We’ve already seen Fort Atkinson and Fort Mandan, today we went to Fort Abraham Lincoln. This fort was built 20 years after Lewis and Clark passed through. In fact, it was during the time George Custer was there. They recreated George’s house at this state park.
George Custer’s home. Notice the different construction. 20 years later there was sawmill cut lumber instead of rough hewn logs.There were wives and children there.Custer’s wife got one of the new-fangled treadle sewing machines and gave her hand-crank machine to her maid. I’ve never seen anything like this before.George was quite the hunter – buffalo over the fireplace, and bear in the background.The barracks at Fort Abraham Lincoln. Can you imagine all the snoring when these beds are filled with soldiers sleeping?Guns, always at the ready, at the foot of their beds.Don’t I look like such a tourist? Brim, sunglasses ready, name badge around my neck, taking lots of photos.This CCC guy needed a companion.
On the same grounds as the fort was the On-A-Slant Indian Village. It was a Mandan settlement, so they were mostly agricultural. It was an area of about 7-8 acres with up to 75 round, earth covered circular lodges. It was triangular with one side a large ravine, the other a hill/knoll the 3rd was the Missouri River. When Lewis and Clark came through, it was abandoned and in ruins.
Slant Indian village diorama. Round, earth covered lodges.The tour guide said the Indians didn’t let the weeds grow on the mounds, but they couldn’t seem to keep up with them. Notice the tall building in the background.Entrance to lodge. They used the numerous cottonwood trees that grew along the river, which are currently filling the air with their cotton making it look like it’s snowing.The ceremonial hall was much bigger than the living lodges.
After lunch, we went to the ND State Capitol and Heritage Center Museum. At the Heritage Center, they had the usual guns, arrows, tools, etc. but what impressed me most was the dinosaur exhibit.
This was a skeleton cast of a 6 foot ground sloth. Can you even imagine! It apparently lived in ND before the Ice Age.This fish skeleton was about 12 foot long. There is a turtle behind, which was very difficult to photograph.They were working on preserving a recent fossil find which actually included the skin of the dinosaur.There were other sections of the museum. This caught my eye as it reminded me of what my parents wore when I was very little.
On the same grounds was the North Dakota State Capitol. We were all surprised because it didn’t have a dome. It burned in 1933 and rebuilding it was a challenge in a small state with little money. So it’s a tower building now, about 19 stories high.
This is the ND house. The lights are to represent a sunrise. Some little kid told the tour guide it looked like the wi-fi symbol.One room was paneled with some kind of wood from California. It was cut, then book-ended and now they call it the Monkey Room because of all the patterns that emerged in the wood.They took us up to the 19th floor. It reminded me of the St Louis Arch view. That’s our bus lower left and the Missouri River upper right.One interesting photo up there was how they hold the World Record for the most snow angels – 8,962 – on the same lawn seen in the photo above.
One Reply to “Bismark 2”
Amazing what 20 yrs later construction looks like on Custer’s house. Can you imagine doing sewing on a hand crank machine & only being able to use 1 hand to hold the fabric together?
Good to see your “tourist” picture & so happy for you that you are having a great time!
Amazing what 20 yrs later construction looks like on Custer’s house. Can you imagine doing sewing on a hand crank machine & only being able to use 1 hand to hold the fabric together?
Good to see your “tourist” picture & so happy for you that you are having a great time!