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History of the Dunn County Museum

One of the early goals of the Dunn County Historical Society was to establish a Dunn County Museum to collect artifacts and other visible forms of Dunn County history before priceless items left the county.  The first attempt was to establish the Dunn Center Public School as a museum.  Les and Dorothea Pelton donated a sum of money in 1984 for restoration to begin but the building required too much work.   The school was demolished after salvaging what could be saved, and in September 1985 a new steel building was erected on the site.  The museum was ready for the public in July 1986.  Had it not been for the generosity of Les and Dorothea when the museum was first established and for their later monetary donations to keep the museum operational, our “Historical Diamond of the Western Prairies”, as the museum is sometimes referred to, would not have been possible.  Many of the early items in the museum were also donated by the Peltons.  Their legacy lives on as many continue to visit the museum and enjoy the local history. 

Over the years, the museum has grown with the construction of a “Western Room” addition to the main museum, as well as a large separate machinery building.  This has been followed by construction on-site of a log cabin and homesteader’s shack.  The generous donations by Dorothy Galyen of her Iota School and by Larry Sample, of the Manning Bank building, are now showcased on the museum grounds. 

        The museum continues to grow, thanks to the ongoing support from many folks with a connection to Dunn County who have contributed the widely varied historic items we            display, as well as making financial donations that have helped us move forward.   We are thankful to these donors for recognizing the importance of our mission. If you are i          interested in donating items to the museum, please complete and submit the form in the “Contact Us” section of this website or call the museum at 701-548-8111. 

 Admission is free in 2023 for all visitors, thanks to a generous donation from Walter Steffen!

The Dunn County Historical Society

The predecessor to the current Historical Society was the Early Settlers Association, organized in 1957.  They published the first volume of county history, “Dauntless Dunn I” in 1970.  In 1976, the group was asked whether they would care to be reorganized into the Dunn County Historical Society.  The first unofficial meeting of the new group was held in the Normanna Church basement in Dunn Center in the winter of 1976, with 17 interested people in attendance.   The aim of the group was stated as follows: “A Society of private citizens interested in the history of Dunn County for the purpose of collecting records and material, and to co-operate with others around the state for this purpose.”  At the second meeting, they decided to organize the county by towns and old settlements and having histories of those communities put into a book.  Another idea was preserving the Dunn Center Public School as a museum.  It was soon decided they would plan to incorporate, and work was begun on by-laws and a constitution.  The final vote to approve incorporation and adopt the by-laws and constitution took place May 8, 1976.   

In the early years, special projects included the republishing of Dauntless Dunn I, the creation of a second volume, Dauntless Dunn II, in 1989; work on preservation of the Hutmacher Homestead Complex north of Fayette ( on the National Register of Historic Places); the preservation of the Iota School #5, placing monuments on the graves of two US Army soldiers who were killed in the Killdeer Mountain Conflict, and, last but certainly not least, the building of the Dunn County Museum in Dunn Center.   The Society became a 501 (c) 3 non-profit.

Membership in the Dunn County Historical Society includes people in all areas of North Dakota as well as many other states.  Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the history of Dunn County.  The Historical Society is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with a subcommittee overseeing the acceptance of items for the museum’s collection.

New members are always welcome – please see our “Membership” page on this website for more information. 

Current Board of Directors:                                                                              Current Museum Committee:
Sue Powers Hartman, President                                                                          Cathy Trampe, Chairperson
James Perhus, Vice President                                                                                            Karol Keller, Secretary
Verna Wolf, Treasurer                                                                                                           Carleen Dvorak
Dennis Anderson, Secretary                                                                                              Nola Hutchinson
Scott Lynch                                                                                                                              Deb Lancaster
Marcia Sickler                                                                                                                        Glenn Pederson                                                                                                 Andy Wilder                                                                                                                              Craig Pelton                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Susi Weisz