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The 56 State Historic Sites administered by the State Historical Society of North Dakota are listed alphabetically. If you are looking for a specific name, topic, or location, consult the site index.

Digging and collecting artifacts and fossils on state land without a permit is illegal. North Dakota Century Code Sections 54-17.3 and 55-03.

1. Big Mound Battlefield State Historic Site -- Located in Kidder County, a headstone marks the place where Dr. Josiah S. Weiser was shot on July 24, 1863. This death precipitated the Battle of Big Mound, a skirmish between General Henry H. Sibley's Minnesota Volunteers and a group of Sioux who were believed to have been involved in the Dakota Conflict of 1862.

2. Bismarck-Deadwood Stage Trail Historic Marker -- Located on the eastern edge of Flasher, this site marks a point along the stage trail from Bismarck to Deadwood, South Dakota, the main route used by immigrants and freighters to reach the Black Hills gold fields. There is a marker on the site.

3. Brenner Crossing State Historic Site -- Located nineteen miles southeast of Fort Totten, this site lies near the Fort Totten-Fort Seward Trail several miles from the actual crossing place on the Sheyenne River. The site is unmarked.

4. Buffalo Creek State Historic Site -- Located two and one-quarter miles west of Buffalo, a marker designates a point crossed by General Henry H. Sibley and his military expedition on August 16, 1863. General Sibley's Minnesota army entered North Dakota seeking Indians who had participated in the Dakota Conflict of 1862.

5. Camp Arnold State Historic Site -- Located four miles north of Oriska, this site marks the August 14 campsite of the 1863 Sibley expedition. Two headstones honor the memory of two soldiers buried at the Pickett Lake campsite.

6. Camp Atchison State Historic Site -- Located two and one-half miles south of the junction of ND 1 and ND 65, this site marks the location of the field base of the 1863 Sibley expedition. The camp was used for more than a month and contains a military grave and a memorial marker.

7. Camp Buell State Historic Site -- Located one-half mile southwest of the junction of ND 13 and County 1, this site was used as the July 3-4 campsite of the 1863 Sibley expedition. There is a marker on the site.

8. Camp Corning State Historic Site -- Located six miles east and two miles north of Dazey, a granite marker commemorates the July 16-17 campsite of the 1863 Sibley expedition.

9. Camp Grant State Historic Site -- Located about five miles northwest of Woodworth, a small tablet mounted on a large boulder commemorates the July 23 campsite of the 1863 Sibley expedition.

10. Camp Hancock State Historic Site -- Located at 101 W. Main St., Bismarck, this site preserves part of a military installation established as Camp Greeley in 1872 to provide protection for work gangs then building the Northern Pacific Railroad. The camp's name was changed to Camp Hancock in 1873. A log headquarters building still stands on the site; it has been enlarged and remodeled several times, and the logs have been concealed by clapboard siding. The building serves as an interpretive museum for artifacts and information about local history. The buildings are open May 16 through September 15, Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. (701) 328-9664 or (701) 328-2666 or shspreservation@state.nd.us.. For more information on the region call the Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau: 1-800-767-3555.

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11. Camp Kimball State Historic Site -- Located about six miles southwest of Carrington, this site was the July 22-23 campsite of the 1863 Sibley expedition. The site is unmarked.

12. Camp Sheardown State Historic Site -- Located two miles southeast of Valley City, a bronze marker identifies this site as the 1863 Sibley expedition's July 14-15 camp.

13. Camp Weiser State Historic Site -- Located about five miles southeast of Kathryn, a small granite marker identifies this site as the approximate location of the July 13-14 campsite of the 1863 Sibley expedition.

14. Camp Whitney State Historic Site -- Located nine miles north of Tappen, this is the approximate location of a campsite used by the 1863 Sibley expedition following the Battle of Big Mound. There is a grave marker on the site.

15. Cannonball Stage Station State Historic Site -- Located about thirteen miles southeast of Carson, this site marks the fifth stage station stop from Bismarck on the Black Hills Trail used from 1877 to 1880. Depressions from the 1877 station dugout and barn are clearly visible and are interpreted by a site marker.

16. Chaska (Camp Banks) State Historic Site -- Located three miles north of Driscoll, this site marks the approximate location of Camp Banks, an encampment used on August 2, 1863, by the Sibley expedition. Chaska, an Indian Scout, died at Camp Banks and was buried in the fortification ditch that surrounded the campsite.

17. Crowley Flint Quarry State Historic Site -- Located in Mercer County, this site preserves an area from which Indians quarried quantities of Knife River flint used to make stone tools or for trade with other tribes. The site is not clearly marked and most of the quarry, as well as the access road, is on private property.

18. David Thompson State Historic Site -- Located one-half mile west of Verendrye, this site lies near the supposed route followed by trappers and traders en route between Canadian trading posts and the Indian villages along the Missouri River. It is named after the famous English explorer, scientist, and cartographer, David Thompson. There is a marker on the site.

19.DE MORES STATE HISTORIC SITE -- Located southwest of Medora, this site memorializes the life and activities in North Dakota of Antoine de Vallombrosa, the Marquis de Mores, who arrived in 1883. Among his enterprises were a beef packing plant, a stagecoach line, 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. A visitors' center and museum building was opened at the de Mores State Historic Site in 1974. The site is open from May 16 through September 15, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (MDT). Interpretive center exhibits and video. Modern Facilities. Information: De Mores State Historic Site, P.O. Box 106, Medora ND 58645 or (701) 623-4355 or shschateau@state.nd.us. For more information on the region call the Medora Convention and Visitors Bureau: 1-800-663-6721 or (701) 623-4910.

CHATEAU DE MORES - This 26-room, two-story frame building was built in 1883 as the summer residence of the Marquis's family. The Chateau is now a historic house museum and contains many of the original furnishings and personal effects of the de Mores family. Visits through the house are available during the summer months, and there is an admission charge. School and commercial bus tour group rates. Allow one hour for visit. Visitation from 8:30 a.m. to 5:50 p.m (MDT).

De Mores Memorial Park - Located in downtown Medora, the park has a bronze statue of the Marquis de Mores donated in 1926 by his sons. The statue is surrounded by a flagstone courtyard, the result of a 1938 WPA project.

Packing Plant - Situated on the west edge of Medora, the site once contained the plant, a slaughterhouse, three icehouses, several outbuildings, a railroad spur track, and a corral. The building burned in 1907, leaving the tall, native clay brick chimney standing. A picnic area is located next to the plant.

20.DOUBLE DITCH INDIAN VILLAGE STATE HISTORIC SITE -- Located seven and one-half miles north of Bismarck, this site contains the ruins of a large Mandan Indian earthlodge village inhabited during the period A.D. 1500-1781. The remains of earthlodges, refuse mounds, and the two surrounding fortification ditches are clearly discernible. There eight interpretive signs on the site.

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21. Elkhorn Ranch Buffer Zone -- This land lies to the north and south of the Elkhorn Ranch site that is owned by the National Park Service. It is not accessible to the public.

22.FORMER GOVERNORS' MANSION STATE HISTORIC SITE -- Located at 320 E. Ave. B in Bismarck, the site consists of a large two and one-half story, restored Victorian house and a carriage house. Constructed in 1884, it housed 21 chief executives between 1893 and 1960. Unique room exhibits feature the restoration process, architectural style changes, and furniture used by several governors. The site is open from May 16 through September 15, Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. (CDT). Video and first floor ADA accessible. Limited facilities. No admission fee. Information: State Historical Society of North Dakota, 612 E. Boulevard Ave., Bismarck ND 58505 or (701) 328-9529 or (701) 328-2666 or shspreservation@state.nd.us. For more information on the region call the Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau: 1-800-767-3555.

23. FORT ABERCROMBIE STATE HISTORIC SITE -- Located at the eastern edge of Abercrombie, this site preserves the military post that served from 1858 until 1877 as the gateway to the Dakota frontier. A local museum at the site interprets the history of the fort and the area. Only one original building remains, but blockhouses and the palisade wall have been reconstructed. The site is open from May 16 through September 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday (CDT). Self-guided site visit, limited access. Modern facilities in the museum. Museum admission fee. School and commercial bus tour group rates. Information: Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site, P.O. Box 148, Abercrombie ND 58001 or (701) 553-8513 or vnelson@state.nd.us. For more information on the region call the Wahpeton CVB: 1-800-892-6673 or Fargo-Moorhead Area CVB: 1-800-235-7654.

24.FORT BUFORD STATE HISTORIC SITE -- Located about twenty-two miles southwest of Williston (off Highways 1804 and 58), this site preserves remnants of a vital frontier plains military post. Fort Buford was built in 1866 near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, and became a major supply depot for military field operations. Original features still existing on the site include a stone powder magazine, the post cemetery site, and a large officers' quarters building which now houses a museum. The site is open from May 15 through September 15, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (CDT). Museum exhibits and video, self-guided site tour. Modern facilities on site, picnic area, and campgrounds. Museum admission fee. School and commercial bus tour group rates. Information: Fort Buford State Historic Site, 15349 39th Lane NW, Williston ND 58801 or (701) 572-9034 or shsbuford@state.nd.us. For more information on the region or the nearby Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site call the Williston CVB: 1-800-615-9041.

25. FORT CLARK STATE HISTORIC SITE -- Located seven and one-half miles southeast of Stanton, Fort Clark was built in 1830-1831 by the American Fur Company to serve a Mandan Indian earthlodge village built on the site in 1822. A second fort, Primeau's Post, was built on the site in the early 1850s and operated in competition with Fort Clark for much of that decade. The site contains foundations of both fort structures, the remains of the earthlodge village, and a large native burial ground. The site is open from May 16 through September 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CDT) Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Self-guided visit, limited access. No facilities. No site admission fee. Information: State Historical Society of North Dakota, 612 E. Boulevard Ave., Bismarck ND 58505 or (701) 328-2666 or (701) 794-8832 or shspreservation@state.nd.us. For more information on the region call the Bismarck-Mandan CVB: 1-800-767-3555.

26. Fort Dilts State Historic Site -- Located about three miles northeast of Rhame, this site marks the location of a sod-wall protective enclosure hastily constructed by an 80-wagon party and their cavalry escort. They were attacked by Sioux Indians while en route to Montana gold fields in September 1864 and stayed corralled within the six-feet-high and two-feet-thick walls for fourteen days until rescued by a column of troops from Fort Rice. There is a marker on the site.

27. Fort Mandan Overlook State Historic Site -- Located eleven and one-half miles west of Washburn, this site overlooks the area where Lewis and Clark established their headquarters for the winter of 1804-1805. The original Fort Mandan was a triangular fort which provided shelter, protection, and a place of cultural interchange between the explorers and the area's Indian inhabitants. There are two markers on the site.

28. Fort Ransom State Historic Site -- Located three-quarters of a mile southwest of Ransom, this site marks the location of a 200-man military post built in 1867. Although building locations and the dry moat, once eight feet deep, are still clearly discernible, nothing else remains of the original fort or its twelve-feet-high sod and log stockade. There is a marker on the site. Fort Ransom State Park is located nearby. For more information call (701) 973-4331 or write: Fort Ransom State Park, R.R. 1, Box 20A, Fort Ransom, ND 58033.

29. Fort Rice State Historic Site -- Located eight-tenths of a mile southeast of the town of Fort Rice, this site preserves remaining vestiges of a military post established in 1864 by General Alfred Sully to supply his campaign into western Dakota and to protect traffic on the Missouri River, a function the fort continued until replaced by Fort Yates in 1877. There is a marker on the site.

30. FORT TOTTEN STATE HISTORIC SITE -- Located on the southeastern edge of the town of Fort Totten, this site preserves a military post built in 1867 and used continuously as a military reservation until 1890 when it became a boarding school for Indian children. The brick buildings, which replaced an earlier log fort, appear much as they did when built of locally made brick in 1868. Original buildings are now being used to house museum exhibits. The site is open from May 16 through September 15, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (CDT). Seventeen original buildings, exhibits, video, Pioneer Daughters' Museum. Modern facilities. Site admission fee. School and commercial bus tour group rates. Information: Fort Totten State Historic Site, P.O. Box 224, Fort Totten ND 58335 or (701) 766-4441 or shstotten@state.nd.us. For more information on the region call the Devils Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau: 1-800-233-8048.

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31.GINGRAS TRADING POST STATE HISTORIC SITE -- Located one and one-half miles northeast of Walhalla, this site preserves the home and trading post established by Métis trader Antoine B. Gingras in the 1840s. His hand-hewn oak log store and home are among the few tangible remains of the fur trade in the valley of the Red River of the North. Both of the buildings have been restored to their original appearance. The site is open from May 16 through September 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (CDT). Exhibits in the home and replica fur trade items for sale in the post. Self-guided visits. Primitive facilities. No admission fee. Information: Gingras Trading Post State Historic Site, 12882 129 Ave NE, Walhalla, ND 58282 or (701) 549-2775 or vnelson@state.nd.us.

32. Hudson Townsite State Historic Site -- Located five miles southwest of Oakes, this site marks the original 1883 location of the first townsite in Dickey County. There is a marker on the site.

33. Huff Indian Village State Historic Site -- Located one-half mile south of Huff, this site preserves a large village that was occupied by the Mandan Indians around A.D. 1480. Ruins of rectangular earthlodge dwellings and a large bastioned fortification ditch are discernible. The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Landmark. There is a marker on the site.

34. Killdeer Mountain Battlefield State Historic Site -- Located ten and one-half miles northwest of Killdeer, this site commemorates a battle fought on July 28, 1864, between troops commanded by General Alfred Sully and Sioux Indians. Sully's 2,200 troops, with the aid of artillery batteries, scattered the encamped village reported to contain 6,000 warriors, with losses of 5 soldiers and perhaps 100-150 Indians. There is a marker on the site.

35. Lake Jessie State Historic Site -- This site is located two miles west of Jessie. In 1839, the Nicollet-Fremont expedition camped here; Isaac I. Stevens and his party stayed here during a survey of a proposed railroad route in the 1850s; and the site was also used by James L. Fisk and his wagon trains bound for the Montana gold fields. There is a marker on the site.

36. Lake Johnson State Historic Site -- Located about seven miles southwest of Cooperstown, this site honors George T. Johnson, Company G, Third Illinois Cavalry, who drowned in the lake during the 1863 Sibley expedition. There is a marker on the site.

37. McPhail's Butte Overlook -- Located in Kidder County, this site marks a position from which Colonel Samuel McPhail directed the movements of the First Minnesota Rangers in the Battle of Big Mound on July 24, 1863, during Sibley's expedition. There is a marker on the site.

38. Maple Creek Crossing State Historic Site -- Located three miles south of Chaffee, this site marks a crossing over Maple Creek on the Pembina Trail, a transportation route for settlers and freight. There is a marker on the site.

39. Medicine Rock State Historic Site -- Located in Grant County, this site preserves an area of religious significance to Indian peoples. The site contains a large rock bearing pictographs and a circular ring of dark vegetation reputed to be the remains of a dance ring. There is a marker on the site.

40. Menoken Indian Village State Historic Site-- Located one and one-half miles northeast of Menoken, this site preserves a prehistoric earthlodge village site surrounded by a large fortification ditch with four clearly defined bastions. Although archeologists originally thought the village dated 1780-1845, they now believe it may have been occupied as early as A.D. 1100. There is a marker on the site.

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41. Molander Indian Village State Historic Site -- Located three miles north of Price, the site preserves a large Mandan or Hidatsa earthlodge village (A.D. 1780-1845) protected by a fortification ditch reinforced by six bastions. Also present are the remains of an 1882 log cabin. There is a marker on the site. There is limited access across private land by owner's permission.

42. Oak Lawn Church State Historic Site -- Located eleven miles south of Walhalla, this site marks the location of a Presbyterian church built by the Reverend Ransom Waite and his congregation in 1885. The church stood as a landmark and point of interest until it burned in 1954. There is a marker on the site.

43. Palmer's Spring State Historic Site -- Located about eleven miles southeast of Esmond, Palmer's Spring functioned as a way station on the Fort Totten-Fort Stevenson Trail. The site is unmarked, but trail ruts are visible by the spring.

44. Pulver Mounds State Historic Site -- Two low burial mounds from Woodland culture tradition of the Late Prehistoric Period are the main features of this site which was donated by the Falkirk Mining Company. Access is limited by current mining activity.

45. St. Claude State Historic Site -- Located one and one-half miles northwest of St. John, this site commemorates the founding of a church in 1882 by Father John Malo. St. John, the first community in Rolette County, grew up around the church, but was eventually relocated to its current site. There is a sign and stone marker on the site.

46. Standing Rock State Historic Site -- Located two miles east of Little Yellowstone Park, this site is called Inyan Bosendata by Sioux Indians who consider it sacred. The rock, four feet tall and shaped like an inverted cone, stands on a complex of prehistoric burial mounds dating from the Woodland Period (A.D. 0-1400). There is a marker on the site.

47. Steamboat Warehouse Historic Marker -- Located beside the Missouri River on the west edge of Bismarck, this site marks the location of a warehouse built by the Northern Pacific Railway Company to store goods in transshipment between steamboats and freight trains. The warehouse was built in 1883 and used until 1925 when it was torn down. There is a marker on the site.

48. Stutsman County Courthouse State Historic Site -- Located at the corner of 3rd Ave. S.E. and 5th Street S.E. in Jamestown, the site consists of the two-story brick structure with tower. The structure, built in 1883, is the oldest remaining courthouse in the state and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is being renovated and is not open to the public.

49. Sully's Heart River Corral State Historic Site -- Located about fourteen miles southeast of Richardton, this site marks a base camp established by General Alfred Sully during his 1864 campaign. Rifle pits were dug around the circled wagons but the camp was never attacked; many of the rifle pits are still visible. There is a marker on the site.

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50. Sweden State Historic Site -- Located one-half mile west of Nash, this site marks the location of the former Sweden post office, established in 1879 during the early settlement period of North Dakota. There is a marker on the site.

51. Turtle Effigy State Historic Site -- Located near Golden Valley, Mercer County, this site preserves a twenty-one-foot-long turtle petroform--an animal shape formed of stones. Made by Native Americans prior to European immigration, this type of site is rare and not accessible to the public.

52. Wadeson Cabin State Historic Site -- Located one and one-half miles east of Kathryn, this hand-hewn oak log cabin stands on the east bank of the Sheyenne River. Built in 1878 by Carl Jensen and his nephew John Bjerke, the cabin served as a community hall, country store, pioneer home, and finally as an icehouse. There is a marker on the site.

53. Walhalla State Historic Site -- Located two blocks southwest of the intersection of ND Highway 32 and County 55 in Walhalla, this site marks the birthplace of Walhalla. The town was first called St. Joseph after a mission established near Pembina in 1848 by Father George Belcourt. An original trading post built by trader Norman Kittson in 1851 was later moved to the site. There is a marker on the site.

54. WHITESTONE HILL BATTLEFIELD STATE HISTORIC SITE -- Located about six miles southwest of Merricourt, this site marks a major battle between troops of General Alfred Sully's 1863 expedition and Sioux Indians. On September 3, troops attacked a camp of Yanktonai Sioux. In the ensuing battle, 20 soldiers and nearly 200 Indian men, women, and children were killed. The site is open from May 16 through September 15, Thursday through Monday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (CDT) Small museum. Modern facilities and recreation area. No admission fee. Information: State Historical Society of North Dakota, 612 E. Boulevard Ave., Bismarck ND 58505 or (701) 328-2666 or (701) 396-7731 or vnelson@state.nd.us. For more information on the region call the Ellendale Chamber of Commerce: (701) 349-3622 or Jamestown CVB: 1-800-222-4766. See also Whitestone Historical Society.

55. Writing Rock State Historic Site -- Two granite boulders inscribed with thunderbird figures are exhibited at Writing Rock State Historic Site located twelve miles northeast of Grenora in Divide County. The design on the rocks are clearly American Indian, despite unfounded speculation attributing the origins of the “mysterious carvings” to Vikings, Chinese, or others. Similar rock art sites are found in Roch Percee and Kamsack, Saskatchewan; Long-view and Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Alberta; Pictograph Cave near Billings, Montana; Dinwoody, Wyoming; Ludlow Cave, South Dakota; and at numerous archeological sites in the upper midwestern United States.
Thunderbirds, mythological creatures responsible for lightning and thunder, are central to stories told by Algonquian and Siouan-speaking tribes. Many Plains Indians such as Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Gros Ventre, Crow, Dakota (Sioux) Mandan, and Hidatsa used thunderbirds in their art. The design appears on prehistoric artifacts such as shell and bone pendants and pottery, as well as on rock art. Most of these artifacts on the northern plains date from A.D. 1000 to A.D. 1700.
The larger of the two granite boulders measures four and one-half feet high and four feet wide. A massive, flying bird surrounded by interconnected lines and circles covers the flattest side of the boulder. The second, smaller rock is three and one-half feet long, two feet wide, and one and one-half feet high. It displays a smaller, flying bird connected to circles and abstract lines. A second bird, which is missing its head, flies above the other designs. All of the motifs were pecked by pounding a hard rock against the boulders or were ground into the surfaces.
The smaller rock was originally located some distance from the larger one and was once removed from the site but later returned. Today, the two boulders are enclosed in a shelter and protected by iron bars at the historic site. Recreational facilities at the historic site include picnic tables in a grove of trees, picnic shelters, a building with a kitchen, fireplace, playground equipment, restrooms, and a parking lot.