Heritage Center Expansion Efforts
The expansion of the North Dakota Heritage Center was proposed more than 30 years ago, when the original designs were developed for the state's largest museum and headquarters for the state's history agency. It was projected that collections space for artifacts and exhibit spaces would become full—and they did, and expansion efforts began.
Exhibits in the original gallery told the story of North Dakota up to the late 1930s—leaving the Great Depression as the most current tale of the people of our state. Another 70 years of additional history needed to be shared with our children, citizens and visitors. New exhibit spaces tell the story of our emerging industries—coal, gas, wind power, agriculture processing, manufacturing and technology. Exhibits also detail the story of our First Peoples and explore Geological Time and dinosaurs, as well as showcase a temporary gallery for touring exhibits and a theater.
This exciting new facility now under construction will make the North Dakota Heritage Center the "Smithsonian of the Plains" and the "hub of history" for our state. Historic sites and major attractions and landscapes are highlighted for visitors enticing them to move across the state in search of further "legendary adventures."
