North Dakota's historic sites will finally have toilets that flush

Visitors to historical sites successful North Dakota volition soon person flush toilets available

BISMARCK, N.D. -- Lawrence Welk didn't person a flush toilet wherever helium grew up, but visitors to his puerility location successful agrarian North Dakota present do.

The bandleader’s puerility household home marks the latest measurement successful the State Historical Society of North Dakota’s astir completed extremity of installing flush toilets astatine its twelve astir popular, staffed sites. The astir caller success, with the last 3 planned to beryllium completed soon, came earlier the unveiling of a statue of Welk astatine a tract that draws fans who callback “The Lawrence Welk Show,” which ran connected TV for decades starting successful the 1950s.

The North Dakota group's extremity of replacing pit toilets with flush units whitethorn look similar a humble aspiration to some, but it's an important milestone, said Chris Dorfschmidt, a historical sites manager.

“A batch of our sites are benignant of successful the mediate of nowhere. As I similar to enactment it, past didn't hap wherever it's convenient,” helium said. “Because of that, if you've driven each the mode retired there, and that's the champion we tin bash to benignant of accommodate you, it's not the astir pleasant experience.”

North Dakota has 60 authorities historical sites — everything from museums and an underground atomic motorboat installation to plaques mounted connected boulders successful fields.

“All of our sites, they truly bash assistance stock a communicative of america arsenic a state,” Dorfschmidt said.

Two different facilities are slated to beryllium finished by June 30: astatine Whitestone Hill, the tract of a deadly 1863 onslaught by U.S. troops against Native Americans; and Fort Buford, a subject fort adjacent the Missouri-Yellowstone stream confluence.

The Historical Society besides is eyeing the Chateau de Mores for flush toilets. The affluent Marquis de Mores built the 26-room location successful 1883 adjacent Medora, a present-day tourer municipality successful the state's scenic Badlands wherever a young President Theodore Roosevelt erstwhile roamed.

Less-visited sites that aren't staffed apt won't person a restroom upgrade, which costs astir $150,000 each.

At the Welk Homestead, astir 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) southeast of Bismarck, workers matched the colour strategy of the restroom to the location and workplace buildings, including interior colors.

“We made it to acceptable into the tract and harmonize with the tract and conscionable beryllium a pleasant portion of the experience,” Historic Sites Manager Rob Hanna said.

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