Monday, July 31, 2017, Bismarck, ND
Day 81

An early start to try to beat the heat. We visited the Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. The park includes the Custer House and Mandan Indian On-A-Slant Village. The Mandans, an agricultural tribe, occupied this place from the middle 1500's until 1781. The village had over 80 round earthlodges and there were some replicas in the park. In 1781, smallpox hit the tribe and 4 of every 5 died forcing the survivors to move north. The Lewis & Clark Expedition camped nearby and noted the abandoned village in their journals in 1804. Our guided tour was very informative. We also had a guided tour of the house Custer and his wife occupied. It was from this Fort that Custer and the 7th Cavalry departed on their way to the fateful battle of Little Bighorn. The house is a replica as were several other buildings of the Fort such as the barracks and commissary. An interesting morning which did beat the heat somewhat. Temp reached 96 today but the locals kept stating that it was a dry heat.  Yeah, so is my oven! In the afternoon, we had a guided tour of the State Capitol, the tallest building in the state at 19 stories, 241 feet and 8 inches tall. Built in 1932-1934 after the original burned down in 1930. The 19th floor is an indoor observation deck which on this clear day we could see for 35 miles in every direction. The legislature meets only 80 days every other year. In 134 years, they have only had 15 special sessions. If only Florida could be more like that, meaning less time legislating! The Supreme Court and its 5 members are also housed here and is the only state appellate court. It handles about 300 cases a year. Justices are elected to 10 year terms with no limits. The current Chief Justice has been on the court for 36 years and is 84 years old, a record for any state justice in the country. Perhaps the state may rethink term limits. And an interesting statement by our guide that the trees in North Dakota were all planted. I guess the telephone pole really can be the State tree! Dinner in the coach while a hail storm was outside. Fortunately, only large marble size and no damage incurred although a bit noisy.