Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation

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Bismarck to Washburn to Stanton to Medora
•	Depart for Washburn. The most scenic route is Highway 1804 north, along the Missouri River, or travel north on Highway 83 approximately 38 miles.
•	Visit the North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center near Washburn. The exhibit area of the $3 million Center includes over 5,000 square feet of displays that give an overview of the expedition with emphasis on the winter of 1804-05 spent at Fort Mandan. An eight-minute introductory film on the Lewis & Clark expedition orients groups to the journeys of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. Of special note are displays of Native American artifacts from many tribes encountered by Lewis and Clark. The new Fort Clark Wing opened May of 2001. The Center's Bergquist Art Gallery showcases a rare, complete set of Karl Bodmer art from the Maxmilian/Bodmer 1833 Expedition. 1-877-462-8535
•	Travel 2 miles west to the new Fort Mandan Visitors Services Center and Fort Mandan. The reconstructed fort interprets the home of the Corps of Discovery for five months, until the ice of the Missouri broke in the spring of 1805. Here Captain Lewis and his men called on and received Native American guests, embarked together on hunting adventures, performed dances, traded goods, and exchanged valuable knowledge about survival, distant tribes, and the lands ahead. Fort Mandan is now totally furnished with replicated items and historical interpreters are on site all year round. 1-877-462-8535
•	Stop for a bite to eat at Washburn or Stanton.
•	Journey to the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, 20 miles west on Hwy 200A, near Stanton. The Interpretive Center includes displays from local Native American Tribes. View the movie Buffalo Bird Woman, and visit a furnished earthlodge. Archeological digs indicate that this site was inhabited 9,000 years ago. However, it was the Mandan and Hidatsa tribes living here in 1804 that are credited for aiding the survival of Captains Lewis and Clark during their winter at Fort Mandan. It was here they recruited Toussaint Charbonneau and his Shoshone wife Sakakawea. 1-701-745-3309
•	Consider a stop at the Knife River Ranch for a wagon ride, or for dinner and a campfire sing-a-long. This is a working ranch where groups will be welcomed to enjoy an excellent home-cooked meal, served by the Wanner family in the lodge. The Knife River winds through this scenic ranch that is the livelihood of this family. Guests will see a corral full of horses, herds of cattle, and abundant wildlife here. 1-701-983-4290
•	Return to Bismarck for the night or continue on to Medora.

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