Fort Ransom State Park

August 19, 2009

Fort Ransom State Park is nestled in the Sheyenne River Valley and is a beautiful place -- away from the traffic patterns of North Dakota, especially I-29 and I-94. The park has almost 800 acres and consists of two farms which were deeded to the state and some other valley land. The Sheyenne River runs alongside or through the park. Also North Dakota’s first nationally designated scenic drive -- The Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway -- goes right by the park.

The photo shows the Visitor Center, known as the Bjone House, built by Nels Olson in 1879 and inhabited by the Bjone Family until 1976. It was also the site of the first Lutheran services (1882) in the area before the Standing Rock Norwegian Evangelical[Lutheran] Church got built.

The second farm was first homesteaded by Andrew Sunne in 1884 and this is the location of the park’s biggest event -- Sodbuster Days -- celebrated in second weekend of July and the weekend after Labor Day in September. This event draws thousands of visitors who want to see how farming was done with horse-drawn equipment. Both houses have rooms of very interesting historical exhibits.

We met with park director John Kwapinski today who has been here almost from the beginning. We are looking forward to working with him. He’ll give us specific duties in a few days. In the meantime, he encouraged us to continue getting acquainted with the area.

The park offers many opportunities for hiking. It also offers canoeing and kayaking on the Sheyenne, where park rangers, for a modest fee, transport upstream by road to various points, depending on how much time one wishes to spend on the water. Then, at the visitor center, your vehicle is waiting as you pull out at a well-built dock.