Page 8 - Crappie NOW - April 2019

NORTH DAKOTA CRAPPIE & TRAVEL

Travelling Central and West North Dakota While there, you’ll want to take an early
An Association of Great Lakes Outdoor morning or late afternoon drive in the national
Writers conference in Bismark was a great park to see the wildlife and the Badlands of
excuse to make a trip out west last fall. My North Dakota.
wife and I took the long way to Bismark via The Medora Musical is a great family show
Jackson Hole, Yellowstone and Cody, creating that is open every night from the beginning of
a lot of miles but great memories. June until just after Labor Day. Eat before the
musical at the Pitchfork Fondue. Jensen says
Bismark/Manden: Bismark is the capital the pitchfork fondue is to North Dakota what
city separated from Manden by the Missouri salmon is to the West and seafood is to the
River. The combined population is 117,000 so East. The cooks stick several rib eye steaks
navigation is easy compared to a big city. on a pitchfork and cook them in a kettle of oil. I
Our trip included a Lewis & Clark Riverboat can personally verify (after two of these meals
ride on the Missouri, a visit to the North in three days), it has no oil taste, has a great
Dakota Heritage Center with exhibits that are outside texture and tender inside cooked to
awesome, and the Fort Abraham Lincoln State your preferred doneness. It comes with all the
Park. Mike Jensen, ND Tourism says, “Fort fix’ins.
Lincoln was the home of General Custer and
the 7th Calvary before they went to the battle of A combination fishing trip and vacation can
Little Big Horn. Custer and his men lived here. be a great adventure. Our trip was in early to
They led the Yellowstone Expedition and the mid-September with cool but great weather.
Black Hills Expeditions in 1874. Bunkhouses, Be sure to check on-line to find open seasons
General Custer’s house and more history can and dates for all activities. Also check on
be seen here.” water/ice conditions and fishing activity.
Jensen says, “Bismark was the end of the
line for the railroad when it went bankrupt in More Information:
1872. They needed the money to cross the NDtourism.com; NoBoundariesND.com;
Missouri River and they didn’t have it. So and tourism.devilslakend.com
Bismark became an important site for the
military to protect the railroad. Steamboats
would take supplies on up river.”
Other local places to visit include the ND
State Capital, Bismark Art Galleries, Dakota - Tim Huffman
Zoo and ND State Railroad Museum.

Madora. “Our largest single attraction in
North Dakota is the Theodore Roosevelt
National Park,” says Jensen. “Medora is the
gateway town to that park. Teddy was very
important to this state and is our adopted son.
He often said he would not have been president
if it were not for his experiences here in the
state. Living with the cowboys and living this
lifestyle here added to his background to help
him become president. His original Maltese
Cross hunting cabin that he built in 1883 is at
Medora. The cabin was sent to the St. Louis
World Fair, to Portland, OR and other places,
then was brought back to the entrance of the
park.”

8 Crappie NOW April 2019