Recreation and Places
of Interest
North Dakotans participate in a variety of winter
sports. These include skating, sleighing, and
tobogganing. Ski trails and tows are being opened
at various locations in the state, and the larger
cities hold winter sports carnivals. People are
also attracted to annual summer pageants depicting
historical events associated with North Dakota
and to the numerous agricultural fairs in the
state.
The state’s many wildlife refuges (more
than any other state) offer bountiful opportunities
to observe animals. Bison, antelope, and bighorn
sheep can frequently be seen, as can the hundreds
of different species of birds that make the state
home.
National Parks
The two units of Theodore Roosevelt National
Park encompass 28,509 hectares (70,447 acres)
of rugged Badlands. Inside the park, near Amidon,
is an area where burning underground coal beds
emit an intense heat through a fissure in the
earth’s surface. Prehistoric plant and
animal fossils, as well as several petrified
forests, are found at this location. Buttes,
domes, and cones that resisted erosion rise up
on both sides of the Little Missouri River. Mineral
deposits cause these rock towers to cast hues
of lavender, green, yellow, and red.
The Knife River Indian Villages National Historic
Site, near Stanton, contains the location of
large Native American villages encountered during
the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804 to 1806.
The Fort Union Trading Post National Historic
Site is a reconstruction of the fort that was
the major trading center of the northern plains
in the early 1800s.
International Peace Garden, which lies partly
in North Dakota and partly in Manitoba, Canada,
features a formal garden, lakes, and picnic areas
and honors the long friendship between the two
nations. It is operated by a nonprofit corporation.
Two national grasslands, Sheyenne and Little
Missouri, are strongholds for dozens of wildlife
species. Sheyenne, located in the southeastern
portion of the state, is well known as a stopping
ground for migratory songbirds. Little Missouri
grassland is located on North Dakota’s
western border. There are 17 national wildlife
refuges and preserves dotted across the state.
One of the country’s biggest game preserves
is Sully’s Hill, where bison, elk, and
deer can be seen in their natural environment.
State Parks
Most of North Dakota’s 16 state parks have
picnicking and camping facilities. Several others
offer fishing opportunities. The wooded Turtle
River State Park attracts visitors with its many
lakes ideal for swimming and boating.
State Forests
While usually thought of as a prairie state,
a variety of trees grow in North Dakota’s
four state forests. The aspen, bur oak, green
ash, and balsam poplar that grow in Homen and
Turtle Mountain state forests are ideal habitat
for moose and deer, as well as a variety of smaller
creatures. Tetrault Woods State Forest is a mixture
of woods and wetlands, while Sheyenne State Forest
is dominated by hardwoods such as elm, green
ash, and oak.
Museums
Two well-known museums are the museum of the
State Historical Society at the North Dakota
Heritage Center in Bismarck, and the University
of North Dakota Zoology Museum, in Grand Forks.
The society’s museum houses exhibits relating
to North Dakota’s Native Americans and
pioneers, and the university’s museum has
natural history exhibits. The Geographical Center
Historical Museum, at Rugby, is located on the
site of the geographical center of the North
American continent. The State Historical Society
and a number of county historical societies maintain
small museums in several cities.
Other Places to Visit
Garrison Dam and Lake Sakakawea are of great
interest to visitors, as are the rich oil fields
at Fryburg. A noteworthy historic site is the
Château de Mores, the lodge of the Marquis
de Mores, in the village of Medora, which was
founded by the marquis in 1883. The state historic
site at Fort Abercrombie contains restored infantry
blockhouses dating from pioneer days, and Whitestone
Hill Battlefield State Historic Site enshrines
the site where a particularly fierce battle occurred
between the Native Americans and United States
Cavalry forces. The restored boyhood home of
band leader Lawrence Welk can be visited in Strasburg.
North America’s tallest structure, at 629
m (2,063 ft), is the television tower near Blanchard,
north of Fargo. Native American tribes have opened
gambling casinos in several areas.
Source: MSN
Encarta: Online Encyclopedia |
