Welcome to the
Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway
Before highways, there were trails
Old Red/Old Ten between Mandan and Dickinson is not only a beautiful byway traversing rolling countryside and small towns, but also a reminder of the early efforts of the American Automobile Association (AAA) to provide a route for North Dakotans to travel independently of the railroad in the newly available and widely embraced automobile. The Old Red Trail naturally followed a mostly parallel path to the railroad tracks across the state, allowing for gentle grades and easy access to established towns and villages. What started as a dirt trail in the early 1900s evolved over five decades into Interstate-94 making travel across the state safer, faster, and more convenient. Read more HERE about building Old Red Old Ten.
March 30, 1916 – Mandan Republic Newspaper: T. Terry, a road builder of large experience, is in the city ready to go to work as soon as the weather premits on Morton county roads under the direction of the county commissioners. The first work to be undertaken in Morton county will be the building of the Red Trail from Mandan through New Salem, Glen Ullin, Hebron and intervening points way to the western boundary of the county, about 70 miles where the work will be taken up by Stark county.
The mission of the Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway Committee is for recreational, historical, and economic revitalization in the communities along North Dakota Highway 10 from Mandan to Dickinson by creating awareness of the Old Red Trail as an alternative to Interstate travel in western North Dakota. In early 2006, citizens from Morton and Stark Counties met to discuss the possibility of creating a state Scenic Byway that would bring travelers off of the intestate to visit the local towns and inject dollars into the local economies. The route begins at the Mandan Depot on Main Street and travels west to Dickinson, spanning two North Dakota Counties. Communities in Morton County are Mandan, New Salem, Almont/Sims, Glen Ullin, and Hebron. Communities in Stark County are Richardton, Taylor, Gladstone, and Dickinson. The Coffee Cruise is one way to support the communities along the byway.
The extensive Corridor Management Plan was completed and submitted to the ND Parks & Recreation Department in 2007. ND DOT Director’s Task Force then evaluated the nomination, and the ND DOT Director made the final decision on the application. In 2008, the Old Red Old Ten Scenic Byway was approved as the state’s 10th Scenic Byway.
In May 2007, the ND DOT, along with Prairie Public Television, produced a video that tells the history of the transportation along the Old Red Trail, later known as Highway 10.
Bismarck-Mandan CVB 800-767-3555 | Dickinson CVB 800-279-7391
