Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park

State: North Dakota. Type: state park in Morton County, about 7 miles south of Mandan. Size: 836.47 acres, elevation 1,700 feet. Site of the reconstructed Fort McKeen/Fort Abraham Lincoln military post (built 1872) and the reconstructed On-A-Slant Mandan Village. Land transferred to the state by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 to create the park. Daily vehicle entrance fee: $7 (per 2026 search results).

Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park sits on the Missouri River about seven miles south of Mandan, layering two distinct chapters of North Dakota history on one site. The Mandan people built an earth-lodge village here, known today as On-A-Slant Village, around 1575, home to an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 residents until a smallpox epidemic around 1781 forced survivors to relocate. Three centuries after the village was founded, the U.S. Army built Fort McKeen here in 1872, renaming it Fort Abraham Lincoln later that year and expanding it into a cavalry post; Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and his wife Libbie lived at the fort from 1873 until his death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. President Theodore Roosevelt transferred the land to North Dakota in 1907, and it has been a state park ever since, with reconstructed earth lodges, military buildings, and a 1989 replica of Custer's house now open to visitors alongside camping and river-valley trails.

The park is located in Morton County, North Dakota, roughly 7 miles south of Mandan on the west bank of the Missouri River, a short drive from Bismarck across the river.

The park shares south-central North Dakota's humid continental climate: cold, snowy winters and warm summers. Outdoor sites, including the reconstructed village and fort buildings, are most comfortable to explore between late spring and early fall.

Late spring through early fall is the recommended window, since it aligns with the park's staffed visitor season, living-history and guided tours of the reconstructed buildings, and the most comfortable weather for walking the grounds along the river.

The Mandan tribe settled this stretch of the Missouri River around 1575, building an earth-lodge village of roughly 86 lodges housing 1,000 to 1,500 people; a smallpox outbreak around 1781 devastated the population and forced survivors north. Three centuries later, the U.S. Army's 6th Infantry built Fort McKeen on the bluffs above the river in June 1872; it was renamed Fort Abraham Lincoln that November and expanded to house cavalry, including the 7th Cavalry under Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, who lived here with his wife Libbie from 1873 until his death in 1876. Custer's original house, built in 1873, burned down in February 1874; the house visitors see today is a 1989 reproduction built for North Dakota's statehood centennial. President Theodore Roosevelt transferred the land to the state in 1907, creating the park that preserves both the reconstructed military fort and the reconstructed On-A-Slant Village today.

Visitors can tour the reconstructed earth lodges of On-A-Slant Village, walk through the rebuilt military buildings of Fort Abraham Lincoln (including the 1989 reproduction of Custer's house), and browse the Five Nations Art Gallery. The park also offers camping, hiking, and river-valley scenery, with living-history and guided tours running during the staffed visitor season.

Key sites include On-A-Slant Village's reconstructed Mandan earth lodges, the reconstructed Fort Abraham Lincoln military buildings, the 1989 replica of Custer's house, and the Five Nations Art Gallery and visitor center.

The park is about a 15-20 minute drive from Bismarck or Mandan via local roads, with Bismarck Municipal Airport the nearest airport to the wider Bismarck-Mandan area. A personal or rental vehicle is the practical way to reach the park, which sits outside the urban core.

General park hours run from 7 a.m. to sunset, per search-sourced park information; specific buildings such as the Custer House replica, On-A-Slant Village and the visitor center operate on their own seasonal, staffed hours, typically in the warmer months. Confirm current hours on parkrec.nd.gov before visiting, since the official fees-and-hours page could not be directly fetched for this entry.

As of research, the daily vehicle park entrance fee was $7, with separate interpretive passes required to tour the historic fort buildings and Mandan Village beyond the general entrance fee; camping fees ranged roughly $15-70 per night depending on site type, and horse passes were required per horse for equestrian visitors. Confirm current fees on parkrec.nd.gov, since this information came from search results rather than a direct fetch of the official fee page.

Plan at least two to three hours to tour both On-A-Slant Village and the fort buildings; a half-day or more allows time for hiking, the art gallery, and a more relaxed pace, and overnight camping extends a visit further.

The park operates its own campground with camping and cabin-style facilities. Beyond the park, the wider Bismarck-Mandan metro area, about a 15-20 minute drive away, offers a full range of chain hotels for visitors who prefer not to camp.

The park itself is primarily a camping and historic-site destination rather than a dining hub; visitors typically bring their own food for camping or drive into nearby Mandan or Bismarck for restaurant dining.

Mandan and Bismarck, on either side of the Missouri River a short drive away, offer the North Dakota State Capitol, the Dakota Zoo, and the wider Bismarck-Mandan urban attractions as easy pairings with a park visit.

Bismarck Municipal Airport is the nearest commercial airport, serving the wider Bismarck-Mandan area; a personal or rental car is needed to reach the park itself, since it sits outside the cities' urban core.

Watch footing on uneven ground around the reconstructed earth lodges and fort buildings, and supervise children near the riverbank. Horse riders need a horse pass in addition to the standard entrance fee, per park rules. For any emergency, dial 911.

Comfortable walking shoes for the grounds, sunscreen and water for warm-weather visits, and camping gear if staying overnight, since sites require separate camping fees from the general entrance fee.

Combine a visit with a stop in Mandan or Bismarck to round out a full day of Missouri River-area history. Check current entrance and interpretive-tour fees on the official parkrec.nd.gov site before visiting, since a direct fetch of the fees-and-hours page was not successful for this write-up and figures here rely on secondary search sources.

Dial 911 for any emergency. For park-specific inquiries, contact North Dakota Parks and Recreation via parkrec.nd.gov.

North Dakota Parks and Recreation - Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park - https://www.parkrec.nd.gov/fort-abraham-lincoln-state-park

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.

This section is being updated and will be available shortly.