FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 8, 2007

Contact: Johnathan Campbell

(701) 328-9528

MEETING TO ORGANIZE FRIENDS OF CAMP HANCOCK
STATE HISTORIC SITE IN BISMARCK SET FOR NOVEMBER 24

            BISMARCK – A preliminary meeting will be held Saturday, November 24 at 2 p.m. at Camp Hancock State Historic Site, located at 101 West Main Street in downtown Bismarck. The purpose of the meeting will be to find interested persons in the community who would like to be involved in the organization of a group to assist the State Historical Society of North Dakota (SHSND) with preservation, fund raising and promotion of Camp Hancock State Historic Site. Anyone interested in helping preserve this historically important site is encouraged to attend the meeting.

            The SHSND currently has partnerships with seven Friends groups throughout the state that help with the preservation and promotion of North Dakota’s historic sites.

            The Camp Hancock site was established in 1872 and originally named Camp Greeley in honor of Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Times and originator of the saying “Go west, young man.” In 1873 it was renamed Camp Hancock after the commander of the Department of Dakota, Major General Winfield Hancock. The purpose of the camp until 1877 was to house soldiers to protect supplies and the workers laying the tracks for the Northern Pacific Railroad.

            From 1877 to 1894, Camp Hancock served as the supply depot for the western forts of Dakota Territory and the northwest British Territories. In 1894, the military withdrew from the camp and it served as the headquarters for the United States Weather Bureau in North Dakota until 1940. The United States Soil Conservation Service was housed at the site until 1949, when a fire forced them to move out.

            In 1951 Camp Hancock was turned over to the SHSND for preservation and opened in 1955 as a State Historic Site. The oldest building in Bismarck, the officers quarters still stands on

its original spot at the site. Though heavily remodeled in 1901 by the U.S. Weather Bureau, the original 1872 log structure can still be seen.

            A 1909 Northern Pacific Railroad placed at the site in 1955 to commemorate the role of the railroad in the creation of Camp Hancock and Bismarck is displayed at the site.

            In the 1965 the oldest church in Bismarck, the Bread of Life Church built in 1880, was moved to the site. The restored church is still used on occasion for weddings.

            One of 55 state historic sites managed by the SHSND, Camp Hancock State Historic Site is open from May 16 through September 15, Wednesdays through Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m., and other times by appointment. Admission is free. For schedule information, contact the SHSND at (701) 328-2666 or visit the agency’s website at www.nd.gov/hist.

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