Parts of the trail haven't changed much since the expedition passed through, offering a sense of adventure even to tomorrow's visitors, Burke says. Across the river from this city of 54,000, visitors can stop by Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, where Custer's 7th Cavalry was stationed between its reconnaissance expedition to the Black Hills in 1874 and its eventual destruction at the Battle of Little Big Horn in Montana in 1876. At the park, visitors can tour a reconstructed Custer home and other buildings on the cavalry and infantry post. Bismarck residents dismantled the buildings for the lumber when the fort was abandoned in 1891. The park also has four reconstructed Mandan Indian earth lodges that overlook the Heart and Missouri Rivers.
Campers can pitch a tent and stay the night nearby on the river.
Those who want a closer river experience can take part in jet and water skiing. Bismarck also has one of the biggest powwows in the United States. Every summer at the United Tribes Technical College, visitors watch colorful dance contests and listen to drum competitions. Plains Indians often gathered in the area for large fairs. If you go . . .