Fort Mandan (North Dakota)

FORT MANDAN

The expedition spent 5 months here with a friendly tribe of Indians who helped them survive. The Mandans grew corn, squash and beans and they had plenty of meat from hunting.  This part of the journey was the best diet that they had.

In other parts they were near starvation.

This building is a reconstruction -it would have housed about 45 people.

The typical Teepee has 18 poles, covered with buffalo skins 

and

 all the work is done by the women.

Those buffalo skins are HEAVY.

In the Sacagawea story she said that her teepee was put much faster than Captain Clarks and that he wasn't interested in her method

 (until he got tired of fumbling so much and finally asked for her help.)

The typical room in the fort was small, had fireplace, bunk beds, 

small desk and a loft.

Some of the necessities of winter living (harsh winters) 

include games and music.

The lofts could sleep up to 6 people.

Trading Goods 

Beads, Clothing, Buttons, Wampum (Hairpipes - ceremonial importance to tribes), Tobacco, fishhooks, sewing and cooking implements, cloth, knives, scrap metal.

Fishhooks, combs, sewing supplies, cooking utensils, tools, cloth, knives, and scrap metal were also used. 

One of the Expedition's major intent was to win favor with the Indians in order to establish working relations and further the commercial interests of the US. The negotiations with the Indians used the trading  goods for information of the road ahead and peaceable passage.

We were told that the Trading Goods comprised 30% of the cargo allotment and that it would be worth $2 million in today's dollars.

The Interpretative Center had some great displays.

It's fun to try on a buffalo robe (for a minute)

It is really heavy but surviving a winter in -45 degrees 

takes all the warmth you can find.

The Cradleboard 

is surprisingly heavy.

The women of the day had to be very strong.

Men had to eat 9 pounds of meat a day just to do the work they had to do.

We were told that when the expedition did not find enough meat, they were near starvation and when they were given food from a tribe, they would binge eat 

(up to 30 pounds at a time)

Lewis' dog Seaman 

is just bigger than life😀

Silly Me!

A pretty place with lots of trees on the banks of the Missouri

Pierre South Dakota-Site of the first confrontation with the Indians

 

State Capitol

Lovely dome, marble stairs

The Terrazo Tile throughout the building was done by 60 Italian artisans.

Each one was given a special tile as 'his signature of the work he did"

It kept all of us busy finding the treasures!

This artwork was a pleasant surprise.

Lewis and Clark Encounter with Teton Sioux

(this was September- 5 months after they began the trip up the river)

There was a  confrontation with the Sioux over the amount of gifts that they expected as payment to continue up the river.

Lewis did not want to establish a toll for passage on the river 

but the Sioux felt that it was their river and they needed to pay.

Some of the warriors grabbed the mooring rope and would not let them leave.

Lewis felt like he was being blackmailed and did not want to give in.

Chief Black Buffalo grabbed the rope and ordered the warriors away and Lewis helped diffuse the situation by throwing them a few more carrots of tobacco

 (a carrot of tobacco equals tobacco leaves rolled into the shape and size of a carrot)

If a fight would have broken out the expedition being outnumbered 50 to 1

 would have ended the Corp of Discovery,

possibly ending the lives of Lewis and Clark.

Leaving the park, I Spy a tiny kitten

and get to hold one of the two kittens that are being fostered.

They are really tiny! 

( and have veery sharp nails)

Our travel update includes our progress

(day 12 of 45)

Tomorrow we will be in Bismark, the area that they will spend the winter amongst friendly Indian tribes but horrible weather (-45 degrees!)

Traveling West in South Dakota

 

Getting off the Interstate is a bit of "Memory Lane"

This sight was familiar to Lou's summer work farming with his uncles in Utah.

This one is a bit unusual - We had to wait for the house to pass us 😲

On August 25, 1804 Lewis, Clark, and several others walked 9 miles to see

Spirit Mound.

The legend says that there are "Deavels" with remarkable large heads and 18 inches high---that kill all persons who attempted to approach the hill.

They did see large herds of bison and elk.

It's not much of a hill/mound as far as we are used to, but it is a 

State Historic Prarie 

and

it is one of the documented places that they had come.

So, we felt that we just had to climb the 700 ft high mound. 

and get to the top!

Fortunately the weather was nice and when the expedition did it, the weather was awfully hot, and Lewis' dog Seaman had to be sent back to the river to cool off.

The Atka Lakota Museum

                   

Bright colors are the hallmark of their art.

The quilts are about $500.00

(some of our group do a lot of quilting and say they would never sell for that small amount of money)

The 8 point star design used in Sioux ceremonies symbolizing immortality.

The other distinctive feature is vivid colors.

This warrior show here is modeled after "Wind in the hair" in the movie Dances with Wolves.

White dots on his face are the number of his enemies.  Lines and tracks on his leggings indicate the number of horses captured in battle.

The horse wears decorated bridle, martingale, saddle blanket that signifies his honor and value.

     

How would. you like this saddle (circa 1800)??

The split in the middle is to protect the horses backbone.

What about the riders 'sit' bones?

But this is beautiful.

DIGNITY

The 50 foot sculpture of a graceful Native woman

wearing a quilt of 128 stainless steel blue diamond shapes 

designed to flutter in the wind.

The star quilt is a representation of respect, honor and admiration.

     

 

Ft Atkinson

Greetings to the Fort 

Fort Atkinson

The first army fort west of the Missouri River that was established to protect the fur trade and combat the influence of the British forces.

The location was recommended by Lewis and Clark.

Clark wrote that "The Situation of this place whch we call Council Bluff is a handsom ellevated Spot well Calculated for a fort to

Command the Countrey and river above the high water

and situated to trade with the natives"

A huge fort (200 yards square)

"situated well above the high water"

The Missouri River at this location would have been anywhere from

 3 to 10 miles wide and very shallow.

Today the river is 3 miles away.

1804

Today, this is a replica of the blacksmith shop.

The Powder Magazine is in the middle of the complex.

A huge setup to protect the fur trade.  

Too bad it only lasted 9 years.

(perhaps the fur trade had lost importance by then.

Both time lines had to deal with the 'bad guys'

Anywhere from Deserter to Salt Fish Thief to Whiskey Thief to falling asleep on guard duty.

Lewis and Clark were particularly rough on these crimes.

Often the punishment would be 100 "well laid on lashes"

and then have to continue on hauling (by hand) the keelboat upstream.

OUCH!

The Cat-O-Nine-Tails

looks particularly bad.

Inside the Visitor Center is a familiar looking large orange and white cat-

I have no idea if they populate this area of tall grass plains.

Only a few flowers are starting to bloom now.

I think this is a Prairie Rose.