Friday, 14 June
Today, we drove from Grahams Island State Park, ND, to Lake Sakakawea State Park, ND, which was approximately 194 miles and took about four hours. We traveled on mostly flat roads and terrain, passing through rural farmland and small towns along the way. About an hour from the state park, we stopped for gas.
Lake Sakakawea State Park
Lake Sakakawea State Park is on the south shore of the third-largest man-made reservoir in the nation, which is the Garrison Dam across the Missouri River. It has several campgrounds, and we were in the Sanish Campground, Site 46, which turned out to be another sunny back-in site that was mostly level. It was considered a modern campground with water and electricity but not a sewer. The park was a lot less busy than the one we left. After setting up, we sat outside, enjoyed the lake’s view in the distance, and drank the last of the beers we had bought from the Watertown Brewery.
We then drove around the park and up to the visitor center. Like the previous state park, this park catered to fishermen and recreational boaters. It had a full-service marina, a convenience store, and a fish cleaning station. The marina also had a concession store, gas dock, pump-out service, and boat and camper storage.
The park was mostly empty, though we saw the campers slowly trickling in for the weekend.
Garrison Dam
We then drove over to Garrison Dam. Garrison Dam is an earth-fill embankment dam constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1947 to 1953 on the Missouri River. It is over two miles in length and is the fifth-largest earthen dam in the world. The reservoir created is Lake Sakakawea, which is 178 miles long, 1 to 14 miles wide, 70 to 145 feet deep, and over 1,500 miles of coastline. This makes the lake the largest man-made lake located entirely within North Dakota, the second largest in the United States by area after Lake Oahe, and the third largest in the United States by volume, after Lake Mead and Lake Powell.
When the dam was built, approximately one-fourth of Fort Berthold Indian Reservation’s land was inundated, and they lost 94% of their agricultural land. Though the tribes were remunerated, the threat of losing the land to eminent domain forced them to accept a much lower sum than its market value. Thus, the construction of the Garrison Dam almost destroyed the traditional way of life for the Three Affiliated Tribes (Hidatsa, Mandan, and the Arikara), who were largely self-sufficient before the dam and made them much more dependent on the federal government.
The dam was built primarily for flood control, but it also provides hydroelectric power, water supply, water quality, irrigation, fish and wildlife conservation, navigation, and recreation benefits.
We drove below the dam to the power generation plant and its tailrace. We watched the water flowing out of the power plant, where we could hear the turbines turning, before driving over to the other side of the dam to the spillway. Here, they had a small park overlooking the water with some informational signs about the dam, the fish, the lake, and Lewis and Clark, who camped in the area.
While we were at the overlook, we could hear a large storm coming. The weather apps showed the bulk of the storm going around us, but we still felt some raindrops intermittently.
Rusty the Turtle
We drove 30 minutes to see Rusty the Turtle before the storm hit. Rusty is a two-ton steel statue that greets people in Turtle Lake. It was erected in 1995 in memory of Harold Hanson, a community leader, for the city’s 90th anniversary. It was huge, very detailed, and lifelike.
A light rain fell steadily on us as we walked around the turtle, so we hurriedly took pictures and drove back to the state park.
Lake Sakakawea State Park
It was not raining when we returned to the state park, so we drove down to the marina to try some North Dakota ice cream. The concession store was on a metal dock, and lightning flashed in the distance, but we decided to risk it anyway. The store was staffed by four teens who were obviously bored and eagerly talked with us as we picked some ice cream. The website and the park ranger at the visitor center said that the store sold North Dakota ice cream, but we learned that most were made in Wisconsin by Cedar Crest. The staff pointed out one flavor they guaranteed was from North Dakota, so we both got it. They also sold pizza, so we ordered one to return to the camper for dinner.
We then drove back to the camper, where we saw the campground slowly filling up.
Saturday, 15 June
Missouri River Valley
Our plan today was to drive south to see several historic sites. Our path followed the Missouri River, the Sakakawea Scenic Byway, and the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
Our first stop was the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, located at the confluence of the Knife River with the Missouri River, about 20 miles south of the park. This site preserves the historic and archaeological remnants of bands of Hidatsa Northern Plains Indians. Three villages were known to occupy the Knife area, a major trading and agricultural area.
In 1804, the Hidatsa villages on the Knife River hosted the expedition led by Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark. While at the villages, Sacajawea (Sakakawea – a Hidatsa word meaning Bird Woman) joined the expedition,
We first walked through the visitor center, which had displays and artifacts about their culture, Sacajawea’s real contributions to the expedition, and their demise from smallpox. Outside was a replica earth lodge that would have been typical of the one used by the Hidatsa. It was very cool inside, with numerous replica artifacts and a used fire pit to add realism. We then walked down a 1.5-mile round-trip trail that took us to the shores of the Knife River and past previous village sites where we could still see the depressions once made by the earth lodges.
Scientific Center of North America
We then drove to the Scientific Center of North America, another competitor to the center of North America. Peter Rogerson, a geography professor at the University of Buffalo, determined this location using the azimuthal equidistant projection method to determine the geographical center.
In June 2018, a large rock, flags of Mexico, Canada, and the USA, and a sign were placed atop the center. It was just off the highway, with a parking lot, a picnic table, and a maintained path between fences and the stone and sign.
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and Fort Mandan
We continued down the Missouri River Valley to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center near Washburn.
The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department operated the center, focusing on the period when the Lewis and Clark Expedition lived in this vicinity for about 22 weeks during the winter of 1804-05.
Three 12-foot steel statues of Lewis, Clark, and the Mandan Chief Sheheke were outside. Inside, we walked through numerous displays about subjects such as the farming-based cultures of the Mandan and Hidatsa Native American nations, the fur trade at Fort Clark Trading Post State Historic Site, the 1830s expedition by Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied through the area, and the later development of agriculture in the state. We walked through two galleries of art created by the early pioneer painters who studied these tribes.
The $8/ea admission also covered access to a replica of Fort Mandan, a short drive away. The Corps of Discovery built this fortification as their quarters during their winter stay. Tours were offered every hour, so when we finished walking through the center, we drove over to the fort and ate lunch at a nearby picnic shelter until the tour began.
The fort was in poor condition and held up by some bracing, but it was interesting to see how the soldiers lived. The guide walked us through each area of the fort, where we saw numerous replica artifacts, such as uniforms, food, and furniture, displayed to help us understand life at the fort.
Fort Abraham Lincoln and On-A-Slant Village
After we left the Interpretive Center, we continued south to Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park.
The park is home to the replica Mandan On-A-Slant Indian Village and reconstructed military buildings, including the Custer House.
The Mandan established a village at this location around 1575. Two hundred years later, an outbreak of smallpox significantly decreased the Mandan population. The survivors resettled to the north, including the area around Knife River that we had seen earlier in the day.
In June 1872, a military post was built at this same location. Originally built to host three infantry companies, it was expanded to host six cavalry companies. By 1873, the 7th Cavalry moved into the fort, and Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer, the first post-commander of the expanded fort, held the position until he was killed at Little Big Horn in 1876.
We paid the $8 admission for a tour of the On-A-Slant Village and the Custer House.
On-A-Slant Village
Our first tour was of the On-A-Slant Village. As we walked toward the village, he told us how a typical village was laid out. He then took us into the village that had five replica mud houses. He took us into one that was padlocked and reserved for tours. Inside were numerous replica artifacts, which he pointed out and described. He then took us to another mud house representing their primary religious center. Because the Mandan tribe did not want their religious ceremonies and artifacts exposed to tourists, there was little inside the house, but benches were arranged as a theater.
Custer House
We then had to rush over to the Custer House to catch the day’s last tour. The fort was abandoned in 1891, and the locals dismantled it for nails and wood. In 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps built the visitor center and Mandan, and in 1989, they recreated the house that George Custer and his wife lived in. The guide gave us a rundown of the fort’s history and then walked us through the home, giving us a good feel for their daily lives. Most of the furniture was replicas, but there were a few original pieces.
Space Aliens Bar and Grill
Afterward, we drove 30 minutes back north into Bismark, the capital of North Dakota, and ate dinner at the Space Aliens Bar and Grill. This is a regional chain of restaurants, such as Space Aliens restaurants, characterized by futuristic-looking exteriors with a large domed ceiling in the center of the building, painted to show a view of outer space. Statues of aliens and other themed objects are displayed throughout the restaurant. The Bismark location also had an arcade room.
There was a waiting list when we arrived, but immediate seating was available in the bar area, which had fewer alien decorations and more televisions on sports channels. We chose a booth in the bar. Their menu had no cute alien themes attached to its food and emphasized bbq and pizza. I ordered a pulled pork sandwich, and Lisa got an excellent hamburger. Afterward, we walked around the restaurant, looked at all the alien showcases and figures on the walls, and even got a picture of Lisa with a costumed alien making their rounds.
Afterward, we headed back to the camper for the evening.
Sunday, 16 June
We had a pretty big storm overnight, but it was gone when we woke up. It was very windy, and the temperature was in the low 60s, but the winds made it colder.
After showers, we took off to see the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge.
Audubon National Wildlife Refuge
The Audubon National Wildlife Refuge is a diverse prairie and wetland habitat situated along Lake Audubon, formed by the construction of the Garrison Dam. The refuge is home to over one hundred small islands providing vital waterfowl and other wildlife habitats. While the large visitor center is only open on weekdays, an 8-mile gravel auto tour route meanders the refuge, offering scenic views of the lake’s southern shoreline.
As soon as we began the route, we were greeted by various birds, clearly thriving in this protected environment. The drive was picturesque, with views of the lake, prairie wetlands, grasslands, and even a few deer. The strong winds likely sheltered many animals, but watching the birds battle the gusts was captivating. Like many other refuges we visited on this trip, the prime time to explore would have been during the spring and fall migrations.
Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery
We then drove to the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery, which opened at 10 a.m. This hatchery is the world’s largest walleye and northern pike-producing facility and also works to restore endangered species, such as the pallid sturgeon.
When we arrived, we were greeted by a staff member who gave us a free tour of the facility, starting with a slide show about how they grow their fish. We walked past numerous murky fish tanks with various fish that might be found in the lake and then taken to the building where the fish were grown. It only took a month for the fish to be grown enough to be placed in the ponds outside or shipped to other places, so the tanks were mostly empty. They had some tiny painted turtles in one tank that we played with, and another had some trout and sturgeon. The tour guide handed Lisa a wiggly 3-foot sturgeon from the tank to hold so we could get a close view of it. We were then taken to the pond area, where she finished the tour. The tour was a lot of fun and educational. As we left, we passed about 30 other visitors wandering around the facility, so we were fortunate to have gotten there early.
Scandinavian Heritage Park
We then headed further north to the city of Minot. I had gone to 9th grade in Minot over 50 years prior when my dad was assigned to Minot Air Force Base. I did not remember anything about the town, nor would it matter since it had surely changed.
One of its popular attractions is the Scandinavian Heritage Park. The park is a tribute to the area’s Scandinavian heritage. It features a man-made stream and sidewalk that wound through the small park past a sweat lodge, a typical Norwegian house, a Norwegian stabbur (storehouse), a small Danish windmill, a 30-foot-tall Dala horse (the national symbol of Sweden), and a full-scale replica Stave Church. There was also a Nordic-style visitor center, but it was closed. There were statues of important Scandinavian celebrities such as Leif Erickson and Hans Christensen. We were able to enter most of the buildings. We did not take long to walk through the small park but enjoyed the visit.
ATypical Brewery
We then decided to visit the ATypical Brewery. It was located in a historic Westland Gas Station, a cottage-style gas station dating back to 1927. We sat at the bar and sampled a few beers before deciding on a flight of four beers, including three different ales and a sour beer. We enjoyed the beers and talking with the bartender.
River Walk
We walked over to what was identified as a riverwalk on Google Maps but discovered that it was not a riverwalk. First, the river walk was only the length of an old bridge blocked to vehicle traffic. No pathway went along the river. Second, the riverwalk was not on the Souris River that flowed through the city but on an oxbow. The oxbow was not flowing, and thick vegetation was growing in it. It was scenic in its own way, though.
Garrison
On the way back to the campground, we stopped by to see the 26-foot Wally the Walleye, which appeared to be getting a badly needed facelift. Wally guards the top of Main Street in Garrison, North Dakota. After the school was burned down in the 1950s, a park was built, and Wally was erected to promote fishing for the recently created Lake Sakakawea. Their water tower had a cartoon image of Wally.
We then stopped at the Ye Olde Malt Shoppe & Eatery downtown. Lisa had some scoops of ice cream, but I decided to try a malt.