Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1884, 1880-08-13
NJ ANDAN MOU N IS
FACTS AVID FANCY, LEGENDS
AND DISSERTATIONS.
Indian Villages. Mounds and Allied
Tribes---A Proud and War1ike
People Decimated by Disease
and Scattered by War.

People Decimated by Disease
and Scattered by War.
Professor VIM. Denton, who recently
visited Mandan, in letter to the Duluth
Tribune, says Of Mandan:
"Whils at Maudan. D. T., visited an inter
! esting place on the bottom lands Of Heart River
rather small mounds. Scattered over and around
| them are pieces Of pottery, broken arrows and
| knives of chest, and great many chest chips,
| buffalo bones and ussel shells, many of recent
deposit, and all of hese in great profusion. A
| large srani'e metal, or mortar, for pounding
| corn. was prominen object, and will doubtless
be appropriated by some archaeological society
before long. On the south eide Of Heart River,
| and at distance of about mile. / saw several
mounds, some Of considerable size. Here, also,
fragments of pottery were very abundant. some
with ia1 not little skill. Many fine stone arrow:
have been found here. and picked up chip OF
obsidian, which no Indian would be likely to
where the material can be found in place After
my visit one Of the mounds was opened and two
skulls, copper knife: and 'eme very perfect
per knife point to the mound builders, but the
skulls are not of the pure mound builder type.
1t is very p:obabe that we have at Mandan
the remains of ad old mound builder trading
copper knives and hatchets. stone arrows and
ornaments for skins, and where they are ANAL
gamated with them. Handan is very pleasant
number of intelligent and liberal people. It will,
in my opinion, become. at no distant time
large and beautiful CITY,"
Indian tradition informs us that the
first people of this country were the Ar
rickarees, known as the Rees, who occu-
pied the whole land; afterward the Man
dams came into the country from the
south and occupied the bluffs; and about
this time came also the Gros Ventres, or
the big-bellied people Of the valleys
They lived hlrmoniously together, and
were allies in all campaigns against the
Sioux, who came from the laughing and
smoky water region of Minnesota. They
were powerful tribes, and for many years
held their own against the Sioux. They
occupied the heights at Fort Lincoln,
where traces Of their Notifications may
still be found, and Son Of the Stars, nov,
at Fort Berthold, reports that his great
grandfather was born on the site of Fort
A. Lincoln. There was also an important
village stretching north ward from Fort
A. Lincoln along the valley of the Miss
ouri about two miles and up the Heart
River mile or more, taking in the pres
en-, site Of Mandan. At Fort A. Lincoln
the sun dances were always celebrated
and the trails leading from every djrec-
ton to that point show it to have been
for many years natural center. Here
was an abundance Of timber. On the
south were springs; on the north the
lovely Heart, with splendid fishing IN
front, excellent grazing in the rear and
country ovcrrun with game OF every ma
turc. Near Mandan some OF the mounds
referred to prove, in accord with Indian
tradition, to be the remains Of Indian
lodges that were built of poles and cover
ed with earth. The poles decayed and
the lodges tumbled in, burying the con-
tents under two or three feet OF earth. In
these mounds will be found broken pieces
of pottery, implements of stone. and
bones, and when the great chiefs died it
was the custom Of the people 10 build
them elegant lodges and array them in
gorgeous robes and leave them to waste
away in the pure atmosphere of the coun
try, as those Of lower degree were arraycd
in their best blankets or skins and tas-
tened in the ighboring tree tops They
lived happily and contcnledly, possess
ing this whole land, and were SO power
full as TO be able to cope with all who
came in contact with them until about
one hundred years ago, when smallpox
reached their camp from traders who
came up the Missouri. The Indians died
like sheep, and disheartencd, they were
unable to Withstand the attacks of their
ancient enemies. They were finally
forced to abandon their formerly happy
homes ou the west side Of the river, and
took refuge on the east, where they
strongly fortified on the Mand.n bluffs,
just north of the Bismarck landing. Here
they remained for some years, making
frequent trips to the south, north and
west, meeting the Sioux or Grows on the
neutral ground west Of Fort A. Lincoln
and fighting shem until the days Of 1ndi
an reservations and Indian agents, when,
decimatcd by the ravascs of war and dis
ease they retired 10 their present agency
to be roboed, grow: and die, where these
once prood aud powerful people have
dwindled down to absut 1900 souls.
Some Business.
For the week ending August 7th. the