Cross-river sibling to the state capital, Mandan (pop. 16,718) is a shipping and warehousing center that grew up swiftly in the years after 1882, when the Northern Pacific railroad completed a bridge from Bismarck. Everything in Mandan, from cafés to beauty parlors, seems to be named after Lewis and Clark—apart from the string of windowless, cowboy-themed beer bars along Main Street (choose among Silver Dollar Lounge, the Buckhorn Bar, and a number of others). The main things to see in Mandan are two statues, one a 25-foot-tall Indian figure carved from a cottonwood tree, standing at 601 S.E. 6th Avenue, the other the requisite Teddy Roosevelt, in front of the train station on Main Street; these aside, the real reason to stop in Mandan is to enjoy a sandwich and a milk shake (or a rare cup of espresso!) at the lunch counter of the truly marvelous Americana-rich Mandan Drug (daily; 701/663-5900) at 316 W. Main Street.
Mandan marks the beginning of the wild western United States, and for a quick trip back to the 1880s, when the Northern Pacific Railroad made its epic push across the Great Plains, visit the North Dakota State Railroad Museum (daily 1–5 pm; 701/663-9322), at 3102 37th Street NW. In addition to a wide array of old railroad photographs, the museum includes restored cabooses, boxcars, tankers, and flatcars from the Soo, Great Northern, and Burlington Northern lines. Model railroad enthusiasts will also enjoy the display of 200 different model hopper cars, and a miniature train sometimes carries passengers.
