FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Erik Holland
August 28, 2009
(701) 572-9034
WILLISTON – Beginning Wednesday, September 16, visitor hours will change at the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center near Williston. At that time, the Confluence Center’s winter schedule will take effect.
Open year-round, the Confluence Center is considered part of the Fort Buford State Historic Site, also managed by the state’s history agency, the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The Center is currently operating on its summer schedule, which remains in effect through September 15. Summer schedule hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week. Winter hours, in place from September 16 through May 15, will be Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Central Time.
Located one-half mile east of Fort Buford, the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center tells the story of the confluence of these two mighty rivers, as well as provides the same magnificent view that Lewis and Clark Expedition members enjoyed when they visited in 1805 and 1806. One of the facility’s unique features is a large replica of a compass that the explorers carried on their 1803-06 expedition. Located in the center of the facility’s rotunda, it measures 8 feet in diameter and faces true north, just as Lewis and Clark would have looked north when they were at the same site more than 200 years ago. The rotunda area includes three large murals featuring quotes from the Lewis and Clark Journals, and paintings of the Missouri River landscape by Colonel Philippe Régis de Trobriand, commanding officer of Fort Stevenson near present-day Garrison, N.D. in the late 1860s.
Visitors to the Confluence Center will see the exhibit, North Dakota Remembers World War II. Presenting stories of North Dakotans from all branches of the armed forces and their experiences worldwide, North Dakota Remembers World War II features World War II‑era uniforms, medals, photographs, and other artifacts related to personal experiences in the war. The exhibit focuses its attention on North Dakota’s soldiers and civilians that were directly impacted by the war. It will be at the Confluence Center through April 18, 2010.
The Center includes a meeting room, rotunda and an open plaza facing the Confluence. The meeting room is available for use during and after operating hours. Equipment is available for no charge, including a slide project, overhead, screen, easel with white board, public address system, and a coffee percolator. The facility is available for groups to rent after operating hours only. A $25 security fee is charged for after hours use, with a minimum use requirement of two hours. The admission fee is waived for groups that rent the facility.
Located 21 miles southwest of Williston, the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center is closed only on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Admission is $5 per adult, $2.50 per child ages 6-15, and children 5 and under are admitted free. The fee also covers admission to Fort Buford State Historic Site.
Free admission to all sites administered by the State Historical Society of North Dakota (SHSND) is one of the many benefits for members of the SHSND Foundation. Others include a 15 percent discount on museum store purchases, and the quarterly publications North Dakota History and Plains Talk. To become a member, call the Foundation at (701) 222-1966 or click on the membership button on the agency’s website, www.history.nd.gov.
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Address:
612 East Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
Get Directions
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
