Six Legends - One Legendary Vacation.

An Adventure in American History
Sakakawea • Lewis & Clark • Sitting Bull • Custer • Teddy Roosevelt

There is probably a spot, somewhere in western North Dakota along The Dakota Trail, where Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Sakakawea, Sitting Bull, George Custer and Teddy Roosevelt all walked on the same piece of ground. Where the footprints of those American legends converge is a powerful place. Without doubt there was a tree, a bluff, a particular bend of the river that these characters, some of the most famous people of the last two hundred years, all saw from the same vantage.

Today's travelers can have that vantage, too. The preserved history, the tranquil views, and the West at its best, are found in living heritage sites of the Dakota Trail. This Lazy L, laid on the map of North Dakota, running north-south along the Missouri River and stretches west to the beautiful Bad Lands.

The Dakota Trail offers a rich and entertaining itinerary to experience the Lewis & Clark Trail with a hub and spoke out of Bismarck, ND. Begin your trail in North Dakota where the map ended and Lewis & Clark spent more time than any other state.

Bismarck-Mandan Convention & Visitors Bureau
1600 Burnt Boat Dr
Bismarck, ND 58501
1-800-767-3555
www.bismarck-mandancvb.org

Day 1
•	Breakfast in Bismarck
•	Tour the North Dakota State Capitol Building, a 19-story skyscraper and focal point of the city. The building's Art Deco interior features a unique blend of natural materials from around the world. 1-701-328-2000
•	Browse through the North Dakota Heritage Center. Located on the capitol grounds, it is the state's official archives and has an extensive library on North Dakota topics. This museum is said to have one of the largest collections of Plains Indian artifacts. 1-701-328-2666
•	Cross the Missouri River and stop at Five Nations Art, 401 West Main in Mandan, Bismarck's sister city. This store features works from five Indian nations of the Northern Plains. You will find jewelry, dream catchers, original oil paintings, and exquisite sculptures. Artists are encouraged to use traditional techniques and natural materials to produce works evocative of their heritage. 1-701-663-4663
•	Lunch in Mandan
•	Take a short drive to Fort Abraham Lincoln and the Custer House, located in a 1006-acre state park on the Missouri River banks south of Mandan. Three hundred years ago a large settlement of Mandan Indians lived here; in the late 1800s it was the site of a military garrison where General George Armstrong Custer's Seventh Cavalry was billeted before their final campaign. 1-701-663-4758
•	Visit the Park's Museum and view a 20 minute slide show on the history of the people who have lived at this place along the Missouri. The museum provides an overview of the multiple stories of the Mandan Indians, the 7th Cavalry and the park's development, and an extensive collection of Mandan Indian artifacts.
•	Walk through the reconstructed earth lodges of the On-A-Slant Indian Village. Guided tours and two furnished earth lodges present the story of the Mandan people. Lewis & Clark stopped here on their adventure following the Missouri River.
•	View the wide expanse of the Missouri River Valley from the same vantage point that the infantrymen of Dakota Territory had when they defended the Fort McKeen Block Houses.
•	The next stop is the Custer House. Although it was part of the military garrison, the home of George and Libbie Custer far exceeded the army standard. Tour guides in period costumes are on duty from May to October. It was at this location that Libbie Custer heard the news of the Battle of Little Bighorn.
•	Schedule a return trip to the Port of Bismarck on the 160-passenger Lewis and Clark Paddlewheel Riverboat. Options for lunch, dinner or evening cruises are available. 1-701-255-4233
•	Overnight at one of the many fine accommodations in Bismarck.
Day 2
•	After breakfast in Bismarck, depart for Washburn. The most scenic route is Hwy 1804 north, along the Missouri River, or travel north on Hwy 83 approximately 40 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. Of special note are displays of Indian artifacts from many tribes encountered by Lewis and Clark. The new Fort Clark Wing opened mid-May of 2001. The Center's Bergquist Art Gallery showcases a rare, complete set of Karl Bodmer art from the Maxmilian/Bodmer 1833 Expedition and other rotating exhibits. An eight minute introductory film on the Lewis & Clark Expedition orients groups to the journeys of the Lewis & Clark Expedition. 1-877-462-8535
•	Travel 2 miles west to the new Fort Mandan Visitor Services Center and Fort Mandan. The triangular fort, faithfully reconstructed according to 1804 sketches, was home to the Corps of Discovery team 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 period items and historical interpreters are on site all year round. 1-877-462-8535
•	Have lunch catered at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, pickup a box lunch in Washburn or stop at Stanton for a bite.
•	Journey to the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, 20 miles west on Hwy 200A, near Stanton. The Interpretive Center includes displays from the Mandan, Arikara, and Hidatsa Tribes. View the movie Buffalo Bird Woman, and visit a furnished earth lodge. Archeological digs indicate that this site was inhabited 9,000 years ago. However, it was the Mandan, Arikara, and Hidatsa tribes living here in 1804 who are credited for aiding the survival of Captains Lewis and Clark during their winter at Fort Mandan. Here they recruited Toussaint Charbonneau and his wife, Sakakawea, as guides and translators. 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.
Day 3
•	Enjoy breakfast in Bismarck, and then continue west on I-94. The Mountain Time Zone begins just west of Mandan. Dickinson Convention and Visitors Bureau 72 E. Museum Dr Dickinson, ND 58601 1-800-279-7391 www.dickinsoncvb.com
•	Continue 90 miles west on I-94 to Dickinson to visit the Dakota Dinosaur Museum, featuring 10 full-scale dinosaurs in the central display. The Museum also houses an extensive collection of fossil plants and seashells, rocks, and minerals. 1-701-225-3466
•	The Joachim Regional Museum is adjacent to the Dinosaur Museum and houses a collection of the work of pioneer-days photographer, Lawton Osbourne, and rotating displays from southwest North Dakota. 1-701-456-6225
•	Also nearby are the Pioneer Machinery Museum, featuring threshing machines, a variety of vintage tractors, and many early pioneer items, and the Pioneer Outpost Park, including a general store, post office, depot, church, rural school, a veterans‚ chapel, a stabbur, and a stone farmhouse built by the Germans from Russia.
•	Enjoy a dramatic change in scenery and a majestic view of the Badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park at the Painted Canyon Overlook, off Exit 32 of I-94.
•	Travel 11 miles west on I-94 to the historic town of Medora, gateway to the National Park that honors the 26th President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt. This authentic Old West cow town is North Dakota's premier vacation destination, and offers something for everyone. 1-800-633-6721
•	Choices for lunch include buffet dining at the Chuckwagon, the new Maltese Burgers on the Chuckwagon Patio, the Badlands Pizza Parlor or fine dining at the historic Rough Riders Hotel Dining Room, which has private rooms for group dining; all are located downtown. ALL ARRANGEMENTS FOR A STAY IN MEDORA, INCLUDING LODGING, CAN BE MADE WITH ONE PHONE CALL TO LISA AT THE THEODORE ROOSEVELT MEDORA FOUNDATION. 1-800-MEDORA-1 or 1-800-633-6721.
•	Schedule a hosted champagne or sarsaparilla reception for your tour group at the Harold Schafer Heritage Center. The Center tells the story of Mr. Schafer's life and his commitment to Medora and North Dakota. It also houses the Sheila Schafer Art Gallery.
•	Visit the Chateau de Mores State Historic Site, the elegant 26-room, 1883 summer home of the French nobleman who founded the town. 1-701-623-4355
•	3:10 p.m. Stop downtown to hear a portion of the 1903 campaign speech President Theodore Roosevelt delivered from the balcony of the Rough Riders Hotel. It is presented from that same location daily.
•	At 4:00 p.m. attend Bully, the Play, presented in the Medora Community Center. It is a 45-minute adaptation of the Broadway play about the life of Theodore Roosevelt as hunter, husband, father, and President.
•	Dine at the unique Pitchfork Steak Fondue, served at 6:30 p.m. each evening at the Tjaden Terrace, situated on a high bluff overlooking the badlands and the town of Medora.
•	Attend the Medora Musical at 8:30 p.m. Tour groups will enjoy the professionally produced musical variety show presented in the spectacular outdoor Burning Hills Amphitheater, a multi-million dollar high-tech marvel. The Broadway-style show is held nightly from early June through the eve of Labor Day. An outdoor escalator carries visitors effortlessly seven stories down into a natural canyon, where they view the two-hour show from comfortable, individual stadium-style seats. The American Bus Association has named the Medora Musical a Top 100 Event in North American for 2002.
•	Spend the night in Medora.
Day 4
•	Enjoy breakfast at the Chuckwagon All-You-Can Eat Buffet or at the historic Rough Riders Hotel Dining Room, which has private rooms for group dining; all are located downtown.
•	Tour the Theodore Roosevelt National Park Visitor Center and T.R.'s Maltese Cross Ranch cabin. Exhibits illustrate his days as a ranchman and hunter in Dakota Territory. The 13-minute video, T.R. Country, plays in the Visitors Center Theater.
•	As you drive the 36-mile loop drive through the National Park, you will observe prairie dogs, buffalo, elk, deer, and wild horses in their natural habitat.
•	Visit the Museum of the Badlands to view one of the largest collections of Native American artifacts in the Midwest. It also houses many dioramas and wax displays of the frontier days of Medora.
•	Wednesday through Sunday at 11:30, take in the free Cowboy and His Horse demonstrations presented a half-block south of the Rough Riders Hotel.
•	Walk through the Medora Doll House Museum, located in the vonHoffman House. This home, built in 1884 by the Marquis de Mores for his in-laws, is now on the National Register of Historic Places.
•	Spend a bit of time shopping in some of Medora's unique gift emporiums and boutiques or antique shops.
•	Choices for lunch include buffet dining at the Chuckwagon, the new Maltese Burgers on the Chuckwagon Patio, the Badlands Pizza Parlor or fine dining at the historic Rough Riders Hotel Dining Room, which has private rooms for group dining; all are located downtown.
•	On Saturday and Sunday, at 1:00, 2:30, and 4:00 p.m., enjoy Medora's Music, Magic and Mirth, the 4-M Review playing at the Old Town Hall.
•	Depart from Medora on I-94 west to the next Lewis & Clark stop at Pompeys Pillar near Billings Montana.

Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation
Milissa Price
PO Box 607
Washburn, ND 58577
phone:877-462-8535
fax: 701-462-3316
email: mprice@fortmandan.org
www.fortmandan.com

Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation
Marion Houn
401 W Main
Mandan, ND 58554
phone: 701-663-4758
fax: 701-663-4751
email: marion@fortlincoln.com
www.fortlincoln.com

Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation
Wade Westin
Box 1696
Bismarck, ND 58502
phone: 800-633-6721 • 701-223-4800
fax: 701-223-3347
email: wadew@medora.com
www.medora.com