July Programs at Fort Buford & Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence IC

Learn stories of the past and explore the beauty of the present at the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center and Fort Buford State Historic Site near Williston throughout July. Weekly events offer engaging, family-friendly ways to experience the confluence of cultures, rivers, and time. Registration is not required for these free programs, and children must be accompanied by an adult.

From Atlatls to Arrows: Early Peoples Hunting Strategies
Wednesdays & Fridays, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. and 3-4 p.m.
Learn how the region’s earliest hunters crafted and used tools made from stone, wood, and sinew at this interactive drop-in session. Test your aim with ancient weapons including the atlatl—a spear-throwing tool—and the traditional bow and arrow.

Throwback Thursdays: Frontier & Indigenous Games at the Confluence
Thursdays, 2 p.m.
Discover the joy of historical play in this weekly drop-in program featuring a rotating lineup of games once played by Indigenous communities and frontier families. From hoop-and-dart and double ball to croquet, marbles, and classic parlor card games, this is hands-on fun for all ages.

Where Rivers Meet: A Walk Through History & Nature
Saturdays, 10 a.m.
This 60-minute guided walk explores the post-glacial landscape of the confluence, highlighting native plants, wildlife, and river ecology while connecting those natural features to human stories, especially Indigenous use of the land, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the development of nearby Fort Buford.

Confluence Learning Lab: Barracks Bootcamp at Fort Buford State Historic Site
Saturday, July 26, 2 p.m.
Experience life on the frontier like never before at Barracks Boot Camp. Step into the shoes of a 19th-century soldier as you explore the barracks, dress up in period uniforms, take part in marching drills, and get experience the daily routines that kept the post running.