The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-08-22
Mode of Living Practiced
When Lewis and Clark
Visited Country Is Told;
Explorers Took Careful
Note of Conditions at Man
dan Camps Near Stanton

Grand Forks, N. d., Aug. 22.-tP)
Persons who now are urging North
Dakota farmers to diversity their
crops as a means of obtaining sue
cess are only recommending a return
to the agricultural system which the
plains Indians used successfully be-
fore the coming of the white man,
according to DR.. o. G. Libby, head
Of the history department ut the state
University here.
In the following article, the twelfth
of a series written by DIR. Libby for
the Associated Press, he describes
the mode Of living which the Indians
practiced at the time of the Lewis
and Clark expedition and gives 9TH
err interesting facts concerning these
original North lakOtans. The story
follows:
BY o. G. Libby
When the expedition of Lewis and
Clark reached point on the Mis-
souri, river where the present town
of Stanton is located, the two lead
ers decided to make their winter
camp not far from the villages Of
the Mandans and Gros Ventres or
Hidatsa. These Indians had five vii
lagos at this point, two of them
Mandan and three Hidatsa. Fort
Mandan, as the Lewis and Clark camp
was called, was located at this place
because of the fact that regular sup
plies of corn and other food could
be obtained during their stay here
The two Mandan villages were To-
Gated several miles south of the
present town Of Stanton, on the west
bank of the Missouri river and some
fifty feet above the river level. The
two villages were of different size,
the smaller one standing near the
present site of Deapolis. The larger
one was located farther down the
river and consisted Of some hundred
earth lodges entirely surrounded,
except on the river front, by ditch
and log palisade. The houses were
dome-shaped and varied in size from
Is to so. feet in diameter. The
framework of the house consisted Of
four large upright logs set deep in
the ground in The form Of square
circle around the central square.
the upright timbers together. Will
low bark was used, principally. The
uprightsj were usually forked at the
top to offer a better means of bind
ing the whole framework together.
Small poles were next placed in q
slanting position from the ground to
the crosspieces connecting the out
side row Of uprights and they were
used also like rafters in house to
cover the ton Of the lodge. Over
these poles or rafters were laid
bundles Of willows that served as
roof boards do in our houses to tie
the rafters together. The Mandans
had no shingles but in Mace Of them
they used prairie grass and, last OF
all, earth, makin~ covering from
six inches to several feet thick.
Protected Indians From Bliszards
a roof opening for q smoke hole
and storm porch" entrance Of up
right logs completed the lodge.
These native. houses were q perfect
protection against the twin scourges
Of our plains.s the winter bliSsard and
the prairie fire. The Hidatsa houses
were built on the same pattern 90
those Of the MRndans and were
balisaded in about the aame wsy.
Both Mandans and Hid4tsa raised
five crops yearly, corn, beans, 70.
sbacco, squashes, and sunflowers
Their surplus crop, especially Of corr
md tobeceo, W. pssd II trsde viii