Exploring Lewis and Clark's North Dakota

Production funding is provided by the North Dakota Tourism Division and by the members of Prairie public From the farmlands of the Red River Valley to the majestic badlands of the West our state will host many visitors during the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial people will be traveling to North Dakota from all directions Not just along the Missouri River, but from all four corners no matter where you live you are an ambassador Let's make North Dakota and unforgettable experience once visitors discover our rich history endless beauty outdoor adventures and Friendly hospitality thanks to you. They will know the entire state of North Dakota is a great place to explore When the Lewis and Clark expedition came to North Dakota They found a land of great beauty of abundant wildlife and of hospitable native peoples 200 years later Following their footsteps along the river that carried them through uncharted territories in a place we call North Dakota In 1804 captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and a party of hardy frontiersmen Set out from st. Louis on a momentous journey Their mission to explore president Thomas Jefferson's new purchase the Louisiana Territory The core of discovery traveled more than 8,000 miles by canoe and by boat on horseback and on foot through uncharted territory to the Pacific Ocean and back 200 years later we commemorate these brave explorers and their journey by following in their footsteps When they reach North Dakota today's explorers marvel at our wide open landscapes and abundant wildlife And they're welcomed by friendly local people whose hospitality leaves an unforgettable mark of good fortune on these modern expeditions Let us journey together to rediscover what Lewis and Clark found not just a place but a spirit of adventure From the South Dakota border the journey begins with highway 1804 traveling north along the Missouri River Called the Lewis and Clark Trail it carries today's traveler to sites along the expedition's route and through our beautiful prairie landscapes The core of discovery spent many months on the Missouri River in their journals Lewis and Clark spoke of the great beauty of the land they journeyed through The country is as yesterday beautiful in the extreme I ascended to the top of the tall cliff this morning from whence I had a most delightful view of the country The whole of which except the valley formed by the Missouri is void of tree or underbrush Exposing to the first glance of the spectator Immense herds of buffalo elk deer and antelopes feeding in one common boundless pasture Captain Meriwether Lewis 22 April 1805 Today's travelers will also find many of the birds animals and plants Lewis and Clark recorded in their journals as North Dakota remains a haven for wildlife With more wildlife refuges in any other state North Dakota is also a birders paradise The Missouri Valley is home to rare and endangered species like the piping plover And if you're lucky you may see a bald eagle high overhead The first stop along the Lewis and Clark Trail in North Dakota is the Standing Rock Reservation Home to the Lakota or Sioux people the reservation takes its name from a special stone Legend says this is no ordinary rock But a jealous woman who refused to move until her husband gave in to her demands He would not and eventually the stubborn woman turned to stone, but the tribe did not abandon her They have carried the heavy stone with them ever since Today you will find the Standing Rock near the Prairie Knights Casino and Lodge Along the river you'll also enjoy camping swimming and picnic areas as well as exceptional fishing and boating Each year in Bismarck the United Tribes Technical College is host to one of the largest powwows in the country They welcome the public to this annual celebration of their heritage North Dakota was home to many tribes at the time of Lewis and Clark The native peoples traded goods Hunted game and fished the bountiful River During their winter in North Dakota Lewis and Clark learned much of the rich heritage of these people Today the North Dakota Heritage Center in Bismarck tells the story of life among the native peoples and of the settlers who came to North Dakota across the river take the trolley or drive along the river to on a slant Indian village a Reconstructed earth Lodge village on the banks of the heart River While there you can also step back in time to Fort Abraham Lincoln the cavalry post which was home to Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer North of Bismarck you can walk among the remains of double-ditch Indian Village State Historic Site and Enjoy an expansive view of the beautiful, Missouri River Valley As they traveled up the Missouri Lewis and Clark eagerly Anticipated reaching the Mandan and Hidatsa villages near the Knife River confluence In 1804 the Knife River Mandan and Hidatsa villages was a hub of trade activity among the Native Americans More than 3,000 people lived here more people than in the expedition starting point in the thriving metropolis of st. Louis Lewis and Clark built their winter quarters near the Mandan villages They named it Fort Mandan to honor the people who befriended them The Corps of Discovery spent five months at Fort Mandan gathering information replenishing their supplies Crafting dugout canoes from the huge cottonwood trees. They found there and preparing for the next stage of their long journey Deep in the wooded Missouri bottoms just north of present-day Washburn Tourists and history buffs alike stepped back in time at a replica of Fort Mandan no luxury hotel by today's standards It's hard to imagine a large company of men Spending an entire winter in such close quarters the longest period of time the expedition dwelled in any one place Today you can stand inside the walls listening to the cottonwood leaves rattling gently in the breeze and Imagine what life was like for those men Just as this area was the hub of trade two centuries ago Present-day Washburn is now a hub of tourism for travelers interested in the Corps of Discovery The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center showcases exhibits about the historic expedition With special emphasis on the Corps interactions with native peoples It tells the story of Sacagawea's importance to the expedition success a must-see stop for Lewis and Clark followers On the west side of the river at Cross Ranch State Park travelers can experience the river as it was in Lewis and Clark's time With seven miles of undisturbed river scenery. You can camp and canoe along the longest preserved stretch of river anywhere on the Missouri a Special interest is the Smith Grove a stand of cottonwood trees Which were here in Lewis and Clark's time the cottonwood forests are being carefully preserved for future generations to enjoy At the nearby Cross Ranch Nature Preserve hikers can experience 5,000 acres of native prairie complete with a buffalo herd To the northwest near Stanton the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site features an outstanding visitor center Complete with a furnished earth lodge Here you can walk among the remains of three of the villages that welcomed Lewis and Clark Miles of trails are open year-round for hiking and cross-country skiing The winter of 1804 to 1805 was a pivotal time for the Corps of Discovery Through the friendship of Shehag Shote and other Mandan and Hidatsa leaders Lewis and Clark were able to winter here in safety They learned from the Mandan and Hidatsa skills that helped them survive on their journey Both the Corps and the local tribes benefited greatly from their trade Corps members provided blacksmithing medicines and manufactured articles the natives did not have in return the tribes supplied the Corps with fresh meat corn and other food supplies and Included them on their buffalo hunts Without the help of the tribes the Corps of Discovery may well have starved But of course the part of the Fort Mandan story North Dakotans are most fond of is the meeting of Lewis and Clark and Sagagawea She was in her late teens and expecting her first child when she and her husband joined the expedition Throughout the long and difficult journey to the Pacific and back Sagagawea was there every step of the way Calm helpful and intelligent she proved her value early Saving the captain's precious journals and instruments when a sudden storm nearly capsized the boat. She was riding in In this p-rogue were embarked our papers instruments books medicine a great part of our merchandise and in short almost every article Indispensably necessary to further the view or ensure the success of the enterprise The Indian woman to whom I ascribe equal fortitude and resolution with any person on board at the time of the accident Caught and preserved most of the light articles, which were washed over port all matters being now arranged for our departure We lost no time in setting up Captain Meriwether Lewis 16 May 1805 As spring came to the prairie Lewis and Clark left Fort Mandan and once again took to the river After a long winter among the Mandan and Hidatsa the 33 men of the Corps of Discovery Accompanied by the French trader Charbonneau his wife Sagagawea and their infant son Loaded their supplies into two piros and six canoes and began the journey into territory uncharted by any white man We were now about to penetrate a country at least 2,000 miles in width on which the foot of civilized man had never trod the good or evil it had in store for us was for experiment yet to determine and These little vessels contained every article by which we were to expect to subsist or defend ourselves I could but esteem this moment of my departure as among the most happy of my life The party are excellent health and spirits zealously attached to the enterprise and anxious to proceed Not a whisper or murmur of discontent to be heard among them, but all act in unison and with the most perfect harmony Captain Meriwether Lewis 7 April 1805 The stretch of river they entered that day was home to immense herds of buffalo Antelope elk deer and more than an occasional grizzly bear today. It is still an outdoor recreation paradise Parks campgrounds marinas and fishing resorts have sprung up on the shores of the Missouri River and expanse of Lake Sakakawea North Dakota draws fishing enthusiasts with some of the best walleye and northern fishing in the world Each spring anglers look forward to the unusual experience of paddle fishing an exotic sturgeon species Lewis and Clark described in their journals water fun abounds throughout the state Sailing boating canoeing and kayaking swimming at a modern water park provide fun for the whole family President Jefferson had many purposes in mind when he sent Lewis and Clark on their long journey They were commissioned as a military expedition to establish American interests in the newly acquired Louisiana purchase This was especially important since most of the French fur traders in the area had no idea The territory had changed hands As they traveled the Missouri Lewis identified suitable locations for trading posts and cities One such site was the confluence of the Missouri and the Yellowstone Rivers 20 miles west of present-day, Williston On the Missouri about two and a half miles from the entrance of the Yellowstone River and between this high and low plain a Small lake is situated about 200 yards wide extending along the edge of the high plain parallel with Missouri about one mile On the point of the high plain at the lower extremity of this lake. I think would be the most eligible site for an establishment Captain Meriwether Lewis 27 April 1805 Today and almost precisely that location stands for Buford State Historic Site a Frontier military post with some of the original buildings still intact Just upstream the fur trade era comes alive at the reconstructed Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site Once the premier center of trade on the northern plains Visitors interested in America's military past will find many places to visit along the Lewis and Clark Trail Fort Clark Trading Post Fort Abraham Lincoln Fort Mandan or the new confluence Center, which will interpret the history of this important period Lewis and Clark's expedition left North Dakota in April of 1805 from this place They made their way west across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean It would be more than a year before the Corps of Discovery returned to North Dakota The party had split up on the return trip to explore more territory Although it was only supposed to be a short separation. It was more than six weeks before Lewis and Clark reunited in August of 1806 At 1 p.m. I overtook Captain Clark and party and had the pleasure of finding them all well Captain Meriwether Lewis 12 August 1806 Lake Sakakawea's Reunion Bay was named to honor this event Stretching more than 200 miles behind the garrison dam Lake Sakakawea offers camping boating fishing and sailing The Fort Bertholdt reservation on the shores of Lake Sakakawea is home to the three affiliated tribes of Mandan Hidatsa and Arikara a full-service marina parks and a newly renovated casino and Lodge Welcomes visitors following in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark You can explore the tribes rich heritage at powwows open to the public and at the four bears Museum Which tells a fascinating history of the tribes who befriended Lewis and Clark's expedition? In the summer of 1806 the Corps of Discovery was at last on its way home Speeding downstream with the current they returned to the Knife River Mandan and Hidatsa villages There the Corps of Discovery who had been together for more than two years bid farewell to some of their fellow explorers among them Sakakawea and her little boy at last the expedition turned south eager to return to the nation whose fortunes they had forever changed in August of 1806 the Corps of Discovery left, North Dakota a year behind schedule, but having accomplished so much In all the Corps of Discovery traveled 8,000 miles Cataloged hundreds of native plant and wildlife species new to science and began the task of mapping the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase The expedition returned to st. Louis to an enthusiastic, but surprised reception a Gentleman informed us that we had been long since given up by the people of the u.s. Generally and almost forgotten, but the president of the United States had yet hopes of us Captain William Clark 17 September 1806 Surely not forgotten and now honored in so many ways and in so many places How will we commemorate their accomplishments? What better way than to let them inspire us to become explorers as well as? As Captain Lewis beckoned Clark so he beckons us My friend if there is anything in this enterprise Which would induce you to participate with me and its dangers and its fatigues and its honors Believe me there is no one on earth with whom I should feel equal pleasure in sharing them as with yourself To help plan your Lewis and Clark adventure in North Dakota Order your free travel planning guide by calling toll-free 1-800-hello, Indy Production funding is provided by the North Dakota Tourism Division and by the members of Prairie Public a production