The Oldest Town In North Dakota That Everyone Should Visit At Least Once
Long before the railroad reached North Dakota and the towns started springing up, there were few settlements for quite a while. Most of today’s towns and cities in the state were founded after 1860, but this particular town came much earlier than that. It was the very first European settlement in the entire Dakota Territory (what is now North Dakota and South Dakota). Today, it remains as a peaceful small town just south of the Canadian border, and is both charming and historical.
Take a trip into a part of the state’s heritage by visiting this town:
During these uncertain times, please keep safety in mind and consider adding destinations to your bucket list to visit at a later date.
This town is considered fairly small compared to other North Dakota towns, but that hasn't always been the case. Back in 1860, the census stated that Pembina was actually the most populous place in the entire state. Before it was a town even, there was still settlers living here from as early as 1797.
Before it was a town, it was forts and trading hubs alongside the Red River.
In this illustration from 1822, you can see two forts that served as places for trading furs by mostly French settlers. For a time, it was believed to be within Canada, but was later determined to be part of the United States. These early forts lead to the founding of the first permanent non-Native American settlement in the territory in 1812.
Today, there is plenty of charm and interesting sites to visit in Pembina.
If you're looking for great ways to see this history of the town and more, the Pembina State Museum - shown above - is a great option. It has fascinating exhibits with artifacts of the time, and explains how Pembina was settled. The tall tower is their observation deck that you can go up into yourself.
This place is loved by many for its stunning natural beauty and the great opportunities for all kinds of recreation. Even skiing is popular in the gorge!
Nearby is the second oldest town in North Dakota, Walhalla, which has a part of one of the last remaining trading posts from that era. If you’re going to visit Pembina, you should stop by there, too.
Leah moved to North Dakota when she was 12 years old and has traveled from the Red River Valley to the badlands and many places in between. She loves small-town life and currently enjoys living on a small farm in the ND prairie. She's always had a passion for writing and has participated in novel writing challenges such as NaNoWriMo multiple times. Her favorite part about this job is recognizing small businesses that deserve a boost and seeing the positive affect her articles can have on their traffic, especially in rural areas that might have otherwise gone overlooked.
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