By Kylie Blanchard
Clearwater Communications
Exerpt from the "North Dakota Horizons" magazine
Fall 2009
Old Red/Old Ten Scenic Byway
This stretch of the once frequently traveled Highway 10 is back on the map as the latest North Dakota Scenic Byway. Officially opened on July 4th of this year, the roadway boasts a rich history as well as an eclectic collection of small towns and tourist sites.
Originally traveled by foot, horse and wagons as the Fort Keogh Trail, the route became the Red Trail in the early 1900s as part of a national roadway between Seattle and New York. In 1923, the roadway was designated N.D. State Highway 3, and shortly after, Highway 3 was joined with U.S. Highway 10. In 1977, the present day Interstate 94 was completed to run parallel to this route.
The leisureliness of highway travel soon gave way to the time constraints of modern day, and the Interstate became the main means of traveling across the state. This left small towns along the highway without the visitors and business revenue the roadway drew to their main streets.
But a group of dedicated community members volunteered their time to bring byway designation and attention to this stretch of roadway with the hopes of again boosting the small towns along the route. Beginning on Mandan's Main Street and ending in Dickinson, travelers also have the opportunity to visit New Salem, Almont, Glen Ullin, Hebron, Schnell Recreation Area, Richardton, Taylor and Gladstone.
The Old Red/Old Ten Scenic Byway received its designation through the volunteer efforts of the members of the Old Red Trail Committee. Robin Reynolds, a Hebron resident and business owner, brought the group together as a means of helping the small towns along the route. "We all understand around here what the Interstate did to Main Streets in small towns," she says. "I have a roadside pottery business in Hebron and I used to lay awake at night wondering how I could get these people off the Interstate about two miles away."
With the encouragement of the Hebron Economic Development Corporation, she soon found many committee volunteers. "We are composed of nine towns," says Reynolds. "With such a large and spread out group it took a while to complete the information and the extensive application."
The process took two and a half years, but Reynolds says it was well worth the effort. "We saw this as a way to increase community pride and bring people into our small towns."
Joel Johnson, an Almont resident, also volunteered his time on the Old Red Trail Committee. "We just hope that some of the people will try to travel this way," he says. "It's a really interesting route and there are a lot of things along the trail that people will want to see."
Highlights of the trail include Mandan's Fort Abraham Lincoln; New Salem's world's largest Holstein cow, Salem Sue; Sims Church and Parsonage (visited by then-First Lady Laura Bush in 2008); Glen Ullin's Crossroads golf course; Hebron's Dacotah Clayworks; Schnell Recreation Area's 2,000 acres of open land; Richardton's Abbey; Taylor's Art Depot; Gladstone's Gateway to the Enchanted Highway; and Dickinson's Dinosaur Museum.
"It's just a little over a hundered miles," says Johnson. "If you wanted to, you could take a day to see everything."
"We hope it brings a lot more business to some of these towns," says Johnson. "Stop into a small town and see what small town life was like."
Johnson says the Old Red/Old Ten Scenic Byway is also an ideal place to see the beauty of the state. "You see a lot of rural North Dakota on this travel."
The Byway also offers a relaxing drive to take in the colors of autumn. "The fall color tour is particularly strong between Mandan and Almont," says Reynolds. "It's a good route for people who like to get off the Interstate and enjoy the 'old blacktop' highway experience."
