Location: Stanton, ND Map
Area: 1,758 acres (7.11 km²)
Open: 8am- 6pm Memorial Day- Labor
Day
8am- 4:30pm Winter time
Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, 1 Jan
Entrance Fee: Free
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site (NHS), located just north of Stanton in central North Dakota's Mercer County, preserves the archaeological remnants and cultural legacy of Northern Plains Indian villages that thrived along the Knife River for centuries. Spanning 1,758 acres (711 hectares) of floodplain, terraces, and upland prairies at the confluence of the Knife and Missouri Rivers, the site was established by Congress on October 26, 1974, to protect the last major intact village sites of the Hidatsa and Mandan tribes, as well as evidence of earlier Arikara occupation. This area served as a vibrant trade and agricultural hub from the 15th to the mid-19th century, where earthlodge-dwelling farmers, hunters, and traders interacted with each other and, later, European explorers. The site is particularly significant for its connection to Sacagawea (also spelled Sakakawea), the Shoshone woman who guided the Lewis and Clark Expedition and grew up among the Hidatsa at the Awatixa Village (now called Sakakawea Village). With no entrance fees and year-round access, it attracts around 50,000 visitors annually, offering a window into pre-colonial Indigenous life through reconstructed structures, interpretive trails, and exhibits. Managed by the National Park Service (NPS), the site emphasizes collaborative stewardship with descendant tribes like the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nation (MHA Nation) of the Fort Berthold Reservation.
The Knife River Indian Villages NHS occupies a dynamic landscape
shaped by the meandering Knife River, a 120-mile (193 km) tributary of
the Missouri River that flows eastward through glacial till plains and
badlands in western North Dakota. The site's terrain includes fertile
river floodplains ideal for agriculture, gently sloping terraces where
villages were built for defense and drainage, dissected breaks (steep
riverbanks), and rolling upland prairies extending to the horizon.
Elevations range from about 1,900 feet (579 m) along the river to 2,100
feet (640 m) on the uplands, creating a mosaic of riparian zones,
grasslands, and scattered cottonwood groves. The Knife River, named for
its sharp bends ("knife-like" in French, Rivière à Couteau), provided
essential water for irrigation, fishing, and transportation, while its
periodic floods deposited nutrient-rich silt that supported corn, beans,
squash, and sunflowers—the "Three Sisters" crops central to tribal
agriculture.
Geologically, the area lies in the Missouri Coteau, a
transitional zone between the Great Plains and the unglaciated Drift
Prairie, influenced by Pleistocene glaciation around 10,000–15,000 years
ago. Glacial outwash sands and gravels form the porous soils, while
wind-deposited loess (silt) blankets the uplands, fostering deep-rooted
prairie grasses. Erosion from the Knife River has carved oxbow lakes and
sloughs, remnants of ancient meanders, and exposed lignite coal seams
that tribes used for fuel. The site's location at the Missouri's "Big
Bend" made it a natural crossroads, with the rivers facilitating canoe
travel and bison migrations. Today, the undisturbed village depressions
(up to 210 at the three main sites) and fortification ditches highlight
how tribes adapted to this environment, building circular earthlodges
(20–50 feet in diameter) on terraces to avoid floods while commanding
views of approaching threats.
Human occupation in the Knife River region dates back over 11,000
years to Paleo-Indian hunters pursuing mammoth and bison in the
post-glacial grasslands. By the Woodland Period (500 B.C.–A.D. 1000),
semi-permanent villages emerged, but the area's peak as a sedentary
farming society began around A.D. 1300 with the arrival of Arikara
(Sahnish) peoples from the south, who built fortified villages before
moving downstream by the 1780s due to conflicts and disease. The Hidatsa
(Minnetaree), migrating from Minnesota around 1500–1600, and their
allies the Mandan established the dominant villages by the 1600s,
constructing over 100 earthlodges each at sites like Big Hidatsa,
Like-a-Fishhook Village, and Awatixa. These semi-subterranean homes,
framed with cottonwood logs and thatched with willow and sod, housed
extended families and served as multifunctional spaces for living,
storage, and ceremonies.
The villages flourished as trade centers,
exchanging corn, dried meat, and hides for horses, guns, and metal tools
with nomadic tribes like the Lakota and Crow, and later European fur
traders from the 1750s onward. Smallpox epidemics in 1781 and 1837
decimated populations—reducing the Mandan from 1,800 to 125—leading
survivors to consolidate at Like-a-Fishhook Village by 1845, where they
allied with the Arikara. This multi-tribal settlement persisted until
1886, when U.S. policies forced relocation to the Fort Berthold
Reservation.
European contact intensified with the Lewis and Clark
Expedition's winter at nearby Fort Mandan (1804–1805), where they met
Mandan Chief Black Cat and acquired Sacagawea's services. Sacagawea,
captured by Hidatsa raiders as a child and raised at Awatixa Village,
returned there briefly in 1805 with her infant son, Pomp.
Post-expedition, traders like Manuel Lisa and the American Fur Company
established posts, accelerating cultural exchange but also introducing
devastating diseases. By the late 1800s, Euro-American settlement,
railroads, and allotment policies eroded tribal lands. Archaeological
surveys began in the 1950s, leading to the site's federal protection in
1974 to safeguard 1,300+ village sites threatened by plowing and
erosion.
The Knife River villages represent the "northernmost cluster" of
Heart River Region sites, epitomizing the Hidatsa and Mandan way of life
as semi-sedentary agriculturalists who balanced farming with bison
hunting via seasonal expeditions. Hidatsa society was matrilineal, with
women owning homes and fields, planting in "lazy beds" (mounded rows)
and using dog travois for transport. Mandan ceremonies, like the Okipa
sun dance, involved self-sacrifice for communal renewal, while both
tribes maintained spiritual ties to the land through oral histories of
emergence from an underwater world. The site's linguistic
diversity—Hidatsa, Mandan (Siouan languages), Lakota (Dakota), French,
and English—reflected its role as a "marketplace" for ideas and goods,
fostering diplomacy amid intertribal warfare.
Sacagawea's legacy
elevates the site's profile; her Hidatsa name, Boat Pusher, honors her
role in the expedition, and the reconstructed Awatixa earthlodge
symbolizes her childhood. The villages were "centers of the universe"
for tribes, per descendant Raymond Cross, blending daily life—women's
songs over gardens, children's games, elders' stories—with resilience
against blizzards and raids. Today, MHA Nation collaboration ensures
authentic interpretation, countering colonial narratives and
highlighting adaptation to environmental changes like the Little Ice
Age's droughts.
The site's core is three Hidatsa villages: Big Hidatsa (Slant
Village, A.D. 1520–1740, 80+ lodge depressions), Awatixa Xi'e (Lower
Hidatsa, A.D. 1600–1780, 50 depressions), and Like-a-Fishhook (A.D.
1738–1845, largest with 115 depressions and a fort). Awatixa (Sakakawea
Village, A.D. 1600–1787) features 52 depressions. Excavations since the
1950s, including magnetic surveys in 1988, uncovered 100,000+ artifacts:
pottery sherds, corn cobs, bison bones, catlinite pipes, and European
trade beads, revealing subsistence patterns (90% plant-based diet) and
crafts like quillwork. A 1981 archeological district nomination
highlights studies on environmental adaptation and resource use.
A
full-scale reconstructed Hidatsa earthlodge at the visitor center, built
in 1987 using traditional methods (38-foot diameter, willow frame, sod
roof), offers interior views of willow beds, hearths, and storage pits.
Nearby, a smaller Awatixa lodge reconstruction stands, demonstrating
multi-family living.
The NPS Visitor Center, opened in 1979, serves as the gateway with a museum featuring the 17-minute film Dwellings of the Earth, dioramas of village life, and hands-on exhibits on Hidatsa gardening, tool-making, and trade. Artifacts include a 500-year-old corncob and a Mandan buffalo robe. Ranger talks and junior ranger programs engage visitors, with a sales area for MHA artisan crafts. The center is open year-round 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Central Time (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's), with trails accessible sunrise to sunset.
Over 12 miles of interpretive trails wind through the site, blending archaeology, ecology, and history. The 1.3-mile Village Trail (easy, paved/gravel) loops past Awatixa Xi'e and Sakakawea Village depressions, with signs on daily life. The 2.2-mile North Forest Trail (moderate) explores prairie grasslands and riverine forests, spotting wildlife. The 1.1-mile Big Hidatsa Trail circles the fortified village site. Self-guided audio tours via NPS app enhance hikes. Other activities include birdwatching (along the Knife River for herons, pelicans), picnicking at a covered pavilion, and stargazing in low-light skies. No camping or fishing on-site, but swimming in the rivers is possible (at own risk). Accessibility includes wheelchair-friendly paths to the earthlodge.
The site's ecology mirrors the Northern Great Plains: riparian cottonwood-willow forests along the Knife River support diverse habitats, transitioning to mixed-grass prairie on terraces and shortgrass uplands. Over 200 plant species thrive, including wild prairie rose, yarrow, and native grains like Indian ricegrass, with restored plots demonstrating Hidatsa agriculture. Wildlife includes white-tailed deer, coyotes, red foxes, and river otters; birds like bald eagles, great blue herons, and 150+ species (warblers, ducks) along the Audubon-designated Knife River corridor. Reptiles (garter snakes), amphibians (tiger salamanders), and insects (monarch butterflies) abound. Bison and elk are absent due to historical overhunting, but prairie dogs and ground squirrels persist. Prescribed burns (e.g., 130 acres in Big Hidatsa East and trails in May 2025) maintain grasslands, reduce invasives like Kentucky bluegrass, and promote biodiversity.
Free admission makes the site accessible; directions from Bismarck (1 hour northwest via US-83/I-94) or Minot (1.5 hours southwest) are straightforward, with parking for cars/RVs/buses. Nearby Stanton offers seasonal food and gas (credit card only); Hazen (15 miles west) has motels and dining. Stanton City Park provides camping. Programs include ranger-led earthlodge tours, living history demos (gardening, beadwork), and junior ranger badges. Special events: 50th anniversary celebrations in 2024 featured cultural festivals; 2025 includes MHA artist residencies and fall harvest programs. Citizen science opportunities like iNaturalist monitoring engage visitors. Safety tips: Watch for rattlesnakes, ticks, and river currents; pets allowed on leash but not in buildings.
As a NPS unit, the site is preserved under the 1974 act, with the Knife River Indian Villages Archeological District (National Register, 1981) safeguarding 1,300+ sites from development. MHA Nation co-management ensures tribal input on interpretations. Challenges include erosion, invasive species, and climate-driven floods; mitigation via burns and vegetative buffers. Recent: Prescribed burns in 2024/2025 restore prairies; Tom Smith appointed superintendent in October 2024; 50th anniversary (July 2024) highlighted tribal resilience. In September 2025, the site remains open, with events promoting "earthlodge people" heritage amid ongoing collaboration for a sustainable future.