We survived the night at Sakakawea Park Campground (barely) and the next morning (August 20th) we arrived at 8 a.m. sharp at Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. We had a busy day ahead of us going to four place besides Knife River (Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Section, Fort Union Trading Post and Wibaux, Montanta where we were staying the night). I was NOT a happy camper at Knife River because when I got there I learned that the park actually didn't open until 9 a.m. AND it closed the day before at 5:00 p.m. instead of 4:30 p.m. On the NP website online it says, Standard hours 8:00 - 4:30 by days of the week with all the hours in a neat little box but then on a small line above it says all on one line, Summer hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT. I was NOT happy! We could have stamped my book the day before instead of enduring that dreadful field of weeds and cactus!
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| NPS Photo |
Oh well. By being there are 8 a.m., I was able to walk around the Indian villages without a soul around. Scott was busy reading in the truck so I explored the site behind the visitor center all by myself. It took a good hour to do this since the trail is 3/4 mile to the river and a 3/4 mile back and by the time 9 a.m. came I was hiking back from Knife River. The photos are a bit dark as the sun was just rising, so I'll try to give details. I started here at the earthlodge and then just read the signs.
At this spot is also the Hidatsa Garden and Drying Racks where I spied a little bunny.
This is the trail that I followed to the river from the visitor center and only did the trail to Awatixa Xi'e and Awatixa Village to the river. The history of Knife River is impressive according to the NPS. The earthen mounds were built by two separate peoples at different periods of time. Apparently people have lived here for 11,000 years and the Hidatsa people lived here for 500 years at about 1525. Their earthlodges were built up more by the visitor center. The Mandan and Arikara joined the Hidatsa and settled villages south along the Missouri River where all hunted buffalo and ate edible plants however disputes occurred even though they were all earthlodge people. More recently, the Crow, Sioux, Cheyenne, Assiniboin, and Ojibwe came to trade with white traders and explorers. These white men brought the smallpox disease that dramatically altered the community lifestyle.
So, from here, I saw the older village, Awatixa Xi'e. This is the oldest of the remains where you fan see indentations where the earthlodges used to be.
From here, I came to the Midden. It's like their trash heaps. Animal bones, broken pottery and tools, etc. were excavated here.
Next, I came to the Awatixa Village on the river. At this location, there were still berry shrubs. One of the most prominent persons who lived here was Sacagawea aka Bird Woman. The Awatixa Village, down by the river, is Sakakawea or Sacagewea's village site. Her story has been told and retold to millions of Americans, but even though stories have been told there is little about her life. Even her name spelling is hotly contested. But, one of the journals of Lewis and Clark clearly wrote about Knife River, "a handsome river of about fifty years...this stream we called Sah-ca-gah-we-ah or bird woman's River..." What is known is that Knife River Village was an important place to the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1804. North Dakota spells here name Sakakawea as this is the Hidatsa language spelling, but she was called Bird Woman. Later, her name was spelled Sacajawea so that the hard "g" was pronounced. When Sacagawea (a Lemhi Shoshone from Idaho) was about twelve year old she was taken captive in a Hidatsa raiding party. She arrived at Knife River where French-Canadian fur trader Toussaint Charbonneau took her as a wife. Interestingly enough, Toussaint Charbonneau is my 2nd cousin 6 generations removed, so Sacagawea is my cousin by marriage and their two children are my 3rd cousins!
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Sacagawea 1788-1812
Painting by George Catlin |
At any rate, when she was sixteen or seventeen, she joined the Lewis and Clark expedition because of her experience with people and land farther west where she once lived and proved valuable to the team while she still cared for her son Jean-Baptiste.
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Sacagawea with Lewis and Clark at Three Forks
Painting in Montana State Capitol |
In August of 1806, they returned back to Knife River where she and Toussaint went to St. Louis in 1810, a large French populated area in that time period. Some people say she died in 1812 in South Dakota at Fort Manuel Lisa, a year after the birth of Lisette from "putrid fever". A biography of Sacagawea can we found here.
Next, I walked all along the river area. It was quiet and peaceful in the early morning. And soon, climbed back up the bank and walked back to the earthlodge.
The full scale replica scale of an Earthlodge was impressive. Amazingly, you can enter the Earthlodge and inside are REAL artifacts just right out in the open worth tens of thousands of dollars!! I couldn't believe it! Sorry the photos are dark...I didn't think to use my flash. It was amazingly warm inside the lodge. A large buffalo robe is the cover over the door. I was quite surprised. Scott walked over and toured it while I was down by the river. I found their creative use of tools quite interesting.
I found the exterior of the lodge interesting using trees, dirt and grass to keep it in tact.
Inside the visitor center was a nice exhibit of artifacts recovered from the village sites and decorative arts of the Northern Plains Indians. I thought the ceiling was genius for the location. The Indians who lived here were four-season people so they adapted to the very cold winters. The lodge was super warm and I think they were quite comfortable.
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| Web Photo - Do you see the eagle? |
Despite the confusion on the times and having to live overnight in a weed and cactus patch, I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and especially walking in the footsteps of my cousins Toussaint Charbonneau and Sacagawea.
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