Press Release - Some State Historic Sites Changing Visitation Hours for Fall and Winter

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 4, 2013
Contact: Diane Rogness
701.328.3575 or 701.328.1476

BISMARCK—The following state historical sites will be closing for the season on Sept. 15: Fort Abercrombie near Fargo and Wahpeton; Fort Totten near Devils Lake; Gingras Trading Post near Walhalla; Whitestone Hill State Historic Site near Kulm; and part of the Chateau de Mores site in Medora.

The following sites are open year-round: State Museum, Camp Hancock, and the Former Governors’ Mansion in Bismarck; Pembina State Museum; the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center near Williston; the Chateau de Mores Interpretive Center in Medora; the Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site near Cooperstown; and Fort Buford (by appointment only).

Visitors will find many attractions at North Dakota’s state historic sites in fall and winter:

• The State Museum at the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck, the largest museum in the state, is open year-round. The Heritage Center’s $52 million expansion project is underway, which will nearly double the size of the current facility with the addition of 97,000 square feet. Throughout construction, the Heritage Center and museum store will remain open on a daily basis, although the Main Gallery is closed for renovations until 2014.
• Camp Hancock Museum in Bismarck will be open by appointment only, beginning on Sept. 16. The historic site grounds are open year round.
• Former Governors’ Mansion State Historic Site, located in Bismarck, will begin winter visitation hours as of Sept. 16. The site will be open the second Friday and Saturday of each month from 1 to 5 p.m.
• Pembina State Museum in Pembina begins winter visitation hours on Sept. 16, and will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. (CT)
• Missouri Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center is located 22 miles southwest of Williston at Fort Buford. Beginning on Sept. 16, the Missouri Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center’s winter visitation hours will be Wednesdays-Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m. (CT) The Center is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• At the Chateau de Mores State Historic Site, the chateau home in Medora will close for the 2013 season on Sept. 15, but the site’s interpretive center is open year-round. Interpretive Center winter hours are Wednesday-Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (MT).
• The Ronald Reagan Minuteman Missile State Historic Site, located near Cooperstown will transition to its fall hours on September 16 and will remain open until Oct. 31, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sundays from 1-5 p.m. From Nov. 1 through Feb. 28, 2014, visitation will be available by appointment.
• Fort Buford near Williston is open throughout the winter by appointment only.

For information about events at these historic sites, contact the State Historical Society at 701.328.1476 or visit history.nd.gov.

Address:
612 East Boulevard Ave.
Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
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Hours:
State Museum and Store: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F; Sat. & Sun. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
We are closed New Year's Day, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
We will also be closed on Christmas Eve this year.
State Archives: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. M-F, except state holidays; 2nd Sat. of each month, 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
State Historical Society offices: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. M-F, except state holidays.

Contact Us:
phone: 701.328.2666
email: histsoc@nd.gov