Northern Plains National Heritage Area

10/27/2026

Did you know North Dakota's Gateway to Science participates in the Museums for All program?
Consider stopping by and getting the $3 admission price by showing your SNAP card.

Learn more below.
https://gatewaytoscience.org/visit/hours-and-admissions/museums-for-all/

09/24/2026

Good stuff here, presentation by Prairie Rose. Mark your calendars.

Reclaiming History, Reclaiming the Future: The Bismarck Indian School Archive and Indigenous Educational Leadership

W Sept. 30th | 2:00 PM
BSC Sidney J. Auditorium

Prairie Rose Seminole introduces participants to the ongoing effort to digitize the Bismarck Indian School Archive through the Northern Plains National Heritage Area. Housed at the National Archives in Kansas City, these records document the lives of Indigenous children who attended one of the federal Indian boarding schools located along the Missouri River in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Although the physical school no longer stands, its legacy continues to shape Indigenous families, communities, and educational systems throughout the Northern Plains. Many students attending ND Tribal Colleges today are descendants of survivors whose lives were directly impacted by the federal boarding school system. By making these records publicly accessible, this project helps restore community access to family histories while preserving an important chapter of Indigenous history for future generations.

The session will examine how the United States used education as a tool of assimilation during the boarding school era and how those policies continue to influence educational experiences, cultural identity, language revitalization, and community well-being today. Participants will also learn about the process of archival preservation and digitization, the importance of Indigenous stewardship of historical records, and the role young leaders can play in preserving history and advancing truth-telling initiatives.

Rather than viewing archives as collections of the past, participants will be challenged to see them as living resources that strengthen cultural resilience, support community healing, and inform Indigenous leadership for generations to come.

Presenter Biography:
Prairie Rose Seminole is a street historian, documentary filmmaker, and cultural preservation advocate whose work centers on amplifying Indigenous histories and protecting community memory. Through her work with the Northern Plains National Heritage Area, she is lead investigator in the research and the digitization of the Bismarck Indian School Archive held at the National Archives in Kansas City, expanding access to records that document the experiences of Indigenous children during the federal boarding school era.

09/23/2026

September 29th, has become known as A Night of Remembrance. A time to come together to remember the children, honor & comfort boarding school survivors, and share in community care.

We hope you will join us as we gather for A Night of Remembrance. We will be gathering along the river just outside of the old Bismarck Indian Boarding School just South of Steamboat Park for a candlelight vigil, community voices, and collective care.

Tues, September 29 @ 7:00 pm
Steamboat Park in Bismarck, ND

Candles will be provided.

09/21/2026

There used to be prairie grizzlies. Long ago. On the Northern Plains. Here’s a nod to that, and to the upcoming week…

Words to familiarize yourself with before Fat Bear Week starts on Tuesday:

Hefty — Packing extra poundage
Hoss — Has its own gravitational pull
Wide Load — Please allow extra room at Brooks Falls
Built Different — Mostly made of salmon
Mega Chonk — Final boss of chonks
Big Back — Self-explanatory
Winter-ready — Fat. Glorious. Prepared

Study up. There will be a test.

09/12/2026

A huge THANK YOU to Mayor Julie Hein for hosting art classes with Ali LaRock. Thank you to North Dakota Council on the Arts and Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation for supporting this project.

09/11/2026

Need a reason to go to City of Wing, North Dakota?!
Go see a movie and a mural 🥰

09/10/2026

Thank you to all who participated in our Kayak the Missouri Safety Training events.
Enjoy the last bits of summer ☀

09/10/2026

The Veggie Van is coming to Wing!

It will be near the area of the Fire Hall.

Come check it out on September 16th!

07/30/2026

Look into one of the windows of clay pot technology and history. Archaeologist Wade Haakenson has a hands on workshop August 1, 2026, Saturday, 10:00AM to 12:30PM (central), Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site.

Come see us this Saturday, August 1st, from 10:00 am - 12:30 pm CDT and join Archaeologist and Potter Wade Haakenson for a pottery workshop! Wade will give an overview of Native pottery history and techniques. Visitors will then have the opportunity to participate in making their own pots! The workshop will take place at the picnic shelter near the Visitor Center. The event is for all ages, free of charge, and all supplies will be provided. No reservations are required.

07/28/2026

We love Northern Plains landscape histories, and what it continues to tell us today.

Over the past few decades, Chief Looking's Village has been an important site for research and historical preservation. In the '70s, the City of Bismarck removed roads from the historical site and nominated it for recognition on the National Register of Historic Places, laying the foundations for the heritage site that exists today. Chief Looking's Village has become one of the most visited Northern Plains National Heritage Area sites, and has previously been used for the reconstruction of earth lodges and excavations.

Chief Looking's Village is part of the Northern Plains National Heritage Area, which preserves the living history and ancestral land of the Three Affiliated Tribes.