North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
The North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, operated by the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, interprets the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, with a special focus on the winter they spent at Fort Mandan. It opened in 1997 and overlooks the Missouri River outside of Washburn, North Dakota.
The center also interprets other aspects of North Dakota history, including the farming-based cultures of the Mandan and Hidatsa nations, the fur trade at Fort Clark Trading Post State Historic Site, Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied's expedition through the area in the 1830s, and later agriculture in the state.
The Center also includes a museum store, temporary exhibits, an events facility, and a research library. It is attached to a highway rest stop serving Highways 83 and 200A. There are images on display by Karl Bodmer, a Swiss artist who traveled to North Dakota in 1833 with Prince Alexander Maximilian of Wied, Germany.
Just over two miles from the Interpretive Center, Fort Mandan has been reconstructed. It was the Corps of Discovery's wintering post from 1804–1805. The interpretive staff offers tours of the fort April-September as well as daily interpretive programs.
