Bowman in Bowman County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Union Prairie Church

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, 2009

1. Union Prairie Church Marker

Inscription.
Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery passed north of this area in 1804-1806. The Homestead Act of 1862 brought white settlers from the eastern U.S. and emigrants from Europe to the American west and to this part of the Dakota Territory in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The prairie became dotted with homesteader shacks and sod houses. Many of these white settlers were Christians and they brought their Christian faith and beliefs with them to the prairie. These Christian settlers formed Christian congregations and built churches similar to this one. Rural churches and schoolhouses dotted the prairie.

The Union Prairie congregation was founded in 1908 by Homesteaders of Norwegian heritage living in an area southeast of Bowman. They initially held services in Norwegian, in their sodhouses and in schoolhouses and were served by itinerate pastors. The Union Prairie Church building was purchased and moved from Scranton, ND to a rural site in 1925 where it stood and served the Union Prairie congregation until 1994. Over the years the rural population declined as a result of the great depression, dry farming years,

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and the economics of farming, and in 1994 the Union Prairie congregation was closed. The church building and furnishings were moved to this museum site in 1998 to preserve it as a reminder not only of the Union Prairie Lutheran congregation, but of the many rural Christian congregations of various denominations that dotted the Dakota Prairie and the faith and beliefs that were an important part of the lives of the early Dakota settlers.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.

Location. 46° 10.979′ N, 103° 23.542′ W. Marker is in Bowman, North Dakota, in Bowman County. It is on 2nd Avenue Northeast west of 2nd Avenue Northeast, on the left when traveling west. The marker stands on the grounds of Pioneer Trails Regional Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18 2nd Ave NE, Bowman ND 58623, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on North Dakota’s Missouri Plateau.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, 2009

2. Union Prairie Church & Marker

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Prairie (within shouting distance of this marker); Veterans Memorial (approx. 1.1 miles away).

Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 17 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 28, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.