Military Gallery Caravan Visits Mountrail County
The State Historical Society of North Dakota Foundation has been conducting a statewide outreach tour with the Military Gallery Caravan. The tour was set to visit 48 communities across the state in April with Foundation Director Dale Lennon sharing the vision and progress of the new Military Gallery addition at the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum in Bismarck. The Military Gallery under construction on the State Capitol grounds will honor the service and sacrifice of North Dakotans who serve and have served in the United States Armed Forces.
Last week, the tour made stops in Mountrail County including the Memorial Building in Stanley on Tuesday, Apr. 21 and the Veterans Affairs Building in New Town on Wednesday, Apr. 22.
Lennon said that the stop in Stanley was number 29 of the 48 stops. Stops across the state were coordinated through legislative districts with legislators in those districts helping select the communities for the stops.
Ground was broken last summer on the construction phase of the military gallery, which will honor North Dakota’s contribution to military history. Lennon’s presentation begins with a video of the history of service and the veterans that are part of the legacy this gallery will honor.
This addition to the heritage center will walk through military service in North Dakota. The goal is to honor, educate and inspire, with Lennon saying that legendary service deserves legendary support. Those three words are why Lennon says that he is making these stops across the state. While he did not serve, he comes from a military family and this is his way to honor them. The military gallery will honor service, educate the public and inspire future generations.
In addition to the military gallery, construction includes a regimental room that can be an event center. The addition will include a full service restaurant, courtyard, amphitheater and restaurant patio.
Once completed, this addition will create a new entry to the heritage center to balance how guests travel throughout the center.
As he continued his presentation, Lennon talked about the way this new facility will become a destination place, a place to host events on capital grounds with the regimental room. The military gallery will contain ten content zones, including an introductory theater, zones that recognize the western frontier pre-statehood, the forts across the state, and the Native American section from those early days.
Another section will house the newly acquired nuclear minuteman missile. Another section at the base of that missile will house control panels.
Other areas will pay tribute to the Spanish-American War, Philippines Insurrection, Vietnam, the Middle East Conflicts, and the work on the North Dakota National Guard. It will pay tribute to the work of the military in North Dakota, including their service to Grand Forks during the flood and firefighting aid.
The goal is to open the new gallery in September of 2027. Lennon says there is a lot of work still to be done. That includes going through the items they have for display and acquiring new items. They want to facilitate the sharing of personal stories. That includes letters and personal items if they exist. The stories behind the artifacts are important and part of what they are looking for as they accept more items for the museum.
Financial contributions are also being accepted. There are various giving levels, including ways for families to remember and honor those who have served.
For more information about the Military Gallery Caravan or the Military Gallery project, visit www.statehistoricalfoundation.org or contact Dale Lennon at 701-471-4014 or dale@statehistoricalfoundation.org.