Last updated: June 1, 2021
Place
Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Tourism Earth Lodge Village
"Mandan Earthlodge 01" by SnoShuu is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Quick Facts
Location:
New Town, ND
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
6 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Information, Information - Maps Available, Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present, Parking - Auto, Trash/Litter Receptacles
Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums
This map shows a range of features associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which commemorates the 1803-1806 Lewis and Clark Expedition. The trail spans a large portion of the North American continent, from the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. The trail is comprised of the historic route of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, an auto tour route, high potential historic sites (shown in black), visitor centers (shown in orange), and pivotal places (shown in green). These features can be selected on the map to reveal additional information. Also shown is a base map displaying state boundaries, cities, rivers, and highways. The map conveys how a significant area of the North American continent was traversed by the Lewis and Clark Expedition and indicates the many places where visitors can learn about their journey and experience the landscape through which they traveled.
The three affiliated tribes of the Upper Missouri River Valley, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara, perfected the construction of their earth lodge homes over hundreds of years of life on the harsh Northern Plains. Masters of agriculture, the tribes settled near the fertile banks of the river and built large circular homes 30–60 feet across to accommodate multiple families, typically sisters and their kin.
Construction of the heavily insulated earth and wooden homes was overseen by elder women within the community. Women also managed most of the building, framing the cottonwood posts and rafters, and filling the frame with willow branches, dried gasses and thick sod. Each house would take between seven and ten days to build and had to be reconstructed about every ten years. These homes were used until the late 19th century, when timber homes replaced the traditional style, and earth lodges became a ceremonial structure.
Today, you can experience these sacred structures at the reconstructed Earthlodge Village on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation near New Town, North Dakota. Located on the picturesque shores of Lake Sakakawea, you can stay the night in an earth lodge, take a trail ride, hear stories of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara peoples from cultural interpreters, and experience living culture at powwows and other events throughout the year.