WILLISTON — The public is invited to the Fort Buford Sixth Infantry Annual Encampment on Saturday and Sunday, July 12-13, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at Fort Buford State Historic Site near Williston, according to the North Dakota State Historical Society. All ages are welcome to this free event, and children must be accompanied by an adult.

“This immersive, hands-on experience connects visitors with the stories and lifeways of those who lived and served at Fort Buford,” said Outreach Coordinator Cheyenne Teal in a news release. “Events like this bring history off the page and into real life in a powerful way.”

Discover the routines, traditions and challenges of fort life by attending historical reenactments, drills, and demonstrations. In addition to scheduled demonstrations, fort life activities will run throughout the day. Observe water detail, wood cutting detail, barracks cleaning, uniform upkeep and polishing, and Army laundress demonstrations.

According to the historical society, Fort Buford State Historic Site was one of several military posts established to protect overland and river routes used by immigrants settling the West. While it served an essential role as the sentinel on the northern Plains from 1866-1895, it is best known as the place where Hunkpapa Lakota leader Sitting Bull relinquished his rifle to the U.S. government in 1881.