Fort Seward

05/28/2026

Let’s take a moment to welcome our new staff member, Morgyn! She got to meet President Roosevelt today.
Welcome to Fort Seward Morgyn!

05/25/2026

Appreciation is extended to Ann and Colten for representing the 20th Infantry Dakota Territory at the Memorial Day Programs today.

05/20/2026

05/16/2026

We would like to express our appreciation to these gentlemen, and the other members of Firm Foundations who contributed to today's sale, even if they are not all pictured. We are also grateful for the assistance provided by the children who helped out last night and today.

05/07/2026

Do you love history, enjoy meeting people from all walks of life, and want to spend your summer working in one of the most scenic and historic spots in Jamestown? Join our team!

We're looking for a friendly, enthusiastic individual to help welcome visitors, assist in our gift shop, and help keep the site running smoothly.
Average of 2 days a week, mainly weekends. The site is open from 10:00- am- 6:00 pm daily. This is a great opportunity to gain experience in public history, interpretation, customer service, and museum operations!

Join us for the season! Position starting May 25 through September 2, 2025.

Email us for more information:
[email protected]

05/07/2026

Daniel Bielinski and another producer who will answer questions about the movie.

03/13/2026

02/26/2026

With the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn just a few months away and as comes to a close, we thought it proper to pause and remember expedition interpreter Isaiah Dorman, known to the Lakota as Black Hawk.

Born in 1832 in Pennsylvania as a free man, Dorman was the son of an African-Jamaican father and an African-Delaware (Lenape) mother. By the 1850s–1870s, he had worked at several frontier posts, including Fort Ridgely, Fort Rice, and Fort Kearny. Over the years he served in many roles: servant, scout, guide, mail carrier, but he was most valued as a language interpreter to the Sioux. He likely strengthened his fluency through his Dakota wife, Celeste St. Pierre. For a time, the couple operated a horse ranch and wood lot near the Missouri River close to Fort Rice.

In 1875, when 7th Cavalry officer Frederick Benteen arrived at Fort Rice, Dorman’s prospects declined. Benteen reportedly distrusted him and declined to employ other Dakota scouts Dorman recommended. Instead, Dorman was assigned the dangerous duty of driving livestock between Fort Rice and Fort Abraham Lincoln.

In the summer of 1876, Dorman joined the Dakota Column departing Fort Abraham Lincoln for Montana Territory. On June 25, 1876, he rode with Major Marcus Reno during the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Attached to Reno’s battalion alongside other scouts and interpreters, Dorman advanced during the initial attack on Sitting Bull’s vast village. As Reno’s line collapsed under heavy resistance, Dorman attempted to provide covering fire for retreating soldiers. His horse was shot out from under him, and accounts suggest he may have also been wounded.

In a biography of Sitting Bull, historian Robert M. Utley recounts a story that Sitting Bull reportedly said, “Don’t kill that man, he is a friend of mine,” and gave Dorman water. But the chaos of battle overtook the moment. After Sitting Bull rode off, a Hunkpapa woman known as Eagle Robe is said to have killed the wounded Dorman in vengeance for her brother’s death earlier.

Today, Isaiah Dorman rests in Custer National Cemetery, alongside the men with whom he fought. He is remembered as the only Black man known to have fought at the Battle of the Little Bighorn—a life that reflects the complex, intertwined histories of the American frontier. ?

For more information about the life of Isaiah Dorman check out the link below at the national park service: https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/isaiah-dorman.htm

09/28/2025

We're looking for actors ages 16 to 25 to audition for “North Dakota Voices of the Great War” this Sunday, Sept. 28, from 2-4 p.m. at the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum.

This play is based on letters to and from North Dakota soldiers and nurses who served in Europe during World War I. While not a musical, it weaves in songs popular during the era. Singing experience is helpful, but not required. “North Dakota Voices of the Great War” was written by University of Mary faculty Daniel Bielinski and Joseph T. Stuart, PhD and first performed by the university’s theater department.

𝗥𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘀:
Monday-Thursday
Oct. 6-Nov. 6
6-8 p.m.
Dress rehearsals will take place Nov. 8-10 from 6-8 p.m.

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀:
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 14, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 15, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 16, 2 p.m.