Paul Broste Rock Museum

This unique museum displays rock specimens from all over the world. The museum was a brainchild of Mr. Paul Broste, a local farmer, artist and collector. He began his rock collection at an early age and did much of it during the 1920's and 30's when few people were interested in purchasing rocks. He acquired only the finest specimens from all over the world. They were cut, ground and polished into spheres and slabs of unimaginable beauty. For many years Paul dreamed of housing his collections in a unique museum. Thus began the quest for the Paul Broste Rock Museum.
 
This world famous museum is nestled on the Great Plains of North Dakota, built of natural granite quarried from the area. The entire structure was done with volunteer labor and opened for business in 1966. Paul called it his "Acropolis on a hill".
 
Dr. John Hoganson of the State Geological Survey inventoried the entire collection while the museum was being renovated. He stated that the museum housed the most significant rock and mineral collection in the state of North Dakota and many of the unique specimens are so rare that they may be only found at museums like the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. or the American Museum of Art.

Broste, over a span of about 25 years, amassed a huge collection of rocks, minerals, and fossils from around the world. Most of the specimens were bought from dealers where he felt he could select the very best. From some of the finer specimens, Broste created lapidary spheres of all sizes, about 600 of which are on exhibit at the museum. Broste traveled the country to assemble his collection of thousands of rock, mineral, and fossil specimens now exhibited in the museum. During our inventory and evaluation, we cataloged several hundred of the finer individual rock and mineral specimens, nearly 600 lapidary spheres, and 95 fossil specimens. Several thousand cut and polished agate slabs and raw agate specimens, including Fairburn, Lake Superior, Yellowstone River, Montana Moss, Texas Plume, Oregon Thunderegg and specimens from many foreign countries including Brazil, Germany, Formosa, and Mexico. 




The museum is open May 1 through Labor Day on Wednesday and Saturday 12 - 4pm, all other days by appointment. Call (701) 497-3348 to make arrangements.