Big Hidatsa Village Site
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Big Hidatsa Village Site | |
 Big Hidatsa Village | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Stanton, North Dakota |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°20′22″N 101°22′56″W / 47.33946°N 101.38214°W |
| Area | 15 acres (6.1 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000600[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
The Big Hidatsa site, occupied between ca. 1740 and 1850, is an earthlodge located in the 1,758 acre Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site in North Dakota, United States.[2][3] This National Historic Site was established in 1974 “to focus on the cultures and lifestyles of the Plains Indians”.[3][4][5]
The Big Hidatsa site is located near the junction of the Knife and Missouri Rivers close to Stanton, North Dakota.[5] This location was a stop on the expedition of Lewis and Clark. Big Hidatsa was the largest village of the three on the site, with about 120 round earthlodges.[2] Fort Mandan was built about 2 miles away from Big Hidatsa by the Lewis and Clark expedition.[2]
History
The Big Hidatsa site and its neighbors are the villages at which Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery were assisted by Sacagawea during their expedition.[3] When the explorers arrived in winter 1804,[2] between 4,000 and 5,000 Hidatsa and Mandan lived in this area, and there were more than 200 lodges.[5] Each of these earthlodges could hold 20 to 30 people.[2]
After Fort Mandan was erected by the Discovery Corps, trading was conducted between the men of the expedition and people of Big Hidatsa.[2] In fact, some artifacts from the inhabitants of the nearby site and its neighbors were sent to President Thomas Jefferson.[2] Communications with the Hidatsa and Mandan people here provided invaluable information about the culture and history of the people in the west.[2]
