Along the Missouri River in ND

Headline on page 7A of USA TODAY  Wednesday, June 8, 2011, "Bismarck, N.D., girds for Missouri River flooding."

This is the same river the Lewis and Clark Expedition followed in trying to find a passage to the Northwest.  The only difference in what the Expedition experienced is the intense flooding now occuring here in the river's headwaters.  The snow from the Rockies and heavy rains have made this river wider than anyone here can remember and the river has yet to crest to its highest point. 

The rising river did change some of our plans.  We were disappointed that Fort Mandan in Washburn - the place where Lewis and Clark spent the winter was closed and there were no paddleboat cruises too, but we did visit places that gave us information and insight into North Dakota's past.

              North Dakota Heritage Center



Sakakawea - outside the Center in Bismarck

 The results of the Expedition would probably not have happened if it wasn't for the hiring of a French trader Toussaint Charbonneau who also brought along his young Indian wife, Sakakawea and her baby boy, Baptiste.  The young 16 year old provided important benefits for the Expedition.  She knew the languages of the Lakota tribes along the river as she was stolen from them years before as a younger girl.  When the Expedition was spotted coming up river the area tribes knew the Expedition wasn't a war party because of the young Indian girl.  War parties never had women in their raids.  Sakakawea's name is used quite often in this area of the country.

The North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck has excellent displays from prehistoric time to the 1930's.  It tells the stories of the Indian nations, the 19th century fur-traders, soldiers, cowboys, Teddy Roosevelt, and the immigrants.

The river Indians didn't move as much as the Sioux Plains Indians and their structures for living were more permanent than the typical Plains tipi.  This one is made of tree bark.

One of exhibition areas features the immigrants - mostly from Europe - in the late 1800's to the early 1900's.  They came to ND with the promise of land and the dream of a new life.  They built houses - one room - the first made of sod - about the size of our family room.  From one women's journal - Many times when I first came to Dakota, I went outside the shanty and shouted "Hello" for recreation just to hear the echo and break that endless silence.  


                 The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Washburn

Even though the Fort was closed the Interpretive Center was open.  Unfortunately, the center is undergoing a remodeling...so some of the exhibits were closed.  We decided to take the road to Fort Mandan (even though the fort was closed). 

We found sandbags surrounding the visitor center and Fort Mandan  but we did get a view of the Missouri AND

                                  
                   spotted a deer as we were driving away from the river.

            Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park

 Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is on the Missouri River and over the years the land was occupied by the Mandan Indians, fur traders, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the frontier army, and settlers.  The park was developed and reconstructed in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC).

A CCC worker

The Visitor's Center

An earthlodge at On-A-Slant Indian Village

One of our favorite tours was of the "earthlodges" .   The Mandan Indians were not travellers.  They were more agricultural in nature and hunted the plains, fished the river, and grew their vegetables. Mandans also traded much of their extra food to other tribes.   Mandans taught the style of planting that used the land best.  Three crops were planted together - the Three Sisters -  squash, beans and corn.  The corn was planted to provide not only food but also a height for the beans to travel and the squash would provide the cover of the land surface to keep out weeds and also provide cover to keep the surface damp.

We went inside one of the earthlodges that was furnished with handmade items  of everyday life.  The design kept them warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

                              A Look Inside an Earthlodge

Looking up

The fire pit was under this hole in the ceiling



Handmade everyday items



A basket



A famous person lived there too - General Custer and his wife, Libbie.  You can visit their home too.  They had an impressive parlor - large with two fireplaces - great for entertaining!  From this fort in 1876 Custer and the 7th Calvary left for Little Bighorn.

Custer's Home

A blockhouse on the bluff

Inspirational history in this part of the US!