Reading on the Frontier book club

“Reading on the Frontier,” a history-based book club, will meet Saturday, March 7, 1-2:30 p.m., at the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center near Williston. The program is recommended for adults and older teens, and no prior historical knowledge is required.

This session will feature the first half of the mystery novel “The Woman in White” by Wilkie Collins. Participants are encouraged to read through the chapter titled “The Story Continued by Frederick Fairlie, Esq.” in advance. The second half will be discussed in April.

First published in 1859, this Victorian sensation novel was widely read in its time and would have been familiar to many 19th-century readers. Discussion will explore the novel’s early characters, themes of identity and secrecy, and why suspenseful fiction like this appealed to readers living and working at remote frontier posts.

Books were highly prized at Fort Buford. Members of the 6th Infantry famously fought — and ultimately lost — the right to take their post library with them when reassigned, underscoring the importance of reading on the frontier.

This event is part of the ND250 commemoration celebrating our country’s 250th birthday.

Fort Buford State Historic Site and the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center are managed by the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center is open Tuesday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and closed Sunday-Monday. Fort Buford is closed for the season. For more information, contact Outreach Coordinator Nicholas Kusnierek, [email protected] or 701.572.9034. All times listed are Central time. Find information about upcoming programs of the State Historical Society at history.nd.gov/events.