Fort Totten Historic Site

Tour this national historic site in North Dakota.

Fort Totten State Historic Site is located at 417 Calvary Circle Fort Totten. Grounds are open daily year-round. Museums and historic buildings are opened from Memorial Day to Labor Day daily, from 9 am to 5 pm. The fort has served many purposes while it was in use. Built in 1867, it was a military post from 1867 to 1890. In 1891 it became the property of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and was a reservation school, a boarding school for Native American children. They learned vocational skills such as sewing shoemaking, tailoring, baking, farming, dairying and carpentry, and more. The fort also served as an Indian health center. It was a tuberculous preventorium, it served children who had or susceptible to this illness. 

Fort Totten's historic buildings now preserve artifacts and house exhibits. Visitors can follow a self interpretive tour through the buildings and grounds of the fort. The historic buildings house exhibits of individuals who once lived at the fort. Come and learn about the life of four individuals, including a soldier, a female Chippewa, a teacher, and a male student. Other exhibits include photographs and developments of the state. This historic site houses and contains the best-preserved military post artifacts on the Western frontier. 

The site contains 17 original buildings, including Lieutenants quarters, a commanding office, schoolhouse, storehouse, company quarters, chaplains, and surgeons quarters. You will also come across the Pioneer Daughter Museum, modern facilities, interpretive center, and Totten Trail Historic Inn. Please note that some buildings may not be ADA accessible.