Our Stories

SRV Chapter’s Becky Heise wins prestigious ND history award!

Awards honoring individual and group achievements in history were recently presented at the recent 22nd Annual Governor’s Conference on North Dakota History in Bismarck, ND.  Among the winners, the SRV Chapter’s Becky Heise was recognized with the State Historical Society’s Heritage Profile Honor Award.  Here is what they had to say about Becky…

Heise is the historian for the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway and the region. Her quality work shows in each of the 27 byway interpretive panels and 10 map kiosks, as well as eight interpretive panels, on the Valley City Historic Bridges Tour, and five panels in Medicine Wheel Park, all of which are along the National Byway. Heise’s outstanding work resulted in the Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway being named one of the first three state-designated byways. Her work helped garner the byway national designation in 2002 (the first byway in North Dakota to be recognized), and a national award for interpretation in 2009. Other Sheyenne River Valley projects have benefitted from her research and restoration work, including the Sheyenne Bank Building in Kathryn, North Dakota that is being renovated and will include byway interpretation as a new community center.

Congratulations to Becky for this award and for your service to North Dakota! Much of her historical interpretation work can be seen along the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway, which is also a great mechanism for exploring one of Becky’s other passions – the North Country National Scenic Trail.  Most of the specific interpretive sites listed in the award notice are either located directly on the NCT or just off it. According to NCTA President Bobby Koepplin, Becky was also responsible for NCT information panels that were just received as part of the SRV Chapter’s Recreational Trails Program grant.  NCT users / byway travelers will benefit from Becky’s dedication for generations to come.  Thanks Becky!