Just north of the Missouri River, a dozen miles east of the Montana line, Williston (pop. 12,512) is a classic, just-big-enough, one-movie-theater town. Always a boom or bust kind of place, Williston revolves around the wheat-growing and oil-pumping industries, but the downtown area is an all-American scene straight out of Our Town.
Apart from filling the tank before a trip to Fort Union or farther afield, there’s not a lot to do in Williston except eat. Responding to an impromptu breakfast poll, locals will likely recommend Gramma Sharon’s (702/572-1412) as the eatery of choice; it’s located right on US-2 on the east edge of town—attached to a Conoco station, as most good cafés in the northern Great Plains seem to be. At the junction of US-2 and Hwy-85 is a Super 8 motel (701/572-8371), one of many highway motels offering decent rooms from under $40 a night.
