Fort Totten State Historic Site

This site contains three unique history stories. Built between 1867 and 1873 as a military outpost, Fort Totten changed to an industrial boarding school in 1890 mostly instructing children of the surrounding Dakota reservation. Students lived here and received academic and vocational training. From 1935 to 1940, Fort Totten was the site of a tuberculosis preventorium and housed children considered at high risk for contracting tuberculosis. Fort Totten became a North Dakota State Historic Site in 1960 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

With 16 original buildings, Fort Totten is one of the best-preserved frontier military forts. You can walk through several of these buildings or view window exhibit panels telling their stories. Don’t miss the restored hospital, which houses a museum of artifacts from the Lake Region Pioneer Daughters. Another building houses a community theater.

Must See & Do

• Spend a night at the Totten Trail Historic Inn located in one of the original military buildings. Call 701.766.4874 for seasonal openings and availability.
• Check out the Pioneer Daughters Museum.
• Harvest your own produce from the victory garden during the summer.

The grounds are open year-round, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Memorial weekend to Labor Day site interpreters are available 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. From the Tuesday after Labor Day through Memorial weekend Friday, the site is open for events, school tours and rentals and by appointment. Call the site to book your off-season visit.