Fort Buford State Historic Site

Fort Buford State Historic Site preserves remnants of a vital frontier plains military post established in 1866 to protect overland and river routes used by immigrants settling the west. Located near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers southwest of present-day Williston, it served 29 years as a major supply depot for military field operations. Fort Buford played a vital role as the place where the famous Hunkpapa Sioux leader, Sitting Bull, surrendered.

Original features include a stone powder magazine, the post cemetery site, the officer of the guardhouse and the field officers' quarters which now houses a museum. Interpreters provide tours through the field officers' quarters and the reconstructed barracks. The 6th infantry reenactors raise the flag Memorial and lower it Labor Day to end the summer season. Through History Alive programs, these reenactors also depict what life was like for soldiers and laundresses.

Located one-half mile east of the fort, at the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center, learn the rich story of the area near the merging of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. Take in the exhibits and walk an interpretive trail showcasing the marvelous views Meriwether Lewis and William Clark would have encountered as they passed through in 1805 and 1806.

• Stand in the room where Sitting Bull relinquished his rifle to U.S. soldiers at Fort Buford.
• Step inside the reconstructed Barracks and experience hands-on activities from a soldier’s daily life.
• Challenge your family to a game of historic croquet or lawn bowling on the fort grounds.
• Try military drills, Morse code, historic games, and other hands-on activities in the Barracks.
• Explore the original Powder Magazine and other surviving structures from Fort Buford.
• Walk the historic grounds and discover the stories of the people who lived, worked, and passed through Fort Buford.