Each month, the club will read a different book engaging the history of the region and later meet at the Fort Buford State Historic Site to discuss the book. The clubs' inaugural meeting will be held at 2 p.m. (CST) on Sunday, Feb, 10 in the Enlisted Barracks of Fort Buford State Historic Site. The meeting is free, and refreshments will be served.
Mark Sundlov, Fort Buford Historic Site Supervisor, says they are trying to reach as wide an audience as possible and generate interest in history and the Site.
The Site plans to host two to three different events per month, including concerts and other events.
"We are going to do various history presentations and provide people in the local community with activities to do," Sundlov says, "And especially at this time of year this is important. We will also be bringing in a few different scholarly guests to add to the program. Richard Stenberg will be a guest speaker as well as North Dakota resident Carla Kelly, who will discuss her book and tie her material into Women's History Month in March." Stenberg, a History Professor at Williston State College and Park Ranger at the Fort Union Trading Post, will lead this month's discussion and be available to provide additional insight to help readers understand the historical context of the book.
In recognition of February as Black History Month, the book club will read "The Black Infantry in the West 1869-1891" by Arlen L. Fowler, which can be purchased at Books on Broadway or the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center. The book examines the role of the Black Infantry units, the 24th and 25th Infantry Regiments, in the West during the Indian Wars.
Critical to the history of Fort Buford, the 25th Infantry, which was an all Black regiment, arrived at the Fort on July 21, 1891, and the 10th Cavalry, another all Black regiment, arrived there on May 5, 1892. From their arrival until the Fort's closure in October 1895, these two units, commonly called Buffalo Soldiers, comprised the majority of the force at Fort Buford. When the Fort closed in October 1895, the 25th and 10th were the only regiments posted there.
During Women's History Month in March, the book club will read and discuss author Carla Kelly's "Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army." Kelly has authored over 40 books and short stories, and has also served as a Park Ranger at the Fort Union Trading Post.
Former Chief Historian for the National Park Service Robert Utley has said that Kelly "knows the history of the frontier army, and she knows how to craft delightful stories."
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