About this remarkable building
When Lewis & Clark began their historic voyage of discovery, surveying the natural resources of North America was high on the list of priorities. President Thomas Jefferson specifically instructed the explorers to seek out “...the mineral productions of every kind; but more particularly metals, limestone, pit coal...”

In North Dakota, they found abundant lignite coal. The Fort Mandan encampment is located in an area destined to become the heart of an energy producing region that supplies a wide swath of the upper Midwest.

But North Dakota’s coal makes more than energy. When coal is consumed as fuel in electric power plants, non-combustible minerals remain in the form of ash. Once considered a waste product, this coal ash is now used as a valuable component in the manufacture of many building materials.

The Headwaters Fort Mandan Visitor Center is a living demonstration of some of the numerous uses for coal combustion products.

Coal ash use benefiting our environment
Using coal ash eliminates the need for its disposal, helps conserve natural resources, and reduces emissions of “greenhouse gases” when it displaces energy intensive manufacturing of other building materials. The benefits can be significant. Just one ton of fly ash use equals:

•	Landfill Space Conserved: Enough for 455 days of solid waste produced by an average American.
•	CO2 Emissions Reduced: Equal to two months of emissions from an automobile.
•	Energy Saved: Enough to provide electricity to an average American home for 24 days.

For more information about the Fort Mandan Visitor's Center, click here.