Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park

Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, about 8 km south of Bismarck on the west bank of the Missouri River, is where General George Custer was stationed from 1872 until his fateful departure for the Little Bighorn campaign in 1876. The fort has been partially reconstructed, including the Custer House (a large, handsome building that has been furnished as it appeared during the Custers' occupancy), the commissary, the granary, and several infantry blockhouses. Guided tours bring the history to life — the guides are well-informed and the Custer story is told with appropriate complexity.

The park also encompasses the On-A-Slant Indian Village, the remains of a large Mandan earth-lodge community that was occupied from around 1575 to 1780. Several earth lodges have been reconstructed and can be entered, giving a strong sense of the scale and sophistication of Mandan settlement before European contact. The combination of Mandan and US Army history, with the Missouri River scenery connecting them, makes Fort Lincoln one of the more rewarding half-day trips in the region.

Open year-round, though some features are seasonal. A state park entry fee applies.

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A story
On June 25, 1876, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer rode out of Fort Abraham Lincoln with the 7th Cavalry and headed west toward the Little Bighorn in Montana. He and 267 of his men were killed two days later in the most famous defeat in US Army history. His wife Libbie described watching the column disappear into the Dakota hills as an image she never shook. The fort was abandoned in 1891 and largely demolished — what stands now is a reconstruction.