Fort Union Trading Post

In western North Dakota, right before you cross into Montana, the Yellowstone River joins the Missouri River from the south-west. On the journey westward Lewis and Clark passed the Yellowstone by, following Thomas Jefferson's order to follow the Missouri to its source. On the return journey Clark led a small exploration down the Yellowstone River, and the entire Corps of Discovery reunited at the confluence with the Missouri.

At that location there are actually a few places to drop in and visit.



At the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center there's an overlook where you can see the Yellowstone River come in straight towards you, joining the Missouri River flowing from right to left.

Fort Buford State Historic Site is located only half a mile eastward from that spot. It was a very large army post, established to protect settlers, and became a major supply depot for military field operations. It is perhaps most well known for being the place where Sitting Bull surrendered to the US Army. Managed by the state of North Dakota, the site has not received the attention that Fort Union Trading Post has, and has not been restored to nearly the same extent.

Located another two or three miles eastward, Fort Union Trading Post is a National Historic Site managed by the National Park Service. The fort was not a military site; it was a privately built and operated center for trading with the indigenous people of the region for furs.



It also was enormous.



Over the front gate.



A window next to the gate was used when the gates were shut.



A fur press was situated right outside of the front gate. Not far below was a dock from which goods were loaded onto boats traveling up and down the Missouri River. The Missouri has shifted away from the fort since that time. Here is a photo taken with my back to the gate, the channel cut by the Missouri is the the black strip that appears from side to side.

Mandan and Hidatsa Earthlodge Villages

In the winter of 1804-1805 the Lewis and Clark Expedition stayed in the Mandan Villages, some of which were occupied by members of the Mandan tribe, and a couple by Hidatsas. The Mandan Villages were on the Missouri River, somewhat upstream from today's Washburn, North Dakota. Before the arrival of Euro-American explorers, the Mandans had lived a little farther downstream, in the vicinity of Bismarck, ND, but smallpox epidemics decimated their numbers, and the survivors moved upstream.

In the Bismarck vicinity there are a few archaeological sites where you can see remains of abandoned Mandan Villages; I wrote a little about them in Pre-Columbian Mandan Villages in North Dakota. I stopped by one of those sites today, namely Double Ditch Indian Village . It's really not much to see; what it has to offer is the opportunity to stand there and imagine the presence of a lost civilization.



It's called "Double Ditch" due to the detectable ditches which surrounded the villages. The villages were built like fortresses; the ditches were moats, and along the inner walls vertical wooden posts were placed to form a palisade. The village dwellings were eartlodges, which I will explain more in a bit.



In the center of the village site there are a few mounds called midden by archaeologists, these were village dumps where household refuse was thrown - things like animal bones, broken pottery, and ash from hearths.

Next I drove north to the site of the old Hidatsa villages. This is a much more organized site that's run by the National Park Service, it's called Knife River Indian Villages. They offer a thirteen minute orientation video, exhibits and a replica of a classic Hidatsa earthlodge.

It was at one of those Hidatsa villages that Lewis and Clark hired Toussaint Charbonneau to come along with them, so that his Shoshone wife Sacagawea could act as an interpreter. The Hidatsas would send raiding parties as far west as the Continental Divide, and Sacagawea (along with her sister) had been captured on one such raid. The French-Canadian Charbonneau was living at one of the Hidatsa villages, and won Sacagawea and her sister on a bet.



Vertical wooden poles formed the inner walls. These were covered with branches and twigs, and they were covered with earth.



The elder would sit before a fireplace situated at the center of the lodge.



A bed with what appears to be a bison hide blanket.

Pre-Columbian Mandan Villages in North Dakota

This article has been relocated to http://lewis-clark-trail.us/History/pre-columbian-mandan-villages-north-dakota.php.

The Confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers

This article has been relocated to http://lewis-clark-trail.us/History/yellowstone-missouri-confluence.php.

Historical Sites in North Dakota

"Retirement is Grand" posted a new entry from their Lewis and Clark Trail road trip, called New Town, North Dakota.

Sites on the itinerary were:

Fort Mandan Visitor Center, a replica of the stockade where the Expedition spent the winter of 1804-1805, located in Washburn, ND.

Knife River Indian Villages, a reconstructed Hidatsa Indian village located in Stanton, ND

Fort Union Trading Post, an important fur trading post that was in use between 1828 and 1867, located in Williston, ND

Some personal narrative relating the story of each site is given, and a few good photos from each visit (and the drive along the way) are included.

A visit to Abraham Lincoln State Park near Mandan, ND

Cook Travelogue has posted an excellent review of a visit to Ft. Abraham Lincoln State Park. This is a blog post that is almost a self-contained history lesson (with photos), explaining the background and significance of the Custer House and the Mandan earthlodges (both reconstructed).

Also mentioned is the North Dakota Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1804-1805, in a small stockade they constructed and called "Fort Mandan".

You can see their blog entry here: North Dakota.

Respect the mighty Missouri River

The Jamestown Sun (Jamestown, North Dakota) reports that there will be stepped-up law enforcement patrolling of the Missouri River this year in the vicinity of Bismarck, ND. This is due - in part - to lack of concern by some who are local to the region, and in part by congestion and other public safety concerns caused by increased interest and river traffic. Problems include discarding of trash, unsafe watercraft operation and excessive alcohol consumption.

The target area for remediation will be from the Double Ditch State Recreation Area down to the Ft. Abraham Lincoln State Park.

Complete Article
Respect the mighty Missouri River

Mapping exhibit to open in Bismarck, ND

An new exhibit called "Finding North Dakota: 250 Years of Mapping" will be featured at the Camp Hancock State Historic Site in Bismarck, North Dakota. The exhibit opens this Wednesday and will continue through August 16. The exhibit reviews the history of the exploration of North Dakota, by means of displaying a progression of maps.

Full article in the Bismarck Tribune
Mapping exhibit to open in Bismarck

Marina at Fort Stevenson State Park returns to life

Thanks to rising water in Lake Sakakawea, the marina at Fort Stevenson State Park is back in business, following a lapse of eight long years.

In addition to the cabin cruisers and large sailboats now using the marina, fishermen have begun to return as well, drawn by the reopening of the concession store and bait shop located near the boat ramp.

The full article in the Minot Daily News
Marina returns to life

Learn Mandan: Nu’eta word post #3

In the winter of 1804-1805, the Lewis and Clark Expedition set up camp in the Mandan Villages. A replica of that site has been established at the Fort Mandan Visitor Center in Washburn, ND.

You can actually learn a little of the Mandan language on the website managed by the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nations! The title-line for this blog entry links to a sample lesson. This language is rapidly disappearing, as the Mandan Nation was decimated by smallpox after exposure to early European explorers.

The Three Affiliated Tribes (specified above) are located in the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. The McLean National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, is located within the reservation's boundaries.