Small towns need our help! People move away and don’t come back. If you don’t want small towns to die, go visit them. Play tourist… visit their museums, general stores, cafés, dive bars, etc. Spend a few dollars to support the economy in a small town and keep it alive! We have decided to explore towns along the Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway… and Hebron, ND is along this route.Hebron, ND
After we walked in to the Wagon Wheel Café, we realized we were the only ones there at 9:30 AM. I think if we were in a bigger town, the place would have been much busier. Dark wood paneling, Cowboy/Cowgirl signs on the bathrooms, wagon wheel light fixtures met our eyes as we entered.We ordered eggs, bacon, and toast - which was perfect... and Biscuits and gravy – this item is a hit or miss at other restaurants – and at the Wagon Wheel it was a hit! The gravy wasn’t overly greasy or salty, which is sometimes the case. A few minutes after we had ordered at least four other people arrived for breakfast. See, this is why small towns need us!
After breakfast, we drove to Fort Sauerkraut. One of the benefits of visiting towns along Old Red Old Ten is that this is a scenic byway, with Talking Trail markers. Visitors dial a phone number and extension and listen to a narration about the historic site. What a fun way to learn!
We had seen a sign advertising Fort Sauerkraut t-shirts at the Cenex gas station, so we popped in to check them out. While we were talking to the staff, one of the customers told us, “you should call my dad – he will give you a tour at the Hebron Historical Museum.” Well, we took his advice and his father agreed to meet us at the museum.
Spending time with 97-year-old Henry was the highlight of our day! He told us his story, from life on the dairy farm (he had to wake up at 2 AM to feed the cows so they had time to digest the food and the milk wouldn’t taste like what they ate!) to his retirement working as an integral part of the organization of the Hebron Historical Society and its artifacts. Henry spent at least an hour traipsing around the rooms with us, up and down stairs. I enjoyed learning about his Victory 5 family band (Henry played saxophone) and all the artists in his family.
As we were leaving, he told us we should stop to he see is friend Robin, the potter. So on our way out of town, we stopped at Dakota Clayworks. We spent another very pleasant half hour learning the story of Hebron's town potter. Originally from Minot, ND, she spent time in Montana and Washington, learning techniques she eventually brought home to North Dakota. I purchased a clay necklace essential oil infuser and several clay magnets!We are already planning our return trip to visit the Hebron Brick Factory (for a tour) and the Dark Side of the Brew (for coffee!), which aren’t open on the weekends.
Other pics from the trip:
Forgot to mention - the Wagon Wheel Café is for sale.
