Located 35 miles south of Fargo.
Fall Hours (Tuesday of Labor Day Weekend-Oct. 31):
Open by appointment only.
Winter Hours (Nov. 1-Friday of Memorial Day Weekend):
Buildings closed
Summer Hours (Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend-Labor Day):
Daily, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Site grounds with outdoor interpretive signs open year-round.
New Interpretive Center (ADA accessible)
Permanent Exhibits
Reconstructed Bastions and Palisade
Original Guard House
No rental facilites.
Museum and Exhibits
Adults: $8
Children (age 6-14): $3
School Groups: $1 per student
Tour Bus and Other Groups: $4 per person for groups of 20 or more.
For more information on the region call the Wahpeton CVB: 1-800-892-6673 or Fargo-Moorhead Area CVB: 1-800-235-7654.
Known historically as "the Gateway to the Dakotas," Fort Abercrombie was the first permanent United States military fort established in what was to become North Dakota. It was also the only post in the area to be besieged by Dakota (Sioux) warriors for more than six weeks during the US-Dakota War of 1862. During the conflict, Minnesota Volunteer soldiers manned the fort when area settlers sought shelter there. The "regular" U.S. Army soldiers had been withdrawn during the Civil War and had been replaced by the Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. The fort was not protected by blockhouses or a palisade during the siege, but these defensive structures were constructed soon afterward.
The fort guarded the oxcart trails of the later fur trade era, military supply wagon trains, stagecoach routes, and steamboat traffic on the Red River. It also was a supply base for two major gold-seeking expeditions across Dakota into Montana. Fort Abercrombie served as a hub for several major transportation routes through the northern plains.
After the fort was abandoned in 1877, fort buildings were sold and removed from the site. A Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1939-1940 reconstructed three blockhouses and the stockade and returned the original military guardhouse to the site. Major portions of the WPA project have been refurbished and the site reinterpreted.
Address:
935 Broadway North
Abercrombie, ND 58001
Get Directions
Fall Hours (Tuesday of Labor Day Weekend-Oct. 31):
Open by appointment only.
Winter Hours (Nov. 1-Friday of Memorial Day Weekend):
Buildings closed
Summer Hours (Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend-Labor Day):
Daily, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Site grounds with outdoor interpretive signs open year-round.
Contact Fort Abercrombie:
phone: 701.553.8513
email: shsaber@nd.gov
Contact SHSND:
phone: 701.328.2666
email: history@nd.gov
