Fort Abraham Lincoln facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park |
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Reproduction of Custer's House
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 Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
Location in North Dakota
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| Location | Morton, North Dakota, United States |
| Area | 1,006 acres (4.07 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,722 ft (525 m) |
| Established | 1907 |
| Governing body | North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department |
| Website | Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park |
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is a cool state park in North Dakota. It's about 7 miles (11 km) south of Mandan, North Dakota. This special place lets you explore a recreated Mandan Indian village called On-A-Slant. You can also see rebuilt army buildings, like the famous Custer House!
Contents
History of Fort Abraham Lincoln
The Mandan Indian tribe built a village here around 1575. It was located where the Missouri River and Heart River meet. They lived in earth lodges, hunted bison, and grew many crops.
About 200 years later, a terrible smallpox sickness spread. It greatly reduced the Mandan population. The survivors then moved to areas further north.
In June 1872, the U.S. Army built a military post called Fort McKeen. It was built in the same spot where the Mandan village once stood. Two companies of the 6th U.S. Infantry built it. This fort was across the river from what is now Bismarck, North Dakota.
The fort's name changed to Fort Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1872. It was made bigger to the south to include a cavalry post. This new part could hold six companies of soldiers. The fort had 78 permanent wooden buildings. These included a post office, telegraph office, and barracks for nine companies. There were also officer's quarters, stables, a guardhouse, and a hospital. Water was brought from the Missouri River by wagons. Wood was supplied by special contracts.
By 1873, the 7th Cavalry moved into the fort. Their job was to protect the building of the Northern Pacific Railway. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer became the first commander of the expanded fort. He stayed in charge until he died in 1876.
In 1876, the army left the fort to fight in the Great Sioux War of 1876. Their goal was to make Native American tribes return to their reservations. This led to Custer's defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Custer and about half of his soldiers did not return to Fort Lincoln.
The fort was left empty in 1891. This happened after the railroad was finished to Montana in 1883. A year later, local people took the fort apart for its wood and nails. In 1895, a new Fort Lincoln was built across the river near Bismarck.
In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt signed a paper. This gave the land of the original fort to the state of North Dakota. It then became Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park.
In 1934, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) helped improve the park. They built a visitor center, shelters, and roads. They also rebuilt military blockhouses. They placed markers where the old fort buildings used to stand. The CCC also recreated Mandan earthen lodges. More reproductions have been built since then. This created a full replica of the Mandan village, called "On-a-Slant Village." A copy of Custer's house was built in the park in 1989. This was ready for North Dakota's 100th birthday celebration.
Park Features
On-A-Slant Indian Village
The On-A-Slant Mandan Village was built in the late 1500s. People lived there until about 1781. During those years, the Mandan tribe had seven to nine villages along the Missouri River. Their total population was about 10,000 to 15,000 people. On-a-Slant was the southernmost village. It had about 86 earth lodges and a population of 1,000 to 1,500.
The village was located where the Heart River and the Missouri River meet. The Mandan people named it On-a-Slant because it was built on ground that sloped towards the river valley. It was protected by a ditch and a palisade (a fence of strong wooden posts). This helped keep their food and trade goods safe.
Mandan women were in charge of building the earth lodges. These homes had a frame of cottonwood logs. They were covered with layers of willow branches, grass, and earth. These thick walls kept the lodges warm in winter and cool in summer. The top center of each lodge had a hole. This hole let out smoke from the fire pit and let in sunlight. The lodges were built close together. All their entrances faced a village plaza in the center. Each lodge was home to about ten to fifteen family members.
The Mandan tribe lived by farming and hunting. Their village became an important trading center. This was because the Mandan were skilled at making pottery and preparing animal skins. In 1781, a smallpox sickness hit the Mandan tribe. Most of the villagers died. The remaining tribe members moved north to join the Hidatsa tribe along the Knife River.
Historic Fort Lincoln and the Custer House
Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and his wife, Libbie, lived at Fort Abraham Lincoln. They were there from 1873 until Custer died in the summer of 1876. This happened at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. About 500 soldiers were also stationed at the fort.
Custer's first home at the fort was built in the summer of 1873. But it burned down in February 1874. Today, a copy of Custer's house has been rebuilt. Seven other main fort buildings have also been rebuilt. These include a barracks, the fort's theater, a stable, and several blockhouses.
Five Nations Art Gallery
The Five Nations Art Gallery is part of the Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation. This group works to protect and share the history of Fort Lincoln and other sites in North Dakota. Five Nations Arts is a local art store. It shows art from the five Native American nations of the Northern Plains. They offer paintings, jewelry, sculptures, and beadwork. These are created by 200 local artists. You can also find painted buffalo skins and local quilts. The gallery also sells music from local musicians. They even have soaps made from buffalo tallow and local herbs like cedar and sage.
Five Nations Arts is located in the old Northern Pacific Railway station in Mandan. "Five Nations" refers to the five main Native American tribes in North Dakota. These are the Anishinaabe (also known as Chippewa and Métis of Turtle Mountain), the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (known as the Three Affiliated Tribes), and the Lakota (from Spirit Lake, Standing Rock, and Lake Traverse Indian Reservations).
Activities and Amenities
Fort Lincoln Park offers fun living history tours of the Custer House. These tours happen every half-hour and last about thirty minutes. They take you back to the year 1875. You'll learn what it was like when Custer and his wife lived there. The guides dress up as laundresses or soldiers from that time.
You can also take tours of On-A-Slant Village and the earth lodges. These tours also happen every half-hour and last about thirty minutes. The guides will teach you about Mandan culture.
The park has a historical museum. It tells the story of On-A-Slant Village, Fort Abraham Lincoln, and the state park. There's also a gift shop and coffee shop in the rebuilt commissary storehouse. In the summers, guides perform old plays called melodramas in the rebuilt granary. Some of these plays were even performed at Fort Lincoln in the 1870s!
The park also has 95 campsites and two sleeping cabins. There are picnic shelters for outdoor meals. You can also go horseback riding, hiking, and fishing. Plus, there are playgrounds for kids to enjoy.
Images for kids
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Custer and his wife at Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory, April 6,1874. Reportedly at right in gunrack is a Webley Revolver used by Custer
See also
In Spanish: Fuerte Abraham Lincoln para niños
