Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site facts for kids
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Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site Archeological District
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Reconstructed Hidatsa Indian Earthlodge
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 Location in North Dakota
Location in the United States
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| Location | Stanton, North Dakota |
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| Area | 1,758 acres (7.11 km2) |
| Visitation | 31,079 (2005) |
| Website | Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site |
| NRHP reference No. | 74002220 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 26, 1974 |
| Designated NHS | October 26, 1974 |
The Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site was created in 1974. It protects the old homes and history of the Hidatsa people. They were a group of Plains Indians in North Dakota. This area was a very important place for trading and farming. Three main villages were located here. They are known as Hidatsa villages. Their names were Awatixa Xi'e, Awatixa, and Big Hidatsa village. Awatixa Xi'e is thought to be the oldest. The Big Hidatsa village started around the year 1600.
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Geography: Where are the Knife River Villages?
The Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site is in central North Dakota. It's where the Knife River meets the Missouri River. The villages are about half a mile north of Stanton, North Dakota. It's an hour northwest of Bismarck. It's also about 1.5 hours southwest of Minot, North Dakota.
The Knife River flows into the Missouri River. You can see beautiful plains, river bluffs, and forests along these rivers. The national park covers both sides of the Knife River. It includes a forested area along the river.
The Missouri River is sometimes called the "Big Muddy." This is because it carries a lot of dirt. The Missouri River drains a huge part of the United States. It covers about one-sixth of the country. Before people changed it, the Missouri River area had many different kinds of plants and animals.
History of the Villages
Life in the Earth Lodges
At the Knife River Indian Villages, you can still see signs of old homes. These include circular dips in the ground where earth lodges once stood. You can also see storage pits and old travois trails. Travois were like sleds pulled by dogs or horses.
The earth lodges were large, round homes. They could be up to 40 feet wide and 14 feet tall. They were built from wood. Then, they were covered with willow branches, dried grass, and about 4 inches of earth. This is why they are called "earth lodges." Many were big enough for two families to live in. People even kept their most important horses inside at night.
The homes were built at ground level. But daily sweeping made the floor a bit lower than the ground outside. A fireplace was in the center of the lodge. A hole in the roof let the smoke out. When people left these homes, the walls and roof fell in. This created the round dips you see today.
Sakakawea's Story
Sakakawea (Sacagawea) was a Shoshone woman. She was captured and lived in one of the Knife River villages. Her presence, and her baby's, was very important for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She helped them stay safe and find their way. She could also translate for them.
Other Native American tribes saw that the group had a young woman and a child. This made them believe the explorers were not a threat. War parties did not usually travel with women and children.
Trading and Farming Life
The Knife River Villages were a major center for trading and farming. The Native Americans here were like middlemen. They traded goods across a huge area. This network reached from Minnesota to the Great Plains and the Gulf Coast. It even went to the Northwest Pacific Coast.
They traded things like furs, guns, and metals. But the Hidatsa and Mandan people also traded corn and other foods. They grew corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers in their large gardens. The women usually managed these gardens.
The Smallpox Outbreak
The Knife River villages were doing well until 1837. Then, a terrible sickness called smallpox spread. It nearly wiped out the people living there. About half of the population died.
The smallpox outbreak was very bad for the Mandan people. Out of 1,600 Mandan villagers, only 31 survived. The sickness spread easily through trading. Even with warnings, people still visited trading posts. This exposed them to the virus. After the Mandan villages were empty, nearby groups sometimes took things from them. But they also carried the sickness back to their own homes.
Nature at Knife River Villages
Plants and Trees
Hundreds of years ago, when Native Americans lived here, the land looked different. The higher areas were mostly prairie with few trees. The forests along the river were rich and fertile. Native Americans cleared these fertile areas. They used them to grow crops like corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers.
Common trees in the river areas included green ash, cottonwood, American elm, and box elder. Smaller trees and shrubs were also common. These included sandbar willow, red osier dogwood, and buffalo berry.
In 1974, efforts began to make the park look like it did long ago. Now, the area has native short grass prairies and other grasslands. It also has 450 acres of hardwood forest. You can see the old village sites, wet areas, and sandbars.
Some parts of the park's forests have not changed much. Some prairie areas have different grasses and many flowers. Native animals eat plants like choke cherry, wild plums, buffaloberry, and Juneberry.
Animals and Insects
The different plant areas in the park are home to many animals. The forests have white-tailed deer, coyotes, beavers, and skunks. You might also see prairie pocket gophers and ground squirrels.
The park is also home to many birds. Game birds like turkeys, pheasants, Canada geese, and mourning doves live here. You can spot birds of prey like owls, red-tailed hawks, bald eagles, and kestrels. Other birds near the rivers include white pelicans, snow geese, and great blue herons. The Missouri and Knife Rivers have twenty-six types of water snails and clams.
Scientists are collecting and studying insects in the park. They have found over 200 different kinds of insects. Common insects include beetles, flies, true bugs, leaf hoppers, bees, wasps, and ants. Many of these insects are food for the park's wildlife.
Managing Invasive Species
Like many places, the park works to control invasive species. These are plants or animals that are not native and can harm the environment. Exotic plants first appeared when Native Americans and early Europeans cleared forests. Some were brought by accident, but a few were planted on purpose.
Examples of these plants include leafy spurge, Canada thistle, and sweet clover. The park is now studying these plants and animals. This helps managers decide how to best control the invasive plants.
Climate: What's the Weather Like?
In the summer, temperatures can reach the upper 80s Fahrenheit. The air is usually not very humid, and winds can change. The average temperature for the whole year is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Winter months can bring very cold temperatures, often below zero. This area gets about 16 inches of rain and snow each year.
