Travels in North Dakota, Part I: Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park

By Lotte Govaerts

I have been working with collections from the Upper Missouri basin in North and South Dakota for about four years now, here at the National Museum of Natural History, but I had never actually visited the area until this past spring (late winter, really). My good friend and frequent travel companion Mat and I had the opportunity to take a short road trip across the area in early March of this year. Unfortunately, we arrived in North Dakota at the very end of an uncharacteristically warm period, which was followed by a blizzard. Our travel was impeded somewhat by these blizzard conditions which persisted throughout our visit.

Because of the time of year and the weather, many parks and other attractions were closed or inaccessible when we passed through the area. Despite this, we were still able to see a lot of the sights, and had a great trip. In this blog series, I want to share some pictures from that trip, as well as some historic photos and other related images.

Three earth lodges at On-A-Slant Village, in Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park. (Photo Lotte Govaerts)

 

One of the first places Mat and I visited in North Dakota was Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, located about seven miles south of Mandan.  The park does not close entirely for winter, but during the off-season, there are no interpretive services, no employees on site, and no exhibits, tours, or other activities. The visitor center is also closed.

 

On-A-Slant Village

One of the historic sites contained within Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is On-A-Slant Village. On-A-Slant was a Mandan village occupied for approximately 200 years between the late 16^th and 18^th centuries. It was abandoned shortly after many of the village’s inhabitants were killed during the smallpox epidemic of 1781. The survivors moved north to the Knife River region. In the 1930s, five earth lodges were reconstructed on the site by Civilian Conservation Corps crews.

Tracks in the snow lead to the entrance of an earth lodge at On-A-Slant Village. (Photo Lotte Govaerts)

 

It was extremely cold when we visited, with an icy wind blowing. With no fire going, it wasn’t particularly warm inside these earth lodges, but we could appreciate how well-insulated they were, as the wind could not penetrate the walls at all.

Selfie inside an earth lodge at On-A-Slant Village. (Photo Lotte Govaerts)

 

 

Close-up of interior of roof of an earth lodge at On-A-Slant Village. (Photo Lotte Govaerts)

Interior of larger, ceremonial lodge at On-A-Slant Village. (Photo Lotte Govaerts)

 

Interior of the larger, ceremonial earth lodge at On-A-Slant Village. Human (me) for scale. (Photo Mathew Patterson)

 

 

Outside of an earth lodge at On-A-Slant Village. The Missouri river can just be seen on the right. (Photo Lotte Govaerts)

 

1930s photo of Civilian Conservation Corps crew working on the construction of an earth lodge at On-a-Slant Village. (Image source: North Dakota Parks and Recreation, 50^th Anniversary Photo Album)

 

 

Fort Abraham Lincoln

Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park of course also includes the site of the fort it was named for.

Almost a century after the Mandan left the area, in June 1872, an infantry post named Fort McKeen was established in this location. It was soon renamed Fort Abraham Lincoln. A cavalry post was added the next year. Fort Abraham Lincoln housed three companies of the 6th and 17th Infantries and six companies of the 7th Cavalry, making it one of the largest military forts in the Northern Plains. It is perhaps most famous for being the home base from which the 7^th Cavalry under Custer started out on the expedition that ended in their defeat at the Greasy Grass or Little Bighorn.

The house where George and Elizabeth Custer lived has been restored, along with the commissary storehouse, enlisted men's barracks, a granary, and a stable. Visitors can take tours, but not during the winter season when we visited.

Wide view of some of the reconstructed buildings at Fort Abraham Lincoln. (Photo Lotte Govaerts)

 

A close-up of the reconstructed Custer house, taken on a nicer day. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)

 

Quite a few historical drawings and photographs exist of Fort Abraham Lincoln and the Custer house in particular.

 

View of Fort Abraham Lincoln, 1887. (Image Source: North Dakota State University Libraries, Institute for Regional Studies, Dakota Lithographs and Engravings Collection, Folio 102)

 

Officers and their wives at Fort Abraham Lincoln, 1876 or slightly earlier. (Image Source: State Historical Society of North Dakota 0022-H-0034. Via ND Studies)

 

Several people on the porch and steps of the Custer house, sometime between 1873 and 1876. (Image Source: State Historical Society of North Dakota 00260-03)

 

In the next post I will share photos from my visit to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and the reconstructed Fort Mandan. Stay tuned!

Further reading:

Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park website

MHA Nation history pages

Chambers, Lee. Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub., 2008.

Fenn, Elizabeth A. Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People. Macmillan, 2014.

Utley, Robert M. The Indian Frontier, 1846-1890. Rev. ed. Histories of the American Frontier Series. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2003.