The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-05-05
URGES STATES
HISTORY KEPT
IN MANY PARKS
Good Start Made in Creation
Of System Ought to Be Ex-
tended, Crawford Says
PARKS ARE DETAILED
Many Beautiful Spots in State
Could Go in Park
System

sites in almost every county of the
state is urged by Lewis F. Crawford.
secretary Of the state industrial COM
mission and a director of the State
historical society. The state society
is now engaged, he said, in cnlisting
the aid of citizens in various states
TO the end that Indian villages,
mounds, historic trails, sites of mill
tary engagements, boat landings,
treaties, trading posts be marked and
set aside for state parks.
Detailing the state parks and plan
Of operation in an address before the
American Association Of Engineers
chapter here, Mr.. Crawford said:
The state of~Eorth Dakota at the
present time has ten state parks dis
tributcd throughout the state. The
State Historical society is custodian
and has general care of all state
parks. A
The State Historical society has
twenty-one directors, five Of which
prc cx-officio and consist Of the gov
ernor, state auditor, secretary of
state, commissioner of agriculture
and labor and state superintendent Of
public instruction.. The remaining
sixteen directors are made up OF per-
sons who have shown an interest in
historical work in the state. These
,wenty-one directors select separate
park board for each Of the state
parks, consisting of three or five
members living in the vicinity Of the
park to be administered
The parks of the state Of North
Dakota have ben acquired in the
main by gift. Any community, town,
county or individual can deed to the
state for park purposes any tract
suitable for that purpose. and it inn
mediately comes under the control uf
the trustees of the State Historical
society, who appoint the local park
board in accordance with the law
governing state parks.
The state of North Dakota appro-
PIRATES $1,50O for the biennium, 40.
over $50 to be used by any one park
care for the park, subject to the linz
itations stated above, the park board
may spend at its own discretion.
G.) The parks as a rule have
been considered as community CEN
tcrs for pcnics, public speaking,
athletic contests.
(2.) For the preservation and dis
play of plants and animals.
(3.) For the preservation of his
toric spots and sites in the state.
Most Important.
The most important Of the state
parks are as follows:
l. Walhall:, on the Pembina river
pcar where Norman w. Kittson lOcat
cd his fur trading post in 1874. 1t
consists of five acres.
2. Fort Abercrombie on the banks
of the Red River between Fargo and
Wahpeton, to mark the site of the
military reservation set apart in 1853.
Fort Abercrombic was the first mil
Vary post in what is now the state
O.. North Dakota. The park consists
Of twelve one-half acres.
J. Fort Abraham Lincoln, five and
onc-half miles south of Mandan on
the banks of the Missouri. consists
Of sevcnty-ivc and One-half acres.
In addition to Fort Abraham Lincoln
this park also includes the Mandan
village, known as Slant's village.
4. Fort Rice State Park. Fort Rice
was established and built in 1864 by
General Alfred Sully as a military
base when on his expedition through
the Sioux lands, and attached to this
park is an Arikaree village of 6.15
acres purchased by the Historical So
ciety.
5. Pembina State Park, three and
sone-half acres, donated by the city
Of Pembina is located at the
junction of the Red and Pembina
rivers on the south side of Pembina.
This park marks the site of the first
trading post within what is now the
state of North Dakota. The trader
Chaboillez established this post in
1897.
6. Small site for park across from
the Pembina State Park on the north
side of the Pembina river, which
\ marks the site Of the old stockade
>built by Alexander Henry in 1901, and
later the site Of Fort Pembina in
1868.
Z. Cavalier County State Park on
Obrien Coulee, one mile west Of
Olga, donated by J. B. Beauchamp of
Dlga. This park marks the site Of
the fight between the buffalo hunters
from Canada, the Chippewas and
French half breeds on the one side
against the Dakota Sioux on the
other in the year 1848.
8. White Stone Hill Battlefield at
!, Monango. Congress granted the state
"a section of land for park purposes to
mark the site of the battle fought
between Alfred Sully and the allied
Indian tribes on September 3rd, 1868.
8. The Homer Smith Park, east Of
asylum buildings at jamestown,
marking the site of old Fort Seward.
Counties Have Sites.
almost every county in the state
has historic spots or sites that
should be set apart as state parks.
We need funds with which to place
granite tablets bearing historical data
otethese sites. The trustees of the
historical society are desirous Of
enlisting the cooperation Of citi-
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