Fort Buford 160th anniversary celebration set for June 15

May 18, 2026

WILLISTON, N.D. - Fort Buford State Historic Site near Williston will host a 160th Anniversary Celebration marking the establishment of Fort Buford. Enjoy a full day of immersive, hands-on experiences Monday, June 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Explore the sights, sounds, and skills of life on the northern Plains in the 1800s while engaging with interactive stations and demonstrations across the parade grounds at this free event.

Fort Buford State Historic Site was one of several military posts established to protect overland and river routes used by immigrants settling the West. It operated from 1866 to 1895 and is probably best known as the place where Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull relinquished his rifle to the U.S. government in 1881.

Featured activities throughout the day include:

• Wet Plate Photography Demonstration. Learn about the historical wet plate collodion process with photographer Shane Balkowitsch, noon to 1:30 p.m.
• Young Recruit Station: Enlistment Papers and Frontier Passport Book. Young visitors can enlist and carry a frontier passport booklet to collect stamps and experiences throughout the day.
• Adobe Brickmaking Demonstrations and Hands-On Participation. See how early structures were built and try your hand at forming your own adobe brick.
• Telegraph and Morse Code Station. Send and receive messages using the communication technology that connected frontier posts.
• Army Life: Then & Now. Use a comparison table to explore daily life for soldiers in the 1860s and today.
• Frontier Games and Croquet on the Parade Grounds. Try historical games that soldiers and families enjoyed at the fort.
• Tin Punch Lantern Activity. Create your own decorative lantern inspired by 19th-century designs.
• Mini Talks: "Fort Buford: Why Here?" Discover why this location was chosen and how it shaped regional history, 10 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m.

Guests are invited to bring a blanket and picnic lunch to enjoy on the parade grounds. Light refreshments and lemonade will be available throughout the day.

This event is part of the ND250 commemoration celebrating our country's 250th birthday.

Fort Buford State Historic Site and the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center are managed by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center and Fort Buford State Historic Site are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sept. 30. For more information, contact Outreach Coordinator Nicholas Kusnierek, [email protected] or 701.572.9034. All times listed are Central time. Find information about upcoming programs of the State Historical Society at history.nd.gov/events.

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CONTACT
Kara Haff, Public Information Officer
[email protected]
701.328.3547

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