North Dakota Heritage Center facts for kids
The North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum is North Dakota's official history museum. It's located in Bismarck, right on the grounds of the North Dakota State Capitol. The museum first opened its doors in 1981 and is managed by the State Historical Society of North Dakota.
This amazing museum has both permanent displays that are always there and special exhibits that change over time. In 2008, it became home to something super rare: a mummified Edmontosaurus dinosaur with real fossilized skin! The museum got much bigger with a large expansion that opened on November 2, 2014. This new space doubled the museum's size, adding lots of room for collections, labs, and offices.
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What You Can See and Do
The North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum is a special place that keeps important collections for the state. It holds the official records of North Dakota's government in its State Archives. It's also home to the Johnsrud Paleontology Laboratory and the state's official fossil collection.
The museum has four main galleries where you can explore different topics. There are also two theaters and an outdoor amphitheater for shows and events. If you get hungry, there's a cafe, and kids can have fun in a special play area. Don't forget to check out the museum store for souvenirs! The museum hosts events, programs, and conferences all year long. It also publishes a journal called North Dakota History and other books.
Exploring the Collections
The museum is home to many different types of collections. These collections help us learn about North Dakota's past, from ancient times to today.
State Archives: Preserving History
The State Archives is like a giant library and storage facility for historical items. It carefully stores and protects many important things. These include books, magazines, maps, old photographs, handwritten documents, newspapers, and even recorded stories from people's lives. There are also old films that show what life was like in the past.
Archaeology: Discovering Ancient Life
The archaeology collection holds millions of artifacts. These are objects made or used by humans. They tell us about more than 12,000 years of human history across North Dakota. These artifacts help experts understand how people lived long ago. The museum also manages 56 state historic sites across North Dakota. These are important places where history happened.
Paleontology: Digging Up Dinosaurs
The paleontology collection is full of amazing specimens. It includes a collection of gems, minerals, and rocks. It also has the state fossil collection, which contains millions of specimens. These range from tiny shells you can barely see to huge dinosaur bones! You can see incredible fossils that show what life was like millions of years ago in North Dakota.
