Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for north dakota
Red River Art
By Linda Tancs
Formerly known as the Red River Art Center, the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota, is the largest and only accredited art museum in the state. Housed in a renovated, turn-of-the-century warehouse downtown, it features special exhibitions of 20th- and 21st-century art as well as a permanent collection containing approximately 4,000 works of national, international, regional fine art and ethnographic objects. In addition to its collections, the facility offers art classes as well as studio and exhibition space for learning, discussion and display of creative work.
Share this:
A Cowboy Hall of Fame
By Linda Tancs
Featuring permanent and traveling western cultural exhibits, the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame in Medora preserves and upholds the historic and modern western lifestyle. You’ll learn about the experiences of the state’s Native Americans, homesteaders, ranchers and world-class rodeo cowboys through theater, galleries, interpretive areas, artifacts and memorabilia. A centerpiece of the facility is the Hall of Honorees, paying tribute to the men, women, events and livestock that made extraordinary contributions to North Dakota’s western heritage and culture.
*************
Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
Share this:
Little Missouri in North Dakota
By Linda Tancs
Open seasonally from May to October, Little Missouri State Park is a quiet oasis in North Dakota. Located on the western side of the Little Missouri River, most of its 6,000 acres consists of badlands terrain (some of the most rugged and picturesque in the state) that is only accessible by trail on foot or horseback. Indeed, you’ll find over 45 miles of trails where you might observe wildlife like mule deer (indigenous to the West), coyote, fox, bobcat and golden eagle.
Share this:
A Legendary Surrender
By Linda Tancs
Native American tribal leader Sitting Bull symbolized the conflict between Indians and western settlers, a dispute that increased markedly after gold was discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota, a sacred area to Native Americans. Ultimately his battles with authorities led to his surrender at Fort Buford in North Dakota in 1881. Now a state historic site, the fort is probably best remembered for that seminal event. Located near present-day Williston, it was a vital frontier plains military post established to protect overland and river routes used by immigrants settling the West. 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.
Share this:
A Chateau in North Dakota
By Linda Tancs
French nobleman and entrepreneur Marquis de Morès was a key player on the western edge of North Dakota. There he founded the town of Medora (named for his wife) in 1883 and pursued his legacy as a meat packing industry baron. In keeping with his station in life, he built a 26-room home just southwest of town. Now a museum, the Chateau de Morès State Historic Site contains many of the original furnishings and personal effects of the family. It’s open from May to September.
Share this:
A Model Home in Bismarck
By Linda Tancs
The former governors’ mansion in Bismarck, North Dakota, was the largest of its day in the city when it was built in 1884, hailed as a model building. In 1893 it was appropriated for use as the executive mansion. Twenty governors ultimately called the Victorian mansion their home until 1960. Thereafter it served as a mental health clinic (the first one in the nation to use talk therapy as a treatment for mental illness) until purchased by the State Historical Society in 1975. The house opened as a museum in 1984, its exterior being restored to its appearance in 1893. The interior of the house was not restored to reflect a particular time period. Instead, it was designed to present the overall life of the house, with exposed layers of historic wallpaper and paint samples showing the many changes that have taken place over the years.
Share this:
Five Countries in One
By Linda Tancs
Beginning with tonight’s opening ceremony, five countries are converging on the State Fairgrounds in Minot, North Dakota for Norsk Hostfest. Continuing through 4 October, Hostfest celebrates Scandinavian culture from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and is North America’s largest Scandinavian festival. This year’s entertainment includes Doc Severinsen, Merle Haggard, Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits), Bill Engvall and Jennifer Nettles. With a lineup like that, expert pure Scandimonium.
Share this:
Where the Buffalo Roam
By Linda Tancs
President Theodore Roosevelt was an avid outdoorsman and a budding naturalist in his youth. During his presidency he advanced his conservationist agenda with the preservation of millions of acres of land and the creation of wildlife refuges. His values are well defended at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Located in western North Dakota, the park monitors and manages elk, bison and feral horses to maintain sustainable populations. An entrance fee is required. Buy an annual park pass, available for 20 dollars. A lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents aged 62 or over is available for 10 dollars.
Share this:
Always Warm in Fargo
By Linda Tancs
In April, the lowest temperature in Fargo, North Dakota can dip into the 20s or even lower. But the Fargo Moorhead Convention and Visitor’s Bureau will tell you that it’s always warm–friendly, that is. The Children’s Museum at Yunker Farm exudes warmth. The century old, red brick farm house was the first brick house built in the Dakota territory. In this home-like atmosphere learning and exploration is fun for families. And what could be warmer than that! Don’t miss the Easter Eggstravaganza this weekend.
Share this:
Looking Up in Fargo
By Linda Tancs
Education, preservation and restoration are the goals at the Fargo Air Museum in North Dakota. Their flyable aircraft exhibits include the F4-U Corsair, L 39 Jet, TBM Avenger, P 51 Mustang, Bell Helicopter and Duggy DC 3. Plans are underway to build a second wing to house restoration projects complete with rivet stations, audio WWII vignettes, welding and aviation basics. To raise funds for the new wing, the museum is raffling a 1964 Cessna Skylane. Tickets are available for $50 each, and no more than 2,500 tickets will be sold. The winner will be drawn on 30 June 2012. Things will definitely be looking up for one lucky flyer. Buy your ticket today.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 