North Dakota History Museums

Featuring displays of early life in North Dakota.  Exhibits incude a one room school display, a soda shop, carriages, antique autos and much more.  Operated by the Barnes County Historical Society, the museum is located at 315 Central Avenue North in Valley City, ND.

Fort Totten State Historic Site  [Totten Trail Inn]

Serving as a frontier fort from 1867-1890, it is the best preserved post of the Dakota frontier.  After being decommissioned in 1890, the fort served the Indian reservation as a school and healthcare facility.  Today, the visitor center and 16 original 1870s buildings are open in summer months offering visitors information on the history of Fort Totten.  A Pioneer Daughters Museum is located on the site.  Located on the southern shore of Devils Lake.

Chateau de Mores State Historic Site

The Chateau de Mores State Historic Site is composed of three parts:

1. The Chateau de Mores - The Chateau de Mores is a 26 room, two story building built in 1883 to be the summer residence of the Marquis De Mores' family.  Today it is an historic house museum featuring many original furnishings and personal effects of the de Mores family.  The house is open for tours during the summer months.  Located at 3448 Chateau Road in Medora ND.

2. Chimney Park - The ruins (mostly the large chimney) of the Marquis De Mores' family meat-packing plant.  Chimney Park is located on the west edge of Medora.

3. De Mores Memorial Park - Created by the WPA in 1938, there is a bronze statue of the Marquis de Mores located in this park in downtown Medora, ND.

Pioneer Trails Museum

Buckstop Junction

Double Ditch Historic Site

Double Ditch Indian Village was home to Mandan Indians ca 1500-1781.  Visitors can walk the path through the village and learn about the Mandan Indians, some of North Dakota's early settlers.

Former Governor's Mansion

This mansion was built in 1884 by Asa Fisher who was a prominent businessman in Bismarck.  Sold to the state in 1893 for $5000, the house was then used as the ND governors' abode between 1893 and 1960.  The home is open for tours in the summer months and is located at 320 E. Avenue B in Bismarck, ND.

North Dakota Heritage Center   [Exhibits]  Historic Sites

Discover the heritage and history of North Dakota.  Operated by the North Dakota Historical Society, the exhibits cover prehistoric times to the days of early settlement.... from triceratops to teepees& buffalos to farmsteads & tractors, you will find an array of ND history on display.  612 East Boulevard, ND 58505.

North Dakota State LIbrary

Bonanzaville Living History Museum   [History]

This historic village includes over 40 buildings depicting life in the Red River Valley in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Take a step back to earlier times in Fargo, ND.  Historical buildings include log cabins, a church, general store, train depot, schoolhouse, and many others.  The exhibits include Native American artifacts, war memorabilia, vintage farm equipment and implements an so much more.  .Located at 1351 Maine Avenue West in West Fargo, ND.

Children's Museum at Yunker Farm   [Photos]

Fargo Air Museum   [Historic Aircraft]

[Battle History]   [Driving Directions]

Known as the fiercest battle between Indians and white man in North Dakota, the Indian tipi camp of the Yanktonai, along with some Dakota, Hunkpapa Lakota and Blackfeet was virtually destroyed leaving many dead and wounded men, women and children.  The onslaught left the Indians destitute for the coming winter months.  The historic site bears two monuments, one commemorating the Indian dead and the other dedicated to the soldiers who died in the battle.  Estimated casualties were 750 Indian and 72 soldiers.  A small museum is open in the summer months .  The battlefield is located 6 miles southwest of Merricourt, ND.

Dunn County Historical Society and Museum 

Featuring the rich history of Dunn County, ND, the Dunn County Museum houses artifacts and items related to the local history of Dunn County.  Aside from the main museum, there is a log cabin, a homesteader's shack, a 1926 one-room school house and the First State Bank building of Manning, ND on the museum grounds.  Located at 153 Museum Trail in Dunn Center, ND.

The Myra Museum is home to the Grand Forks Historical Society and you will find history of the Grand Forks area dating back to the ice age.  Historical buildings include, The Campbell House built in1897, a one room schoolhouse built in 1917 and an 1868 log cabin which served as the original Grand Forks Post Office.

East Grand Forks Heritage Village

The historic village is dedicated to the preservation of history of the Red River Valley.  Weekend tours of pioneer buildings tell the story of 1800s and 1900s life in the upper Midwest.  During the third week of August, the village celebrates Heritage Days with living history displays.

Fort Mandan and The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center

McLean County Historical Society Museums

This is actually a collection of historical buildings and displays operated by the McLean County Historical Society.  The main museum building features geological exhibits, wildlife, Lewis and Clark history, a riverboat display, various period furnished rooms, military exhibits, Native American artifacts and more.  Other buildings include the Fred Jefferies Building ca 1905, the Joe Taylor cabin ca 1869, the Sioux Ferry Boat, and the 1882 Nettle Creek School House.  The main museum building and the Fred Jefferies building are located at 610 Main Avenue in Washburn, ND.  The Joe Taylor cabin is located at 1000 East Main Avenue and the Sioux Ferry and Schoolhouse are located on Boat Ramp Road along the Missouri River.

Fort Clark Trading Post

This state historic site is an important archeological site due to two fur trading posts and the earthlodge village of the Mandan / Arikara Indians which was located there approximately 150 years ago.  Although there is not a museum, there is an observation deck and a kiosk operated by the Civil Conservation Corps where brochures can be obtained for a self guided tour.  Location is just 1 1/4 miles west of the town of Fort Clark, ND.

Knife River Indian Villages  

[History and Culture]  [Earth Lodge Virtual Tour]

Visit a reconstructed earthlodge and see what Indian living was like on Knife River.  Artifacts and historical items which were used the Northern Plains Indians are displayed in the Visitors Center.  Located on County Road 37 just 1/2 mile north of Stanton, ND.

Paul Broste Rock Museum

The museum is housed in a structure built of natural granite quarried from the plains of North Dakota.  Opened in 1965, beautiful stone slabs, crystals, polished spheres and all manner of rock exhibits line the display cases and walls, making it a one-of-a-kind museum.  Located in Parshall, ND.

Center Museum

The Oliver County Historical Society operates a small museum devoted to the history of the Oliver County area.  Nearby is the Hazel Miner Memorial and a new monument erected in honor of Military Veterans of Oliver County.  Located in Center, ND.

Gingras Trading Post

A museum is housed in this 1840s log trading post built by fur trader, Antione Blanc Gingras.  Located in Wallhalla, ND.

Pembina County Historical Society and Museum

[Photos]

The Museum and Pioneer Machinery Grounds consist of the main museum building, two exhibit buildings, the Bathgate Depot, The McKenzie Granary, a tractor pull track and a barn.  Located at 13572 Hwy 5 in Cavalier, ND.

Pembina State Museum

Dale and Martha Hawk Museum and Campgrounds

Prairie Village Museum

Step back in history as you stroll along the wooden sidewalks of a pioneer village.  You will find rows of classic cars, a general store, antique guns, Native American and Eskimo artifacts, Scandinavian heritage and more.  Featuring fully furnished pioneer buildings, this museum in Rugby, ND is a must see for history buffs.  Located at 102 Hwy 2 SE in Rugby, ND.

Fort Ransom State Park  

[History]  [Photos]

The park offers visitors a chance to look into the past when homesteaders were settling new lands, building homesteads and soddies..  Located 2 miles north of the town of Fort Ransom, ND.

Ransom County Historical Museum

Bagg Bonanza Farm Historic Site

The only restored Bonanza Farm in North Dakota.  Guided tours of restored buildings and the farm site.  Located in Mooreton, ND.

Fort Abercrombie Historic Site

Known as "The Gateway to the Dakotas", Fort Abercrombie was established in Dakota Territory in 1858.  Important North Dakota post in the 1832 Dakota Conflict when the fort was besieged by the Sioux for more than 6 straight weeks.  Today, the fort consists of a museum, the original guard house, a reconstructed stockade, and three reconstructed block houses.

612 East Boulevard Avenue

Bismarck, ND.

Richland County Historical Museum

Housed in the old Wahpeton National Bank building, the museum provides artifacts and exhibits related to the history and pioneers of Richland County.  Located at 11 7th Ave N in Wahpeton, ND.

International Peace Garden   [Virtual Tour and Photos]

National Buffalo Museum   [Frontier Village]

Buffalo Trails Museum  [Virtual Tour]

Focused on preserving the history of the prairie land and it's early settlers, the plains Indians and pioneers.  The museum includes nine buildings on Main Street in Epping, ND.  The Thorseth Cabin, the Burrington Schoolhouse, the Stevens School, and Miller Hall are a few of them.  Open for tours.

Fort Buford

Erected in 1866, this fort is well-known as the place of surrender by Sitting Bill, leader of the Hunkpapa Sioux Indians.  Today there are only three of the original buildings remaining: a stone powder magazine, an officer of the guard building and the officers quarters where the museum is housed.  The museum tells the story of this historic fort and re-enactments are held at certain times of the year.  Located 23 miles west of Williston, ND on Hwy 1804.

Fort Union Trading Post   [History, Photos and Tour]

Now a National historic site, the Fort Union Trading Post was a well-known fur trading post between 1828 and 1867.  Some of the Indian tribes who traded at this post were  Assiniboine, Blackfeet, Cree, Crow, Hidatsa and others.  The site is now a living history museum, depicting life at this famous outpost on the early North Dakota frontier.  Located at 15550 Hwy 1804 in Williston, ND.

Museum Index for Other States

North Dakota Census Records