Points Of Interest In Southeast ND

it%26#39;s a part of the state that I haven%26#39;t wandered far into yet, the Strasburg-Napolean-Wishek-Ellendale-LaMoure-Oakes area (what some refer to as the ';German'; area of the state) %26amp; beyond

I plan on doing some internet searches on my own, for town pages %26amp; such, am interested if anybody around here might know some trivial things about any of the places or towns around there, some mini-landmarks %26amp; what-not that aren%26#39;t mentioned first %26amp; foremost when doing basic searches on the area

Points Of Interest In Southeast ND

I know that Rugby is the Geographical Center of North America. The city has a landmark right next to Hwy 2.

Points Of Interest In Southeast ND

yeah, I%26#39;ve been to Rugby, that%26#39;s an interesting place, but that%26#39;s towards the North-central part of ND, I was sorta looking for stuff in the Southeastern part of the state

Have you checked out the Sheyenne River scenic byway? It%26#39;s a pretty, but bumpy, stretch of road south of Valley City down through the tiny town of Kathryn. The Dew Drop Inn soda shop is located in Kathryn. I haven%26#39;t been there in a while, but I had a great malt!

Also be sure to swing into the scenic little town of Fort Ransom. Main street has an old west feel to it. There%26#39;s a nice restaurant there with a big wrap-around porch and outdoor seating.

Little Yellowstone Park is located in the Sheyenne River Valley along highway 46, just northwest of Fort Ransom. Looks to be a pretty nice place to set up a tent. I don%26#39;t think you need to make reservations.

The tiny town of McLeod has a very nice museum documenting the town%26#39;s history with the railroad. The townsfolk are very friendly and even hosted an ice cream social for our motorcycle group last summer!

Ellendale used to have the coolest corner cafe called the Nodak, located in a historic building with tin ceilings downtown. It has since moved to the main hotel. Still good eats, though. There%26#39;s another hotel called the Oxenrider on the north side of Ellendale, but my in-laws, (who are from that area), stayed there many years ago and didn%26#39;t like it much. I%26#39;ve never been there, but maybe it%26#39;s been remodeled?? The old opera house in Ellendale is on the historic register, but is in dire need of restoration. Funds are probably pretty scarce. White Stone Battlefield is near Ellendale as well.

Another cool place to check out is Fullerton. They have a nice, new steakhouse and the historic Carroll House hotel. The Carroll house has six sleeping rooms, (no private baths, though) each about $30 a night. You can rent out the whole place for about $150.

If memory serves me correctly, in the German area of ND, you can find pretty decent kuchen in Ashley. I%26#39;m not sure how good the Hague Cafe is anymore. I think it changed ownership a while back.

The town of Eureka, SD has their annual Schmeckfest every summer. The town goes all out with a classic car show, parade, and plenty of starchy Germans from Russia cuisine including strudles, cheese buttons, and kuchen. It%26#39;s a good time. I recommend the food served at the local fire hall during Schmeckfest. Eureka may still have their Kuchen Factory, featuring fresh and frozen take-home German-Russian specialties.

As you can probably guess, many of my journeys revolve around eating....

Another very cool place to stay is The Lodge in Dawson, ND, just off of I-94. It%26#39;s a beautifully restored 1917 artist%26#39;s bungalow that was moved to Dawson from Napoleon. It has a full kitchen, laundry, and even a sauna. Very reasonably priced and peaceful. The Yankee Doodle Diner/grocery store/gas station and the local bar are just down the road.

Hope this helps!

thanks for the suggestions!

the Sheyenne River area %26amp; the Carroll house do sound interesting

I%26#39;d definitely do the byway. Fort Ransom is also very peaceful. I did a blog on a recent trip through the Sheyenne Valley on travelblog but don%26#39;t want to post a direct link in case it%26#39;s a no-no for this site. The bridges in Valley City are also very cool.

I also just picked up a new book by Cliff Naylor called ';Dakota Day Trips'; which has some great off the beaten path things to see. If you%26#39;re in ND, you can get at Barnes %26amp; Noble.

I grew up in this area so I might know a couple things.

Strasburg has the Lawrence Weld museum if you鈥檙e interested in that, they also have a beautiful church.

Beaver Lake State Park near Burnsted is one of the nicest state parks I鈥檝e seen, nature walks, a small outdoor amphitheater that has informative movies and talks, and great fishing.

http://www.parkrec.nd.gov/Parks/BLSP.htm

The hunting in the fall is phenomenal all over this region.

There is a small heritage center in Napoleon and a few historical markers on the highway leading into town. Their Centennial (actually their Quasquicentennial 125th) is also coming up if you will be in the area during that time. And there are many events leading up to the Centennial. There is a cute little coffee shop in town called Nina鈥檚 Attic, it may be a little hard to find but just stop in any store to ask for directions. They will be more than willing to help.

http://www.napoleonnd.com/

Wishek is famous for its fry sausage that鈥檚 made at the local supermarket and there is wonderful fishing in the lake close to town, Green Lake. They have also recently redone their golf course. If you come in the fall they have a sauerkraut festival that is free to the public, there is polka dancing, German singing, and performances by local bands, choirs, and many more.

http://www.wishek-nd.com/

Whitestone Battlefield is nearby Kulm and is a great place to visit if you are interested in history, especially if you have visited the Custer house in Fort Mandan.

http://www.nd.gov/hist/whitestone/index.html

A great place to learn more about the people of the area is the NDSU Germans from Russia page

http://www.lib.ndsu.nodak.edu/grhc/

You might also like to check out some of the local papers, they would have up to date information on local events.

The Emmons County Record in Linton

http://www.ecrecord.com/

The Wishek Star in Wishek

http://www.wisheknd.com/

The Ashley Tribune in Ashley

http://www.ashleynd.com/

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions!

In the Germans-from-Russia areas, the cemeteries are beautiful with handmade wrought-iron crosses %26amp; other decorations instead of traditional gravestones.

As long as you%26#39;d be as close as Oakes, you might as well come all the way to Valley City and spend some time. You can go north to Baldhill Dam %26amp; then head south again on the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway, or you can do a self guided tour of some of Valley City%26#39;s dozen plus bridges %26amp; then head south on the Byway skipping the northern 5 miles or so. (pick up info on the Byway %26amp; bridges at the Rosebud Visitor%26#39;s Center)

The two best bridges are the Rainbow Arch Bridge on the Business I-94 loop which is a concrete Marsh Arch Bridge. The original was built in 1925, but was very narrow, deteriorating, and didn%26#39;t meet modern traffic standards. It was re-built in 2004 using the original plans for guidelines %26amp; is the only known functional March Arch bridge built since the 1930%26#39;s. The other is the Hi-Line Bridge which is a steel trestle railroad bridge that spans the valley. It%26#39;s not the highest bridge or the longest bridge, but for combined height %26amp; length it is one of the tops in the nation. I think it%26#39;s 160++ feet tall and about 3/4 mile long.

In downtown Valley City, there%26#39;s the Barnes Co Museum, which is quite large %26amp; comprehensive by %26#39;small town%26#39; standards. There is also the Rosebud Visitor%26#39;s Center where they have a neat old Railway Superintendent%26#39;s Car which has been preserved %26amp; restored. Did you ever watch the old %26#39;Wild, Wild, West%26#39; TV show? Similar to that railcar, not quite as fancy as that one but still luxurious for the times -1870%26#39;s %26amp; 1880%26#39;s. There are gift %26amp; antique stores, a couple quaint restaurants, two supper clubs and a couple Guest Inns if you%26#39;re spending the night. There are also a couple fast food places and the truckstop if you%26#39;re in more of a hurry to move on, and 3 %26#39;regular%26#39; motels if a Guest Inn or B%26amp;B isn%26#39;t your thing.

If you%26#39;re interested in wildlife, the pelicans feeding at the base of the dam are fun to watch and you can tour the National Fish Hatchery, also north of town. There are a lot of different bird species that can be found in the area if you%26#39;re a birdwatcher, and the fall duck, goose, %26amp; pheasant hunting are great. You will most likely see deer and wild turkeys somewhere along the way %26amp; may also see fox, jackrabbits, coyotes, squirrels, raccoons, or maybe rarely a porcupine or opossum. Every few years an elk, moose, or a mountain lion shows up %26amp; hangs around the area for a while before moving on.

The Scenic Byway takes you south through a couple smaller towns with good restaurants. There is also a loop of the byway which is all gravel roads, but quite interesting, as there are marked historic sites all along the Byway on both the gravel %26amp; paved sections. There%26#39;s a pretty good website that can tell you more about the area %26amp; Byway. www.hellovalley.com

There are also enough geocaches and benchmarks around to keep you busy for a day or so if you%26#39;re into that (16 geocaches within 20 miles of Valley City and 68 benchmarks within 10 miles), and a section of the North Country Trail runs thru the area, if you鈥檙e a hiker.

If you have time, Jamestown (home of western writer Louis L%26#39;Amour), is the next town west from Valley City, and has the %26#39;World%26#39;s Largest Buffalo%26#39; statue and National Buffalo Museum located at the Frontier Village. There is a herd of buffalo which can usually be seen from I-94 since the highway cuts thru their grazing area. Watch for White Cloud as you drive by on I-94 or walk the grounds of the Museum %26amp; Village. She is a rare, true albino white buffalo. Her 5th calf, born last spring is also albino. Her first 4 calves were normal colored.

North of Jamestown you can spend a few hours to most of a day on the 8 miles of trails in the park by the Pipestem Dam %26amp; Reservoir. Fort Seward and the archeological digs are also interesting. Check the local website www.tourjamestown.com for more info.

For overall tourist info on North Dakota, visit the state website at www.discovernd.com.