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Verendyre, North Dakota: David Thompson Monument

RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report

Address:
49th St. N., Verendyre, ND
Directions:
From US 2, take ND 14 south for 14 miles. Look on the right for the little green sign for Karlsruhe. Make a right, drive 8.5 miles on an unpaved road until it ends in a "T". The paved road to the left is tempting, but take the right, unpaved road. It bends sharply to the left after a mile. (Another unpaved road continues straight, but you don't want that). Follow for another five miles until you see a "Hill" sign. When you reach the top of the hill, the dirt track to the Monument will be to your left. (If you end up down in the valley, you've gone too far.) The dirt track is littered with rocks and gopher holes; take it slow.
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
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David Thompson Monument

The man who mapped North Dakota, honored in a very lonely spot by a five-foot diameter granite ball.

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David Thompson Monument.

David Thompson Monument

The David Thompson Monument stands in all its glory out in the middle of some farm land. It is housed in a large fenced-in area, kept quite nicely mowed. You have to really know where you are going to find this way-out-there monument. There are few signs down the many unpaved roads leading to the site. When you are there, you get the feeling that no one else has been there, other than the mower, for a very long time.

The inscription reads: "David Thompson, 1770-1857. Geographer and Astronomer. Near here in 1797 and 1798 on a scientific and trading expedition, he made the first map of the country which is now North Dakota and achieved many noteworthy discoveries in the Northwest."

[Vince A., 08/05/2011]

Nearby Offbeat Places

Plug Man holds Lightning BoltPlug Man holds Lightning Bolt, Velva, ND - 10 mi.
Scandinavian Heritage ParkScandinavian Heritage Park, Minot, ND - 26 mi.
Rusty the Giant TurtleRusty the Giant Turtle, Turtle Lake, ND - 42 mi.
In the region:
Zombie Golf Giant, Garrison, ND - 44 mi.

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