BISMARCK, N.D. – Lawrence Welk didn’t have a flush toilet where he grew up, but visitors to his childhood home in rural North Dakota now do.
The childhood home of the famous bandleader is the latest step in nearly achieving the State Historical Society of North Dakota’s goal of installing flush toilets at its most popular and staffed sites. The recent success, with the last three installations planned for soon, came just before the unveiling of a statue of Welk at a location attracting fans of “The Lawrence Welk Show,” which aired on TV for many decades starting in the 1950s.
Replacing pit toilets with flush alternatives might seem a modest aim, but it represents a significant milestone for the North Dakota group, explained Chris Dorfschmidt, a manager of historic sites.
“Many of our sites are located quite remotely. History doesn’t conveniently situate itself,” he stated. “That’s why, if you’ve traveled there, and that’s the best accommodation we can offer, it doesn’t make for a pleasant experience.”
North Dakota has 60 state historic sites — everything from museums and an underground nuclear launch facility to plaques mounted on boulders in fields.
“All of our sites, they really do help share a story of us as a state,” Dorfschmidt said.
Two other facilities are slated to be finished by June 30: at Whitestone Hill, the site of a deadly 1863 attack by U.S. troops against Native Americans; and Fort Buford, a military fort near the Missouri-Yellowstone river confluence.
The Historical Society also is eyeing the Chateau de Mores for flush toilets. The wealthy Marquis de Mores built the 26-room home in 1883 near Medora, a present-day tourist town in the state’s scenic Badlands where a young President Theodore Roosevelt once roamed.
Less-visited sites that aren’t staffed likely won’t receive a restroom upgrade, which costs about $150,000 each.
At the Welk Homestead, about 50 miles (80.5 kilometers) southeast of Bismarck, workers matched the color scheme of the restroom to the house and farm buildings, including interior colors.
“We made it to fit into the site and harmonize with the site and just be a pleasant part of the experience,” Historic Sites Manager Rob Hanna said.
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