FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Diane Rogness
September 1, 2011
(701) 328-3508
ABERCROMBIE – Beginning Friday, September 16, visitor hours will change at the Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site Interpretive Center near Fargo. At that time, the interpretive center’s winter hours will take effect.
The new interpretive center, which opened in April 2008, is currently operating on its summer schedule, which remains in effect through September 15. Summer schedule hours are Monday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Winter hours, in place from September 16 through May 15, will be by appointment only. For information about arranging appointments during the winter schedule, contact the State Historical Society of North Dakota’s Historic Sites Manager, Diane Rogness, at (701) 328-3508.
As the Gateway to the Dakotas, Fort Abercrombie guarded vital transportation routes and served as an important supply point for military campaigns in the Dakota Territory of the 1860s. The exhibits at the 3,800-square-foot interpretive center feature this history, including the fort's role in the Dakota Conflict of 1862. They include a mountain howitzer – a cannon used to defend the fort – and uniforms and equipment used by soldiers at the fort. Visitors will be able to listen to the sounds of the 1860s, such as a steamboat whistle and the squeal of an oxcart about to ford the Red River. A bird’s eye view of the fort grounds and Red River Valley from the observation deck will enhance the experience.
The U.S. Congress authorized the fort's construction in 1857. The fort began operations in 1858; the last soldiers were withdrawn in 1877. It was the first permanent U.S. Army fort established in what is now North Dakota and was besieged by the Dakota (Sioux) during the Dakota Conflict of 1862. As the crossroads of several major transportation routes throughout the Northern Plains until its abandonment, it guarded fur-trade oxcart trails, wagon trains, stagecoach routes, and steamboat traffic on the Red River. It was also a supply base for wagon trains headed west to the Montana gold fields, military freight, and pioneer settlers headed into Dakota Territory.
For more information, contact Diane Rogness at the North Dakota Heritage Center at (701) 328-3508 or email drogness@nd.gov.
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Address:
612 East Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
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Hours:
Exhibit galleries and Museum Store: 8am - 5pm M-F; Sat. & Sun. 10am - 5pm.
State Archives: 8am - 4:30pm., M-F, except legal holidays, and 2nd Sat. of each month, 10am - 4:30 pm.
State Historical Society offices: 8am - 5pm M-F, except legal holidays.
Contact Us:
phone: (701) 328-2666
fax: (701) 328-3710
email: histsoc@nd.gov
