RRV Museums

Red River Valley Historical Areas and Museums

 

Argyle, MN:

Argyle Museum

Location is the preserved Great Northern Depot. Other buildings include the log shanty and old jail. Open Sunday afternoons in summer.

Old Mill State Park

13 miles east of Argyle on County Road #4. Larson Grist Mill and Pioneer Cabin. See a 1880's grist mill powered by a Case 359 steam engine. Mill is operated once each year, call for date. Historic 1940's WPA Building site, on National Historic Registry. Park is open year round. Call 218-437-8174

 

Baudette, MN:

Fort St. Charles at Northwest Angle

A re-creation of the fortress and trading post erected at the site by Canadian-French voyageur Pierre LaVerendrye and his men in 1732.

Lake of the Woods County Museum

8th Avenue SE. Open May-Sept.; 10am-4pm Tue-Sat; 1-4pm Sun. Exhibits centered around topics of local and natural history.

Norris Camp

Historic site of 1935 CCC Camp and later Resettlement Administration headquarters. Presently Red Lake Wildlife Management Area Headquarters.

Wilderness Drive Area

Nature's scenic beauty displayed along a network of wilderness trails through the Beltrami Island State Forest.

 

Crookston, MN:

Polk County Museum

Highway 2 East. Open Noon to 5pm, late May to mid September. No admission - also historic downtown - churches - neighborhoods. Will open for winter tours and appointments. 218-281-1038.

 

East Grand Forks, MN:

Heritage Center

Next to Technical College; Tours - weekends, Memorial Day through Labor Day. Festival 3rd weekend in August.

 

Emerson, Manitoba, Canada:

 

Fosston, MN:

East Polk County Historical Center

June 1st - September 17th. Guided tours every afternoon from 1-4pm except Mondays. Free. Restored 100 year old, ten room house, full of memorabilia from years ago.

 

Goodrich, MN:

Historical Sites

Historical buildings preserved and renovated in the downtown area. The Country Store Museum, Log Barn and House, School Museum, Train Depot, Telephone Building, and original house built in 1914. Open by appointments during summer months. 378-4380.

 

Greenbush, MN:

Pelan Pioneer Park

Located nine miles west on Highway 11. Restored Pioneer Village, wild flower gardens and berries.

 

Lake Bronson, MN:

Kittson County Historical Society & Museum

9am - 5pm weekdays, 1-5pm Sat and Sun. Summers only. Located in City of Lake Bronson, Hwy 59. A variety of exhibits about the past ways of life in the county. Many examples of antique cars and farm equipment. County newspapers and census information available on micro film. Free admission.

 

Oslo, MN:

American Legion Museum

War relics including uniforms, approximately 150 shoulder patches, and firearms.

 

Red Lake Falls, MN:

Old Treaty Crossing Park

Located ten miles from Red Lake Falls, this Ox Cart trail crossing is where treaty was signed. French Chautauqua and Arts Festival last weekend in August.

Red Lake County Courthouse

Perched on a hilltop is the Classic Beaux Arts county courthouse entered into the National Register of Historic Places. The picturesque community is nestled among the bluffs and cliffs that surround the Clearwater and Red Lake rivers.

 

Roseau, MN:

Museum & Interpretive Center
Website: http:/www.angelfire.com/mn/rchistsocmuseum/

Exhibits on the history of the settlement of Roseau County with historical artifacts on industry, agriculture, transportation, and wildlife. Hours: 9am - 4pm, Tuesday - Saturday. Open year round.

Pioneer Farm and Village

Two miles west of Roseau on Hwy. 11. Festival every August. Summer hours 12:00 - 5:00 Monday - Friday.

 

St. Vincent, MN:

Christ Episcopal Church

Christ Episcopal Church was the first church built in the county. It has been standing for 87 years on the same location. It was built in 1880 and through the years many changes have come upon it. It was totally remodeled in 1949. The St. Vincent Historical Society, and Mrs. Wilhelmina Johnson saved the building, a religious monument.

St. Vincent Memories
Extensive local history for St. Vincent, MN and surrounding area/region, featuring and including photographs, illustrations, newspaper excerpts, diaries/journals, serialized books written about the area, etc.

Stephen, MN:

Old Home Town

Open June through September. Located across from Riverside Golf Club. Call 478-2456 for tours.

 

Thief River Falls, MN:

Carnegie Public Library

Located at 102 Main Avenue North (MN Hwy. 32) the Carnegie Public Library was dedicated in 1914.

Lake Agassiz Wildlife Reserve

This reserve like many others provides hours of enjoyment to thousands of people in this area and to visitors from long distances. Many kinds of animals are protected. There are birds, deer and other small game animals.

Pennington County Historical Society & Pioneer Village

The Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village is no longer open on Queen Victoria's Weekend. It is open Memorial Day through Labor Day, every day, 1 - 5 p.m.

Caryl J. Bugge - Director
Peder Engelstad Pioneer Village
P.O. Box 127
Thief River Falls, MN 56701
Phone: 218-681-5767 (W) 218-681-4691 (H)

It is a lifelike Historical Village (19 Buildings), two Depots and museum.

Soo Line R.R. Depot & Steam Locomotive No. 1024

405 E. 3rd Street (US Hwy. 59). The two story Flemish brick and limestone, Craftsman-style freight and passenger depot was completed in 1914. The Depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. Steam Locomotive No. 1024, a Mikado Class Steam Engine, was built in 1912 for the Monon Railroad of Indiana.

 

Trail, MN:

Schoolhouse

School was restored and has various items displayed of past school days.

 

Warren, MN:

Settlers Square / Marshall County Museum
Marshall County Historical Society

Featuring eight store fronts depicting an 1880 street. Antique farm machinery. On display, the UFO Sheriff's car of Marshall County. East end of Johnson Avenue, south of the fairgrounds.

Our hours of operation have changed at the Marshall County Historical Society/Settlers Square Museum.

They are: Thursday, Friday, & Saturday

Starting the 1st Thursday in May and ending the last Saturday in September.

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Sunday

Memorial Day to Labor Day

1:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Thank you for listing our museum. If you have any questions you can contact me.

Larry Johnson
Computer Tech
Marshall County Historical Society
Board of Directors
Phone: 218-745-4803

 

Warroad, MN:

Three Historical Markers

Hospital Bay, Point, and at the School. These three markers deal with the early explorers to the area.

Old Canadian National Depot

The Depot is on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The Depot has been completely renovated to house the city offices and the police department.

Public Library & Heritage Center

This building houses the public library and center for historical information on early Warroad history, the early French explorers, the Sioux and Chippewa Indians are buried in the area. Free, open daily year round.

St. Mary's Catholic Church

Dedicated in 1954, the church is constructed of logs with 70,000 hand-split cedar shakes on the roof that were split and stained by the parishioners. This church is the largest log church in the state.

 

West Bagley, MN:

Bagley Wildlife Museum

The museum was completed in 1954 displaying a fine array of over 7,500 specimens. They are placed behind 20 large display windows of natural habitat settings, and are considered to be the finest specimens in this part of the United States.

NORTH DAKOTA

Pembina, ND:

Pembina Historical Museum

A museum to recreate the adventure and hardships of the early fur trade; to preserve early Indian relics; to tell the history of the first settlement, first school, and first church; to remember the great buffalo hunts; to illustrate the Army post, steamboating, early politics, and much more.

The museum was dedicated on July 4th, 1962, by the State Historical Society when Pembina observed the 150th Anniversary of the coming of the Selkirks, the first white settlers in Dakota Territory. The museum buildings are located in the Pembina State Park, the site of both the Chaboillez trading post established in 1797, and Fort Deere, built by the Selkirks in 1812.

A ground breaking ceremony was held June 3, 1994 to begin the construction of the Pembina State Museum on Highway 59 in Pembina, ND.

This 12,000 square foot facility is the result of a cooperative effort between the Department of Transportation, Department of Tourism, State Parks Department, the State Historical Society, and the North Dakota Heritage Foundation. The funding for the facility is a combination of a federal grant through ISTEA funds, State Parks and Tourism enhancement funds, and private matching funds being raised through a capital campaign.

The building will houe two museum galleries, a tourism information center, meeting rooms, kitchen facility, and a gift shop.

The main museum gallery will give a broad brush stroke of the history of the Pembina region. It will inclufe prehistory, regional fur trade development the Selkirk colonists, late fur trad era, the history of the Metis Indians, military history, transportation and the North Dakota settlement period. The second gallery will house temporary and traveling exhibits pertaining to regional and state history.

An estimated 100,000 people will tour this building in its first year of operation. The 100 foot tower will be the main feature that will draw people from I-29 into Pembina.

Currently, northeastern North Dakota brings in approximately $6 million in new tourism dollars each year. When the museum building is completed in May of 1995, we can reasonably project an increase of 15 to 20 percent in economic growth for this region of North Dakota.

Governor Ed Schafer attended the ground breaking ceremonies on June 3, along with state department heads Marshall Moore, Kevin Cramer, Tim Mueller, and Jim Sperry. State Historical Board President Art Todd will be the master of ceremonies. Members of the State Historical Board have been invited,along with the members of the North Dakota Heritage Foundaton, and the Capital Campaign Executive Committee.

(KCE 08 Jun 1994)

Pembina State Museum
Exit 215, Off Interstate 29
805 Highway 59
Pembina, ND 58271
701-825-6840

Website: http://www.state.nd.us/hist/pembina.htm

Walhalla, ND

Gingras Trading Post State Historic Site

Located one and one-half miles northeast of Walhalla, this site preserves the home and trading post established by Metis trader Antoine B. Gingras in the 1840s. His hand-hewn oak log store and home are among the few tangible remains of the fur trade in the Valley of the Red River of the North. Both of the buildings have been restored to their original appearance. The site is open from May 16 through September 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (CDT). Exhibits in the home and replica fur trade items for sale in the post. Self-guided visits. Primitive facilities. No admission fee.

Information:

Gingras Trading Post State Historic Site
10534 - 129th Avenue NE
Walhalla, ND 58282
701-549-2775
Email: [email protected]

or-
Route 1 Box 55
Walhalla, ND 58282
701-549-2772 or 701-328-2666
Website: http://www.state.nd.us/hist/sitelist.htm#gingras

 

Other North Dakota Sites