Great River Energy's Coal Creek Tour

Population (Bismarck – 72,865, Mandan – 22,228, area total: 95,000+) Sister cities sprang up in the late 1880s when the transcontinental railroad was built. Bismarck – born when the Northern Pacific Railroad reached the east bank of t... Read more

The concrete used to rebuild Interstate 94, which under construction, and other concrete roads in this area, is made using fly ash, a valuable by-product from the coal generation process at Coal Creek Station. The use of  fly ash, to repla... Read more

As you look to your left, you will see a alternating current transmission line. This goes from the Garrison Dam (Owned by Western Area Power Administration) and ties into the grid near Watertown SD. You will follow it all the way to Coal ... Read more

Agriculture is a vital economic force in North Dakota. About 90 percent of the state’s land is used for agriculture, totaling 40 million acres devoted to farming and ranching. Additionally, 24 percent of the state’s population is employ... Read more

The transmission line going over U.S. highway 83 is an alternating current line and goes from Minnkota Power Cooperative's Milton R. Young Station about 10 miles west of this point (on the other side of the Missouri River) to near Grand For... Read more

The transmission line that crosses the highway at this point is Minnesota Power's direct current transmission line that travels from Oliver County (west of the Missouri River) to just south of Duluth. Minnesota Power uses this line to trans... Read more

General Information Wilton I -  49.5 megawatts, began commercial operation in 2006. Wilton II - 49.5 megawatts, began commercial operation in 2009. Owned by NextEra Energy The wind farm is very efficient at about 40+ percent.   ...

General W.D. Washburn formed the town in 1899, and a railroad in 1900. Original Soo Line Depot is on National Register of Historic Places – unusual construction – upper story is shaped like an oriental pagoda. It is thought that the wi... Read more

If you look to the northwest, about 20 miles away, you can see Coal Creek Station. Also, sometimes you are able to see the Falkirk Mine's two draglines on the horizon, one to the left of the plant and one to the right. The power plant to th... Read more

The alternating current power line that crosses U.S. highway 83 is new, built by Minnkota Power Cooperative and operational in 2015. It runs from the Milton R. Young Station to Grand Forks, N.D.

North Dakota highway 1804 is so named because that is the year that the Lewis & Clark Expedition traveled into North Dakota, before spending the winter at Fort Mandan just west of Washburn, N.D. A highway on the other side of the Missou... Read more

Long before there were scenic byways, there was the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark took it to the Rocky Mountains, and eventually the West Coast, and back home. Today, you can travel along the water route and see an array of attractions ... Read more

Population: The Washburn Airport has a fully paved concrete runway that is 60-feet wide by 3,700 feet long. The base of the runway includes fly ash from Stanton Station. The fly ash helps stabilize the base. The Sioux Ferry – located alon... Read more

The Lewis & Clark Interpretative Center provides an overview of the Lewis & Clark Expedition with a special emphasis on the time spent at Fort Mandan during the winter of 1804-05. If you ever travel to North Dakota with family and f... Read more