Learn about the history of the Shoshone translator who aided Lewis and Clark, see Knife River Indian Villages and National Historic Site, and great scenery.
The Sakakawea Trail is 115 miles, beginning in Washburn and finishing in Grassy Butte. Majority of the drive is on Route 200A and Route 200. The journey starts just south of the 178-mile-long Lake Sakakawea. Start this momentous drive by taking a brief side trip and drive west from Washburn on Route 17 to Fort Mandan, where the explorers Clark and Lewis wintered. It was during the winter of 1804-1805, while residing at Fort Mandan, that the explorers added Toussaint Charbonneau and his wife to their group as translators. Charbonneau’s wife, a young Shoshone christened Sakakawea, provided priceless assistance as a translator to Clark and Lewis for several years. As you tour this part of the country, you can find many places named after the Shoshone translator, as well as Lake Sakakawea. Read more . . .
Killdeer to New Town on Route 22 is about 95 miles and takes 2 hours, that is, if you don’t stop. Starting in Killdeer, head north on Route 22 to the Killdeer Battlefield State Historic Site. In 1864 (July 28) , it was at this location that a battle was fought between troops commanded by General Alfred Sully and the Sioux Indians. General Sully’s 2,200 troops, with the help of artillery batteries, destroyed the Sioux Indian village with a reported 6,000 warriors. Sully lost 5 soldiers with Sioux losses totaling between 100-150 Native Americans; there is a symbol on the location. 
Are you hungry for some history and a relaxing brief drive? The Kathryn Road drive from Valley City to Fort Ransom State Park is a short 42-mile trip, which is filled with history of the early settlers to the place. The starting point, Valley City, is fifty miles west of Fargo.
U.S. 20 from Gordon to Crawford puts you through Nebraska’s Pine Ridge Country. The 67-mile trip takes about 1-1/2 hours non-stop. The scenery of the Great Plains on a Nebraska drive is some of the best anywhere in the entire United States.
It seems everything in Nebraska is along straight lines, and you only have very few curves in this tour. It is scenic, though, as you follow The Oregon Trail and the North Platte River much of the way. Begin your drive in Ogallala and head northwest on U.S. 26 for 129 miles to Scottsbluff. Ogallala used to be the terminus for the famous Texas cattle drives, so its history is full of rowdiness. There is a scenic Boot Hill Cemetery on 10th Street. Ash Hollow State Park, 3 miles before Lewellen, has some fascinating rock formations and is the sight of the first battle of the Indian Wars in 1854 (Bluewater Battlefield). Chimney Rock National Historic Site marked the end of the grasslands for the Oregonians on their trek west. It is now brightly illuminated at night (What progress!).