New features ready for visitors at Frontier Village
May 22—JAMESTOWN — New playground equipment, a scavenger hunt for children and a completed gatehouse are some of the additions this year at Frontier Village, said Emily Bivens, executive director of Jamestown Tourism.
Frontier Village opens Memorial Day weekend for the tourist season, with the first official day on Saturday, May 25, she said.
National Travel and Tourism Week is May 19-25 and Gov. Doug Burgum proclaimed the same dates as Tourism Week in North Dakota. According to the North Dakota Department of Commerce, travel is a $2.6 trillion industry that supports 15 million American jobs.
Visitors to North Dakota spent $3.3 billion in 2023, an 8.8% increase in visitor spending which surpassed pre-pandemic levels, the department said.
"That's a big impact to our economy," Bivens said.
In 2023, there were about 120,000 visitors at Frontier Village from Memorial Day weekend to Sept. 17, when the village closed for the tourist season, Bivens said. The visitors came from all 50 states and 38 countries, she said.
"We had a great year with all the visitors coming through the Frontier Village and Jamestown Tourism always tries to promote Jamestown as a whole," Bivens said.
She said Jamestown Tourism also tries to get visitors to explore Jamestown's trails, other attractions and restaurants.
Mayor Dwaine Heinrich noted tourism is important to residents as well.
"In addition to the financial impact, it creates activity for our residents, and I would like to think builds pride and appreciation of what our community has to offer and perhaps in some ways appreciation and recognition of our history," he said.
And efforts are continuing to help boost tourism in other ways. Bivens said there are a few mural projects in the works in Jamestown.
A new playground equipment piece was installed near where the ponies are located, Bivens said.
"It was a $62,000 piece of playground (equipment)," she said, paid for with donations, gifts and grants.
The gatehouse project was completed as well.
"We moved that into the train parkette and now it has a bunch of switches and knobs," she said. "Kids can go in there and act like they're running the gatehouse like they used to back in the day. That project was funded with help from the Jamestown Rotary Club, so it's (named) the Rotary Gatehouse."
Frontier Village's characters will be featured in a scavenger hunt for children that's expected to be put in place this season, she said.
"The Frontier Village has a few different characters that we've developed to help tell the different stories of the frontier times," Bivens noted. Signs with metal etchings of the characters will be located around the village. Booklets will be in the General Store and saloon that children can take and then, using a pencil, rub the metal etch of the character's face onto the character's page in the booklet. Once they find all the characters, they can turn the booklet into the General Store and get a Mayor Marty Buck for $1 off the purchase of an ice cream cone and a Mayor Marty pin, Bivens said.
The plan is to move the signs around each season, she added, to keep the experience fresh for local children.
Frontier Village's characters are Mayor Marty Sinclair, Sheriff Archie Bloom, Homesteader Hilda Homer, Stage Coach Driver Kitty Strong and Depot Agent Charlie Lyon, Slick Salesman Clay Flint and his "sticky-fingered sidekick" Durum.
Mary's House was removed next to the town hall due to water damage and mold, opening up space for food trucks to operate at the Village this season, Bivens said.
"We still have some spaces, some times open," she said.
The other businesses located at the Village will return as well. Those are the Dakota Store, Trading Post (jbros n me), the Kirkpatrick Gallery, stagecoach rides and General Store.
The General Store will again offer ice cream, root beer floats and other treats, Bivens said. The store also carries coffee and Jamestown-related and other merchandise. New merchandise such as "old-time-type" toys and a new candy display are planned, she said.
Bivens said the reopening of the General Store last year after being closed for several years went well.
"It exceeded our expectations, I would say, so we're really excited about this next year," she said.
Last fall, Allison Limke, Jamestown Tourism visitor experience manager, said the General Store sold almost 700 gallons of ice cream last season.
Larger maintenance projects this year at Frontier Village include work on the deck and adding gutters to the General Store, painting the schoolhouse and putting new shingles on the roof at the town hall, Bivens said.
Service Day at Frontier Village was held May 17, a day where volunteers lend a hand to help spruce up the Village before opening, Bivens said.
Volunteers are a key part of the Village's operations, she noted.
"We're always looking for anybody who wants to volunteer and come help us out," she said.
Frontier Village also has a new website,
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A mural will be created on the east wall of Hugo's Family Marketplace facing First Avenue, Bivens said. Artist Max Patzner is expected to begin work later this week.
"It's very pop art and then it's interactive," she said of the planned mural.
The project is a collaboration between Jamestown Tourism, Hugo's Family Marketplace and the Jamestown Downtown Association, Bivens said.
"It's very simplistic but I think it's really cool, and it's really bright, colorful, so I think it'll be fun," Bivens said of the mural.
The art will be in blocks and provide photo opportunities for people, she said.
"Hugo's obviously wanted something to do with food and then we told Max we wanted North Dakota incorporated in there," she said.
Another mural project is planned on the water utility building at Frontier Village but the subject of the mural isn't decided at this time, she said.
"We're going to hopefully capture people with that mural and hopefully direct them downtown to look for other murals in the community," she said.
The Jamestown Area Chamber of Commerce Beautification Committee recently placed murals on several large planters south of the closed railroad crossing at 3rd Avenue Northwest. There are also large murals located on the east side of The Arts Center and the south side of the Full Monte Salon and Spa.
Bivens said the tourism industry is very important to communities and it's important that everyone helps develop positive tourism and travel experiences for visitors. Speaking positively about the community and why people should visit helps tourism efforts, she said.
Bivens said tourism provides one of the best economic development opportunities. People visit and spend their money in the community.
"There's great opportunities through tourism with economic development and having (an) impact on our economy in a positive way," she said.
The North Dakota Sales and Use Tax Statistical Report said the accommodations and food service category in Jamestown showed a 13.1% increase in 2023, from $48.8 million to $55.2 million in 2023.
Bivens noted that a portion of sales tax revenue also comes from visitor spending, which ties into workforce in the community as well.
The North Dakota Department of Commerce said 76% of new residents report visiting the state before moving here.
Bivens said the community had several large events in March including state basketball and national wrestling events and said tour operators have already stopped, saying they are bringing groups through later in the season.
"I'm excited for the year to come and how many visitors we can see and the opportunities that we have," she said. "I think we've got some good momentum going for sure and lots of support."
