Thursday, September 24, 2009
Watford City Tourist Park, Watford City, ND: Aug 21-23
Since the weather had been hotter than in Michigan, we felt we needed hookups instead of dry camping at Theodore Roosevelt Natl Park (TRNP) North Unit. We researched the area and found this little city park with electric & water hookups and a dump station that was close to TRNP North and other interesting areas we wanted to visit.
Our first day we went on a scenic loop drive. Our first stop was the Fairview Lift Bridge & Cartwright Tunnel, completed by the railroad in 1913 to cross the Yellowstone River. Local business leaders initially opposed the bridge, fearing it would halt boat traffic on the river, so the Great Northern Railroad installed a 271-foot section that could be lifted vertically to allow river traffic to pass. Ironically, the bridge was lifted only once, during its operational test, because traffic on the Yellowstone River ceased in 1912. 
The tunnel is 1456 feet long, built with a curve so it is impossible to see straight through. The city of Fairview adopted the bridge & tunnel in 2001, adding decking & railing to the bridge. It was an easy, enjoyable walk across the bridge, but there is no lighting in the tunnel, so we turned around when it started getting dark. A man & his two boys walked all the way through (without flashlights) and we could hear their voices ahead of us.
We then drove to Fort Union Trading Post Natl Historic Site run by the National Park Service. The original trading post was built by John Jacob Astor in 1828 and was dismantled in 1867 when the US Govt bought it. During most of that time the post employed over 100 people who were kept very busy trading furs with the Upper Missouri tribes of native Americans. 
For most of this time, a balance existed between the two cultures: the traders did not try to restrict the Indian way of life, instead trying to utilize what the indigenous people were already doing -- producing brain-tanned buffalo robes & furs for their own use. Each culture felt that it was superior to the other: traders had superior technology, and Indians thought they got the better of the exchange since whites overvalued the robes & furs. The Historic Site is a replica of the post built on the original stone foundations, built & furnished as it might have looked in the early 1850s.
Our last stop was the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Center and Fort Buford State Historic Site, which are run by the State Historical Society of North Dakota (one fee buys admission to both). 
We ate a picnic lunch at the M-YCC, snapped a couple of pictures of the confluence (visited by Lewis & Clark) and walked through the two galleries. In all, we spent less than an hour there. Fort Buford was more interesting. Established in 1866, it was the site of Chief Sitting Bull's surrender in 1881. 
Also, Chief Joseph and 400 Nez Perce Indians were held there after their surrender. When the US Govt dismantled Fort Union Trading Post they used the wood to expand Fort Buford.The next day was our first of several visits to Theodore Roosevelt NP. TRNP is located in western ND in what is called the badlands, which were carved by the Little Missouri River. The North Unit is near Watford City and the South Unit is near Medora. TR came to the area in 1883 to hunt bison and other game and became intrigued with the ranching industry. He became partners in a ranch near Medora. Many attribute his time in the badlands of ND as forming his interest in land conservation in the form of National Parks and Monuments. We drove the North Unit's 14-mile Scenic Drive, which was truly gorgeous, and then hiked the Little Mo Trail which begins & ends at the campground. We were surprised to run into a couple that Willie knew, from her job in Boulder, birdwatching near the end of the trail.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 9:43 PM 
