Pembina State Museum

02/18/2026

We will be Closed today due to the ongoing icy conditions and No Travel Advisory. We will be open our regular hours on Thursday.

02/07/2026

Thank you, Eva and Katt Robinson of Diva Dog Racing, for coming to the museum and presenting about all things dog racing! We learned a great deal and enjoyed meeting Forest! Our next research deep dive is going to be about the 1917 Red River Derby, which no one here had ever heard of, amazing stuff!

01/08/2026

On this day in 1814, on the south side of the Pembina River at Fort Daer, former Captain of the Queen’s Rangers, Governor of Assiniboia, and Superintendent for the Red River Colony Miles McDonnell signs into law the Pemmican Proclamation, which is the inciting act that started the Pemmican War.

The Selkirk settlers, who had first landed in the territory in 1812, suffered several years of drought and neglect. The promised arrival of more immigrants was delayed and wanting to save what little grain they had produced for the next year’s planting, the Selkirk settlers retreated to Pembina.

There first year in the Red River Valley went similarly. The settlers retreated to Pembina to survive the winter, where they built a fort on the south side of the river, opposite the North West Company, whose employees hosted the settlers with kindness in the winter of 1812-1813. By the following winter, however, the mood had soured, and the Selkirk settlers were threatened and harassed. Unable to hunt due to the increased hostility, and with no other options, Superintendent McDonnell had to act.

The Pemmican Proclamation was signed in an effort to alleviate the settler’s hardships and provide food for the colony. The Proclamation forbade the transportation of pemmican or any other food from the territory of Assiniboia for one year in the hopes that there would be enough food for the incoming settlers that spring. This enraged the North West Company who already saw the presence of the settlers as a threat, and now believed the proclamation was a ploy to starve out their wintering partners outside of the territory. That summer, to further secure food, McDonnell forbade the running of buffalo by horse in order to keep the herds close to the colony. This enraged the natives and the Métis especially, whose livelihood depended on hunting buffalo.

These two proclamations sparked conflict which resulted in the death of Governor Semple, who replaced McDonnel after he was arrested and transported to Montreal, and many other settlers at Seven Oaks in 1816 and is ultimately responsible for the end of the North West Company. The Hudson’s Bay Company absorbed the North West Company in 1821. McDonnell, for his part, was captured by NWC employees in 1815 and taken to Montreal to stand trial for the charge of stealing pemmican, though he never actually faced a judge. But on a cold January day in 1814, the proclamation was a promise to the hungry and destitute settlers that things would get better.

01/07/2026

We have snowshoes available to use!

As part of a statewide initiative "Snowshoe the State", The Pembina State Museum, along with the State Library, North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, and other historic sites, has snowshoes that you can check out. There's no charge to check them out, but they are first come, first served. You can check them out for up to three days by stopping by the museum and asking about them at the front desk. Use them at any of the local parks or trails or just try them out at the museum. We've got snow drifts a-plenty to walk on! Be sure to dress warm!

More information and specifics about where else you can get snowshoes can be found at:

State Historical Society of North Dakota Events Snowshoe the State

12/30/2025

The Pembina State Museum will be closed tomorrow, December 31st, and Thursday, January 1st for the New Year. Happy new year and we'll see you all in 2026!

12/23/2025

The Pembina State Museum will be closed tomorrow, December 24th, and Thursday, December 25th for the Christmas Holiday. We hope to see you on Friday if you're in town and we hope everyone has a merry Christmas!

12/18/2025

Due to severe weather and an ongoing No Travel advisory, the museum will be closed today, December 18th.

12/02/2025

Adventures In Archaeology: What Does An Archaeologist Do?

First hint: We do not look for dinosaurs.

Paleontologists study dinosaurs and other fossils. (We regularly ask NDGS Paleontology questions about fossils.)

Second hint: We do not hunt for treasure.

This is often how archaeologists are depicted in movies, television shows, and books. They are usually searching for rare treasures that will make them rich and famous (think Indiana Jones). And when they find the treasure, they grab it and run. A real archaeologist doesn’t do that.

So what does an archaeologist do?

Read the full blog article to find out!
https://blog.statemuseum.nd.gov/what-does-archaeologist-do.

11/26/2025

The Pembina State Museum will be closed tomorrow, November 27th and Friday, November 28th for the holiday.

But there’s still a chance to come and visit us as we will be open on Saturday, the 29th!

Join us on and shop in our store for 10% off all items (excluding clearance)!

We will also be hosting holiday crafts! Come in and make Christmas tree decorations and enjoy some hot chocolate and cookies on us!

We hope everyone has a fantastic and we look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday!

10/07/2025

This past Saturday, we had the pleasure of accompanying State Historical Society of North Dakota Director Bill Peterson to the town of Neche to attend the dedication of the Henry Gurke Highway. Bill was traveling in the company of PFC Gurke's Medal of Honor, which was put on display along with other pieces honoring the memory and sacrifice of Henry Gurke.

State Highway 18 south of Neche was rededicated as the PFC Henry Gurke Memorial Highway by House Bill 1212 this past legislative session. A dedication was held in the Neche firehall which was well attended by locals, politicians, and Gurke family members.

PFC Henry Gurke was the first Medal of Honor recipient from North Dakota during the Second World War. Henry enlisted with the marines in 1942 and in 1943 was sent to Bougainville where he met the enemy. While fighting off a Japanese attack PFC Gurke threw himself on top of a gr***de that landed in his foxhole, thus saving the life of his fellow marine holding the position with him. For his sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Roosevelt. Following is the full text of his Medal of Honor citation:

“For extraordinary heroism and courage above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the Third Marine Raider Battalion during action against the enemy Japanese Forces in the Solomon Islands area on November 9, 1943. While his platoon was engaged in the defense of a vital road block near Empress Augusta Bay on Bougainville Island, Private First Class Gurke, in company with another Marine, was delivering a fierce stream of fire against the main vanguard of the Japanese. Concluding from the increasing ferocity of gr***de barrages that the enemy was determined to annihilate their shallow, two-man foxhole, he resorted to a bold and desperate measure for holding out despite the torrential hail of shells. When a Japanese gr***de dropped squarely into the foxhole, Private First Class Gurke, mindful that his companion manned an automatic weapon of superior fire power and therefore could provide more effective resistance, thrust him roughly aside and flushing his own body over the missile to smother the explosion. With unswerving devotion to duty and superb valor, Private First Class Gurke sacrificed himself in order that his comrade might live to carry on the fight. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country.”

09/05/2025

There's a chill in the air and the first leaves are beginning to change. With the change in the season, the Pembina State Museum will be changing over to our winter schedule. Beginning this weekend, we will be closed Sundays and Mondays until spring. Our hours for the season will be Tuesday through Saturday, 9am to 5pm. That still leaves plenty of opportunity to stop by for a visit and see the changing colors for yourself from our seven-story observation tower!