The Hettinger County Historical Society was organized in 1962, but the museum did not come into existence until 1968, with the acquisition of the Dr. S. W. Hill Drug Store in Regent.

     In July of 1965 Dr. Hill retired, and tree years later he help a public auction at which all of his large items of furniture and equipment were purchased by concerned citizens with the idea of keeping our country doctor's heritage intact. He then donated the building to the historical Society, which in turn paid for the "tools of his trade" which are now preserved for posterity. In 1980 the Dr. s. W. Hill Drug Store was named to the National Register of Historic Places.

     In 1972 The Historical Society gained title to the Ekeland building, divided the right side of the building into rooms to depict a typical pioneer home, furnished with antique furniture from the area.

     The living room features the pictures and wedding suit and dress of the Melvin Amundsons (Marvel Wangsvick's parents) and the player piano which was used in the Gardner Hotel until 1931 when it was purchased by Mrs. Otto Tollefson. There is also a Victorian couch and Joe Prince's mantel clock.

     The dining room proudly displays Fred Geerts' round table with the four leaves still in the packing crate in which they were brought to North Dakota from Iowa on the freight train.

     There is such a variety of items in the kitchen- the wood-and-coal stove, marble sink, cabinet with flour dispenser, bread-maker, Irons, churns, Ice box, popcorn popper, and the rocking chair dating back to early Wisconsin pioneer days in the 1800's.

     Lynn Hagen said his parents purchased this tub, kerosene hot water heater, and small heating stove about 1915; It was used in a special bathhouse on their farm and donated to the museum before the farm was sold.

     There are interesting pictures on the walls, artifacts and collectibles in the showcases, histories compiled by numerous towns in the area, and a corner featuring memorabilia from Byron Dorgan, our native son born and educated in Regent.

     The Indian Room features fur robes and coat, Indian head dress, arrowhead collection, Skookum doll, elk head, grinding bowl, and a picturesque Indian scene with mannequins in native costumes, teepee, etc.

     In the rear of the Ekeland Building are two rooms, one for W.W.I and W.W.II uniforms, coats, etc., and the other is a furnished bedroom featuring Dr. Hill's original dresser he used in the drug store apartment.

     The Teepee Butte School had already been moved into town, and just before the completion of the fourth wall of the steel building, the Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Burt, was the final building acquired to complete the complex.

     The center of the steel building displays a variety of pioneer farm machinery, and on one wall is a collection of tools. Along the left wall is the PIONEER STREET with a boardwalk, along which each facsimile depicts a typical small town business or building: jail, town hall, hotel, merchandise store, bank, saloon, barber shop, meat market, print shop, harness shop, and a complete blacksmith shop.

     The Teepee Butte School is inside Frontierland - The last building along the boardwalk.

     Within recent years, several impressive improvements have been made: cement sidewalks connected to the boardwalks, intensive lighting for evening visitors, and a fence around the threshing machine, 8 foot steam engine, 10 foot stream engine, grain wagon, and water wagon - all working models made by Olaf Bakke of New England.

     In 1987 a red 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air was purchased from Simon Walter of Dickinson, the sole owner of the car until it became the latest addition to the AUSTIN FRONTIERLAND.

     Also impressive is the windmill and water tank which furnished water to the Dr. Hill and the Switzer residences before Regent had city water.

     The Hettinger County Historical Society is proud of its museum complex and wishes to thank all of the people who have been so generous in their donations of antiques, collectibles, labor, and cash. Without this cooperation, the museum would not have become a reality, and much of the heritage of our forefathers would have been lost.