2025 teacher of the year will be announced in a Sept. 27 ceremony at the Capitol, the release said.
The current teacher of the year is Sheila Peterson, a physical education teacher at Wachter Middle School in Bismarck.
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.
North Dakota
Plain Talk: North Dakota coal industry distances from carbon pipeline project; lawyers fire back at Miller
MINOT — “I’m sympathetic to what they’re doing while recognizing there’s a better way to do it.”
Those are the words of Jason Bohrer, president of the North Dakota Lignite Energy Council, an advocacy and lobbying group that represents the state’s coal industry. He was speaking on this episode of Plain Talk about the Midwest Carbon Express pipeline proposed by Summit Carbon Solutions. That project has no ties to the coal industry. Rather, it seeks to bring carbon emissions gathered from ethanol plans across the upper midwest to North Dakota where it would be buried underground.
Bohrer joined the program to discuss the controversy around the North Dakota Republican Party’s resolution branding carbon capture as “fascism.” The resolution appeared to pass at the party’s state convention earlier this month, but after a recount,
it turns out it failed.
But Bohrer says Lignite’s larger concern is that public backlash against Summit’s project may turn into generalized opposition against the concept of carbon capture.
“An individual project differs from a technological opportunity,” he said.
“We’re going to take a long-term view,” he added.
Also on this episode, two board members from the North Dakota Association for Justice joined to discuss consternation in North Dakota’s legal circles over Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller’s gubernatorial campaign saying some ugly things about lawyers.
“Politicians and trial lawyers often struggle with the truth,” is a quote Miller spokesman Dawson Schefter gave me for
an article about their campaign ad
attacking their opponent in the Republican primary. “Kelly Armstrong is both, so it’s no surprise he lies about his opponent and his opponent’s ads.”
The NDAJ fired back,
calling those comments “ill-informed and ignorant.”
Then Schefter came back again. “It’s no surprise lawyers and politicians are sticking up for each other,” he told me in response to the NDAJ’s statement. “While Kelly Armstrong was raking in cash defending drug dealers, a man who beat his wife unconscious, and a man who attempted to suffocate his daughter — Tammy Miller was growing a company and creating thousands of jobs. Job creator or trial lawyer is an easy choice.”
“Frankly, we were offended,” attorney Tatum O’Brien said.
“She probably has a failing campaign,” attorney Tim O’Keefe added by way of explaining why Miller’s campaign would launch the attack.
Both O’Brien and O’Keefe are board members of the NDAJ and say attorneys do important work defending the rights of citizens in court, from Fourth Amendment protections against illegal search and seizure to the Seventh Amendment right to seek a jury trial in matters of civil law.
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Last turkey season we were in the thick of the newborn stage. I was lucky to get out a few times, but it was a lot more abbreviated than I’m accustomed to. After another long, albeit mild, winter riddled with daycare illnesses, I found myself dreaming of turkey season. I was manifesting calm, sunny weekends and a stretch of household health to get us through.
Come opening weekend, Grandma and Papa arrived and the weather part was just as planned, if anything, maybe too warm. We dusted off the Kelty and pitched it in a familiar piece of grasslands. However, my cozy night under the stars was quickly interrupted with a nightlong bout of vomiting in the buffaloberry bushes. I’m still not sure if it was due to our Mexican food date night in Dickinson or yet another stomach bug but seemed par for the course these days. I almost opted to stay back that morning, but I had waited too long for this.
Our tags were left unfilled, and a bitter taste lingered for days on a weekend I had envisioned going so much differently.
Fast-forward to the following weekend and we planned on taking turns. Scott headed west after bedtime Friday, and by the time Fisch was enjoying his usual scrambled eggs Saturday morning, we received a text that Dada had sealed the deal and would be heading home soon. As readers know by now, turkey nuggets for dinner.
Sunday was my turn and I opted to hunt my leftover unit alongside Jackie, Department marketing specialist and turkey hunting novice.
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