North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive CenterYes, visitors are allowed to try on the vintage buffalo robe, just one of the many displays at the North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Washburn. There’s also a cradle board on view, much like the one Sacagawea likely used to carry her infant son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Through exhibits and artifacts, the center offers an overview of the westward journey undertaken by the explorers and contains artifacts from the tribes the men befriended along their journey. A canoe carved from the trunk of a large cottonwood demonstrates the winter preparations the expedition made while at Fort Mandan. Explore the full-size replica of the fort, which was the winter headquarters for the expedition in late 1804 and early 1805, and the birthplace of Jean Baptiste. The interpretive center features a collection of work by renowned artist Karl Bodmer, who chronicled the lives of Plains Indians and the Missouri River landscape. |