fort buford state historic site

Not sure if it was because the time of year but there was nothing happening here. There a few buildings (none were open) and some signs explaining where other buildings would be. Lots of work needs to be done and I hope they find the funding to do it.

Great place for history buffs. Was cool to be in the room where Sitting Bull surrendered. And the center was full of information with very knowledgeable personnel.

I wandered around the Fort and the Confluence center bored and was almost ready to move on when a very friendly man with a name tag that read Arty walked up and introduced himself. The next few hours saw the group grow and each person who arrived became just as mesmerized as I was as Arty brought the bones of history to life. As the tour rambled around the old fort I could hear the sounds of horses whinnying, smell wood smoke and even caught a glimpse of a buffalo soldier riding patrol. However none of that compared to the one man show where Arty acted out all four parts: Sitting Bull, Crow Foot (Sitting Bull's son), Major Brotherton, and the historical narrator. This impromptu dramatization deserved an audience of thousands. My time at Fort Buford was informative and entertaining.

The Confluence Interpretive Center hosts concerts every month. We always have fun listening to the music and viewing the museum galleries and the best small gift shop.

Buy your tickets at the Confluence Center for Ft. Buford. Admission is for both the Confluence Center and Ft Buford. If you're not interested in the 1800's you're probably not going to like Ft. Buford. But, we thought it was fascinating! The house/museum is original and the room telling about Sitting Bull is the room in which he surrendered. The barracks is interesting and there is a trail and information boards telling you about the other building. The cemetery has the headstones where people had been buried and tell you what they died of.

We toured George Armstrong Custer's home at the Fort & found this terribly interesting. The employees dressed in period Army attire, and informed us that once we stepped into the home, he would be relating to us as a mid-19th century serviceman, and would not understand any questions about modern-day American conveniences. Pleasant, helpful gift shop employees.

Sorry it is not worth your time to come back out here. One thing I would like to clarify here, however is: This is Fort Buford State Historic Site, Not Fort Union National Park, we never have a rendezvous at this site.

Makes for a nice drive out of town but not much appealing enough to make for return trips. The location is scenic and rural and the surrounding grassy plains make for a nice walk or run. I went to the Rendezvous thinking there would be more demonstrations and activities but there was just one person creating stone flints and lots of vendors selling trinkets.

Well I have been here multiple times. Always interesting, Do not forget to visit the cemetary as well

Visited here while traveling through North Dakota on vacation. This was our second stop of our first day after seeing Fort Union. The fort was built in 1866 at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers and was a major supply depot. There are only two buildings remaining to tour; the officer's quarters which is now a museum and the barracks. There is also a cemetary. Due to time constraints, we chose to not see the barracks which can be seen with a ranger or volunteer tour guide. The museum was interesting as it gave much information about life as an officer or soldier in the army at Fort Buford. There was also information on life for the army wives. There are a number of artifacts including pictures, personal items, clothing, furnishings, army gear,uniforms, etc. I was intrigued with the bugle calls that could be listened to. This site is well known as the fort where Sitting Bull surrendered in 1881. There is information about his life and surrender (this took place in the officer's building). All in all this was worth a visit to understand life on the fort.

We got to learn about the native americans around the area and the soldiers that fought for the area. it was interwsting.

Arriving just a few minutes after leaving Fort Union, I paid the $5 adult admission fee at the Visitor Center (the former Commanding Officer's quarters known as Brotherton House), in front of which stands a Civil War Napolean cannon. Because I was the only visitor there at the time, a private tour of the facility was given me by a young and very enthusiastic park ranger. Unfortunately, there is nothing left of the fort’s wooden walls, and only an iron frame shows where the original guardhouse once stood. Other than the barracks and Brotherton House, only the Officer Of The Day's little square white structure has been restored, although still there is the small stone building in which Sioux medicine chief Sitting Bull surrendered to the Army at Fort Buford five years after the Little Bighorn battle. The ranger gave me an extensive tour of the barracks – the largest structure still standing – which was most enlightening because It has been restored to an 1860's state. One item I found of interest was that because at one point the garrison was composed almost entirely of Galvanized Yankees (Confederate POWs who had agreed to leave Union prisons to fight in blue uniforms – but only against Indians and not their own people) all the rifles were locked up and could be obtained only when the Union sergeant unlocked the circular rack. This probably was to prevent the ex-Confederates from taking the arms and rejoining the southern Army. In spite of the private and meticulous tour given by the ranger, I think I can only rate this old cavalry post as a B- – just because there are so few buildings still standing.