Friday was a beautiful day.  It was one of the few days that we have had that it has not rained.  Sharon and I decided to make a little sight-seeing trip to the south of Minot.  We had heard about the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center just outside of Bismark, so that's where we headed.  The center is about an hour and a half drive from where we are parked on the north side of Minot.  The drive was very easy, on a nice four lane highway.  About 20 miles south of Minot we cam to a construction area on the highway.  With all of the rain, many of the roads have been covered with water.  The construction area was a short stretch of the road where they are raising part of the road to prevent it from flooding.  Normally when work is being done on both directions of a four lane highway, one direction of the highway is closed, and re-routed to the other direction, creating a two lane section of the highway.  Not on this section.  The road workers were raising both directions by doing one lane at a time.  They were putting down dirt to raise the lane, then direct traffic onto that dirt section as they do the other lane.  Traffic was slowed very little.  The worse part was having to drive through the standing water that was trapped by the new raised sections.  When we came back through the same section, they had all lanes raised, but still just the dirt base.

We got to the Center we were pleasantly surprised to arrive on a special weekend, admission to the Center was free.  I don't know what the regular entrance fee would have been, but what ever it was would have been worth it.  Let me take you on a tour of the Center.

The first thing that you notice is the large statues of Lewis, Clark, and an Indian Chief.

There were many displays inside the Center depicting many aspects of the Lewis & Clark expedition.  One of the things that I was most impressed with are the many sculptures of the Indian Nations of Mandan, Hidatas, and Arikara.  The sculptures are done in bronze and created by Michael Westergard.  Westergard used paintings done by Karl Bodner.  Except for the one standing next to the mural, the sculptures were only about two feet tall.  The one is about five feet tall.

There were several displays that depicted many of the type of trade items that Lewis & Clark, and later the many trappers and hunters, used for trade with the Indians.

Can you locate the illegal cargo in the barrel above, and why was it illegal.  There was great demand by the Indians for iron tomahawks and knives, along with blankets and beads.

 

 

 

This display depicts Merriweather Lewis doing some of the much required paper work required to record his expedition exploits.

 

Sharon is standing in front of reproduction of some of the many items that Lewis & Clark sent back to President Jefferson.  Most of the items were botanical and mineral samples.

The man in the middle is Karl Bodner.  He traveled with Prince Maxmillian around 1830 and painted many pictures of the frontier.  Remember, he was the one that Westergard used to make his sculptures.

 

Sharon wouldn't get any closer to the bison to have her picture taken with them. 



 

We then drove a short distance down the road to a replica of Fort Mandan.  This is where Lewis & Clark made camp on the Missouri River.

 

This next picture shows what the soldiers wore and where they lived in the fort.

The next one shows some of the produce that Lewis & Clark traded iron implements and other items with the Indians.

Our guide told us the the crates and bundles shown below contained gifts for the Indian chiefs that the expedition would encounter.  Each crate and bundle was numbered, that number was recorded with what was in each package.  It was important that the right crate or bundle be used to properly impress the Indians.

The officers quarters were much nicer than the other soldiers.

 

Merriweather Lewis had a traveling companion called Seaman.  Seaman was a Newfoundland Hound.  Lewis bought him prior to leaving on his expedition for $20.00.  Seaman became a very dedicated companion to Lewis, and the rest of the expedition crew.  On more that one occasion Seaman saved men from drowning in the rivers.

 

Here is Sharon standing next to Seaman.  He's just a little fellow isn't he.

 

Sharon and I left the Center and Fort Mandan for our next destination.   I think I will leave that portion of the trip for later.  You have been real patient on this walk, so I don't want to tire you out too much.  So I'll get back with you later for the rest of the tour.

 

Have a nice week, and remember

 

God Loves You

 

Gary