282 - A.M. Tofthagen Museum

In the heart of Lakota, stands the Tofthagen Library and Museum. A.M. Tofthagen was born in Hundorp, Norway in 1888. Like many Norweigians, he immigrated to North Dakota, but would remain a world traveler. In 1926, Tofthagen, a local merchant, donated $5,000 to build a library. This may not seem like much, but that amount is worth approximately $80,000 today!

The Library and Museum was designed with the Prairie School architecture style in mind. Most common in the midwest, the horizontal lines of Prairie School buildings echoed the wide, flat, treeless expanse of the northern prairie.

A.M. Tofthagen, a lifelong explorer, amassed quite a collection of interesting artifacts from his journeys. He contributed a multitude of books, paintings, and art objects from the far ends of the Earth to the little library in Lakota. Most notably, perhaps, is a peace pipe Mr. Tofthagen smoked with Sitting Bull in 1889. The Museum and Library also includes an invitation from 1904 of the first graduating class of Lakota High School and comprehensive scrapbooks and historical artifacts that share the rich history of the community.

This small but unique library was entered in the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 1991, in recognition of its contribution to the cultural heritage of North Dakota. In 2016, a new addition was built that doubled the space of the library/museum. Close attention was paid to design, materials and the history of the building while giving some updated features including hot water for the very first time.