Hazen, ND

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site - 701-745-3300
County Road 37, Stanton, ND
This national Park Service site was once home to several villages of Hidatsa and Mandan Indians with a total population of 3,000 to 5,000 people. These Villages are where Lewis and Clark obtained the services of Sakakawea and her husband, Charbonneau. Visible remains of earth lodge dwellings, cache pits, fortification ditches and travois trails are in an extraordinarily fine state of preservation. A visitor center and furnished earth lodge provide interpretation of the site and you can enjoy self-guided history and nature trails.

Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center- 701-462-8535
Hwy. 83 and 200a, Washburn, ND
The entire Lewis and Clark journey is overviewed at this center. The exhibits focus on the interaction between the explorers and the native peoples. Visitors can hear the music that the explorers enjoyed, try on a buffalo robe and wear a cradle board much like the one used by Sakakawea to carry her baby on the journey. See items from nearly all of the tribes that Lewis and Clark encountered and view Karl Bodmer prints in the Bergquist Gallery. The recently opened Sheldon Gallery includes an exhibit on nearby Fort Clark.

Fort Mandan- 877-462-9585
2 miles west of Washburn, ND
Fort Mandan is the reconstructed winter home of the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1804-1805. This site, located a few miles downstream from the actual site on the banks of the Missouri River, was a place of informational and cultural exchange between the explorers and the Northern Plains Indians. It is located in a wooded riverside park.

Fort Clark State Historic Site- 701-328-2666
Fort Clark Trading Post State Historic Site is one of the most important archeological sites in the state because of its well-preserved record of the fur trade and of personal tragedy. More than 150 years ago, it was the scene of devastating smallpox and cholera epidemics that decimated most of the inhabitants of a Mandan and later an Arikara Indian village. The archeological remains of the large earthlodge village, cemetery, and two fur trade posts (Fort Clark Trading Post and Primeau's Post) are protected at the site, located one and one-quarter mile west of the town of Fort Clark. Fort Clark is open daily May 16 through September 15. No site admission fee. Modern restrooms, a picnic area, and an observation deck are located at the site. A self-guided tour brochure, available in the Civilian Conservation Corps kiosk on-site, interprets archeological features. Interpretive signs provide additional information.

Mercer County Historical Museum- 800-441-2649
108 7 th St. NE, Beulah, ND
Open Sundays from 1pm – 4pm, Memorial Day – Labor Day, other times by appointment.
The museum, in its 15,000 square foot climate controlled facility, has artifacts representing the Norwegian, Swedish, Irish and Germans from Russia who settled in the Mercer County area in the 1870’s. There are displays on early rodeo days, wedding apparel, military memorabilia, Native American artifacts as well is antique toys, cars, tractors, wagons and much more.

Coteau Properties Freedom Coal Mine 701-873-2281
This mine is America’s largest lignite coal mine. Coteau supplies more than 15 million tons of lignite coal annually to nearby power plants that produces over 1,600 megawatts of electricity and to the Great Plains Synfuels Plant, the nation’s only commercial-scale coal gasification plant. Tours can be scheduled Monday-Friday and will be coordinated with tours of nearby Basin Electric-AVS and Great Plains Synfuels Plant.

Great Plains Synfuels Plant- 701-873-6667
This plant is the only commercial-scale coal gasification plant in the United States that manufactures natural gas. The $2.1 billion plant began operating in 1984. Using the Lurgi process the Synfuels Plant gasifies lignite coal to produce valuable gases and liquids. The average daily production is about 160 million cubic feet of natural gas, the majority of which is piped for distribution in the Eastern United States. Many byproducts are also produced and marked in the United States and worldwide. Tours are available Monday-Friday and can be coordinated with tours at the Coteau Properties Coal Mine and Basin Electric-AVS power plant.

Dakota Westmoreland Coal Mine- 701-873-4333
Dakota Westmoreland Corporation’s Beulah Mine is a 9,000-acre surface mine complex currently produces lignite from three active pits. Coal from this operation supplies the fuel requirements for the adjacent 427 MW Coyote Generating Station. The Beulah Mine produces approximately 3.0 million tons of lignite annually.

Basin Electric Power Cooperative- AVS- 701-873-4545
The Antelope Valley Station (AVS) is a lignite-based electric generating station with a capacity of 900,000 kilowatts. It was constructed for a cost of $1.9 billion. The station has two units, each rated at 450,000 kW. The first unit began commercial operation in July 1984 and the second unit in June 1986. Tours are available Monday-Friday and can be coordinated with tours of the Coteau Properties Coal Mine or the Great Plains Synfuels Plant.

Garrison Dam & Power Plant- 701-654-7441
Garrison Dam is the fifth largest earthen dam in the world. It was constructed as part of the Pick-Sloan Plan for development of the upper Missouri River Basin. Construction of the $294 million dam project began in 1947 and closure of the embankment occurred in April 1953 .

Tours are given Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend on Fridays and Saturdays at 12:00pm and 2:00 pm. Groups of ten or more shall be by special appointment only.

Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery- 701-654-7451
Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery was originally established in 1957 to provide fish for recreational fishing in new reservoirs created by federal water development projects in the Midwest. Today, the hatchery continues to provide management and production of many freshwater fishes for the Missouri River Dam development projects, National Wildlife Refuges, Native American waters, and state programs of North Dakota. Visitors are welcome to the hatchery for a close-up view of the fish production process. The dedicated staff and volunteers at the hatchery are happy to answer any questions while you enjoy the self-guided hatchery tour. A visitor center at the hatchery complete with five 400 gallon aquariums will give you the pleasure of viewing the fishes of North Dakota in their environment. A wetlands hiking trail provides an abundance of opportunities for the photographer or naturalist. Waterfowl, fish and a variety of birds and mammals can be viewed in their natural surroundings year-around. An observation blind provides the perfect opportunity for watching the waterfowl migration.