Fort Mandan facts for kids
Fort Mandan was a special camp built by the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition. They stayed there during the cold winter of 1804–1805. This camp was located near the Missouri River, about 12 miles from where Washburn, North Dakota is today.
No one knows the exact spot of the original fort anymore. Many people think it's now covered by the river's water. However, a copy of the fort has been built nearby so people can see what it was like.
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Building Fort Mandan: A Winter Home
The explorers, known as the Corps of Discovery, started building Fort Mandan on November 2, 1804. They used wood from cottonwood trees found along the riverbanks. The fort was shaped like a triangle with tall walls all around. Inside, there was an open space and a gate that faced the Missouri River. This gate was important because the river was their main travel route.
The fort also had storage rooms to keep their supplies safe. Captains Lewis and Clark even shared a room! The whole fort was finished by November 27, 1804. The Corps of Discovery stayed there until April 6, 1805. Their journals say the fort was built a little downriver from the five villages of the Mandan and Hidatsa people. These villages are now part of the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site.
Surviving the Cold Winter
The winter at Fort Mandan was extremely cold. Temperatures sometimes dropped to a freezing -45 degrees Fahrenheit! The fort helped protect them from the harsh weather. Still, some of the men got frostbite from being outside even for short times.
Meeting Native American Tribes
While staying at Fort Mandan, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark did more than just survive the winter. They spent a lot of time meeting with the different Native American tribes living nearby.
President Jefferson's Diplomatic Mission
President Thomas Jefferson had given the captains an important job. They were to make the first official contact between the United States and many Native American nations. Their goal was to become friends with as many tribes as possible. They also needed to prepare the tribes for American traders who would come to the region.
The captains were also told to claim the land for the United States. However, Native Americans had lived on this land for thousands of years. They had different ideas about land use than the European Americans.
Forming Alliances
The Teton people had already shown they didn't want the expedition there. So, Lewis and Clark changed their plans. They tried to make friends with the Arikara, Hidatsa, and Mandan tribes. They hoped these tribes would join them against the Teton.
The Mandan tribe was somewhat open to this idea. When the expedition returned in 1806, a Mandan chief named Sheheke traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet President Jefferson. But the Mandan didn't fully agree to trade only with the United States. They still wanted to trade with British and Canadian traders, as they had done before. The Hidatsa tribe was even less interested in American friendship. They often avoided meeting with Lewis and Clark.
Getting Ready for Spring Travel
The Corps of Discovery spent much of their winter at Fort Mandan preparing for their journey in the spring. They fixed their equipment and made new clothes. They also processed and dried meats to take with them.
Mapping New Territories
Before Fort Mandan, the explorers had used maps made by earlier travelers. But from this point on, they would be going into lands that Europeans had not yet explored or mapped. Clark wrote that he learned a lot about the western route from Chief Sheheke. This information helped him create a first map of the unknown areas.
The Mandan Miscellany
Lewis and Clark didn't know if they would survive their long journey. So, they used the winter to write down everything they had learned. They described the smaller rivers that flowed into the Missouri River. They also wrote about the Native American nations they met. Plus, they described all the plants and rocks they had collected.
All this information was put into a special book they called the Mandan Miscellany. In the spring, the captains sent a copy of this book to government officials in St. Louis. They sent it on their large keelboat, which was supposed to return before the expedition came back to the Mandan area in 1806.
Sacagawea Joins the Expedition
It seems that Sacagawea first met Lewis and Clark at Fort Mandan. Her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, worked as an interpreter for the expedition, helping them talk with the Hidatsa people. The journals suggest that Sacagawea lived at the fort with him. Their son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, was born on February 11, 1805. He was likely born at the fort and stayed with his mother throughout the entire expedition.
What Happened After 1806
When the Corps of Discovery came back through the area in August 1806, they found Fort Mandan had burned down. No one knows why. Over time, the Missouri River has slowly worn away the riverbank. The river's path has shifted, and the original site of the fort is now gone.
Fort Mandan Replica Today
The Lewis and Clark Fort Mandan Foundation has built a copy of the fort. It's located along the river, about 2.5 miles from the intersection of ND 200A and US 83. This replica was built using descriptions from the expedition's journals. It's near the North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.
Inside the replica fort, you can see copies of items from the expedition. These include "Meriwether Lewis' field desk, William Clark's map-making tools, the bunks the men slept in, equipment they carried, clothes they wore, and the blacksmith's forge."
The site also has staff who give tours and teach visitors about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They explain its importance in United States history and the history of the region. There are also walking trails along the property and the river.
See also
In Spanish: Fuerte Mandan para niños
