Gingras Days

Experience history at the boundary of the Red River Valley during “Gingras Days,” Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 8-9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Gingras Trading Post State Historic Site and Walhalla State Historic Site.

At Gingras Trading Post State Historic Site, located 1.5 miles northeast of Walhalla, interpreters will offer guided tours of the historic Gingras home and trading post. Built by prominent Métis fur trader Antoine Blanc Gingras, the two buildings are among the oldest surviving structures in North Dakota and provide a rare look at Métis architecture, culture, and daily life during the fur trade era.

Throughout the weekend, Outreach Coordinator Brian Hardy will demonstrate traditional methods of drying meat and preparing food, offering an opportunity to experience the sights, smells, and techniques used following a summer hunt.

The Walhalla State Historic Site, located on Martyr Drive, will also be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day for self-guided tours of the reconstructed Kittson cabin. The cabin interprets the history of Norman Kittson and the trading post he established in the Walhalla area in the early 1850s.

Gingras Trading Post State Historic Site and Walhalla State Historic Site are managed by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The grounds of both sites are open year-round. For more information, contact Outreach Coordinator Brian Hardy at [email protected] or 701.825.6840. Find additional State Historical Society programs at history.nd.gov/events.