WHAT PEOPLE SAY
"History made easy"
Visitors can “Experience The Story” at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot by calling a phone number, downloading a mobile app or visiting a website.
The ways to “experience the story” are posted on Talking Trail signs near various exhibits.
Don Larson, president of the air museum board, said the Talking Trail signs were placed by about 20 exhibits inside and outside the museum this spring.
He said those who have used the information on the signs have had favorable comments about it.
For example, to “Experience the Story” a visitor calls the phone number on the sign by the F-15, then enters a three-digit Talking Points number listed on the sign. The visitor then will hear about the F-15 and air museum volunteers who have restored the plane and other planes in the exhibit.
Visitors also can download a mobile app or visit the Talking Trails website at www.talkingtrails.com.
Talking Trail signs are also located at other facilities in the state.
Downtown Bismarck Talking Trail Art Tour
https://www.kfyrtv.com/video/2021/04/27/talking-trail/
Visitors also can download a mobile app or visit the Talking Trails website at www.talkingtrails.com.
Talking Trail signs are also located at other facilities in the state. The next step is securing funding for the project.
“We’re excited about our two initial opportunities, through the Capital City Christmas grant and their focus on art in our community. We’re hopeful there will be some funding coming from that grant,” said Leadership Bismarck-Mandan student Weston Dressler.
Group members say they will also reach out to other companies for donations.
"...Listen to the memories recollected of Travis Hafner and Darin Erstad as they reminisce about what it was like to play here as a kid..."
Talking Trail has 4 Talking Points at the Jack Brown Stadium in Jamestown, ND!
“It is our hope that people can come to places like Jack Brown Stadium and listen to the memories recollected of Travis Hafner and Darin Erstad as they reminisce about what it was like to play here as a kid,” Swedlund said. “In this same location, we hear about the famous Negro baseball leagues and their connections to Jamestown and North Dakota.”
"History Comes to Life on the Jamestown Talking Trail"
"Listen to true stories about Jamestown
Uncover the legends and lore of Jamestown, North Dakota in a way you’ll never experience in history books. Just follow the Jamestown Talking Trail, an interactive self-guided audio tour consisting of about 70 stops, where you can hear fascinating stories and first-hand interviews at historic sites and attractions across town.
You can time travel to the days when herds of majestic buffalo thundered across the open plains or when adventurous pioneers made their way West to start new lives in unsettled territory. This trail of “talking points” features stops throughout the community, each with a Talking Trail post marker that denotes the stop number and provides the telephone number visitors can call to hear stories right from their own cellphone.
Many of the talking points are located within Frontier Village, an Old West town assembled from original 1800s buildings, where you’ll find Wild West “shoot outs” and stagecoach and pony rides. Other trail talking points are scattered throughout downtown Jamestown, public parks, campgrounds and even in nearby Wimbledon.
Hear little-known tales about world famous Western storyteller and Jamestown native Louis L’Amour at the Alfred Dickey Public Library and the Historic Franklin School. Listen to stories from beloved sports stars, such as baseball legends Darin Erstad and Travis Hafner, when you stop by the talking point at the Jack Brown Stadium. Visit the talking point at the National Buffalo Museum, home to a live herd of buffalo, including a rare white buffalo named Dakota Miracle. At Jamestown Reservoir’s campground, hear campfire stories that will ignite your imagination. From the backstory of the World’s Largest Buffalo Monument to the hilarious calamities of 1800s gambler and gunslinger “Limpy Jack” Clayton, these stops along the Jamestown Talking Trail bring colorful characters and local history to life.
Pick out your must-see stops along the Jamestown Talking Trail, and uncover the secret tales of the North Dakota prairie by calling in at 701-712-9329."
Talking Trail finishes 70 sites
After more than a year of work, the Talking Trail project is completed with 70 sites ready for use in the Jamestown area and at Wimbledon, according to Jamestown Tourism.
The Talking Trail project allows visitors to hear 2-minute audio stories about the specific locations or other community history by cellphone.
At a particular site, callers can dial (701) 712-9329, enter the three-digit code posted on a sign at the site, followed by the pound key to hear the story of that site. “It’s been a fantastic project and we are thrilled to finally be able to share it,” said Searle Swedlund, Jamestown Tourism executive director.
Twelve sites are located around the National Buffalo Museum. They tell the stories of the American bison, its near extinction and recovery, and its role in Native American culture. “Talking Trail is a great improvement to tourism in Jamestown and it especially helps make visits to the museum a richer experience for people when they have a little more interactivity with the objects that they are looking at,” said Ilana Xinos, National Buffalo Museum executive director.
"Talking Trail will help bring more visitors out to Wimbledon..."
“Talking Trail will just help bring more visitors out to Wimbledon to experience the story of the Midland Railroad and Peggy Lee in a little more depth,” said Mary Beth Orn, depot committee member. “We are just thrilled to help bring tourism out here to Wimbledon.” Orr is the voice on the Talking Trail recording for Wimbledon. She hopes the recordings will encourage people who dial in remotely to visit the museum.
Some of the stories are not specifically tied to a landmark. These sites are labeled “stories around a campfire” and are located at two campgrounds.
Swedlund said Jack Brown Stadium was selected for the ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday as an example of how Talking Trail helps people learn more about the significant but lesser-known heritage of the community.
“It is our hope that people can come to places like Jack Brown Stadium and listen to the memories recollected of Travis Hafner and Darin Erstad as they reminisce about what it was like to play here as a kid,” Swedlund said. “In this same location, we hear about the famous Negro baseball leagues and their connections to Jamestown and North Dakota.”
Talking Trail could not have succeeded without the work of local historians such as Keith Norman, Mary Young, Charlie Kourajian, Bruce Berg and others who have helped preserve the past, Swedlund said. The stories they have preserved can now be accessible to anyone with a cellphone.
“As a community we are blessed to have amateur historians -- guardians of the past -- collecting and archiving history for generations to enjoy and appreciate,” he said. The next phase will be to identify more sites by having people step forward with stories and locations to consider, Swedlund said.