Hidatsa Village Site - Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 47° 20.374 W 101° 22.982
14T E 319983 N 5245653
Awatixa Village Site is is located in the Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site. Village site has locations of earthlodges which made up the village. Site is where Lewis and Clark met with their guide Sakakawea.
Waymark Code: WM337M
Location: North Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 02/02/2008
Views: 113
From North Dakota: A Guide to the Northern Prairie State - Survey of
the State -History Section
President Jefferson for some time had been eager to have a party explore
the Missouri, cross the Rockies and reach the Pacific. In 1803 the Louisiana
Purchase facilitated completion of his plans, and his secretary, Capt.
Meriwether Lewis, with a friend, Capt. William Clark, started out on the journey
of exploration.
On October 13, 1804, the expedition came up the Missouri River into what
is now North Dakota. Near the present site of Stanton, where the Knife River
joins the Missouri, Lewis and Clark discovered villages of the Mandans and
Hidatsa. Having been well received, they decided to establish winter quarters.
Fort Mandan was built and the flag of the United States of America raised for
the first time on North Dakota soil. It was here that the explorers secured the
services of Charbonneau, the French interpreter, and his wife Sakakawea, the
Shoshone Indian girl who guided them successfully through the Rockies to the
Pacific.
After spending the winter with the friendly Indians, the expedition in
April 1805 set out along the river again, following its course into Montana.
Their journey through the mountains to the Pacific, led by Sakakawea, is one of
the most thrilling adventures in American history.
The party returned in September 1806 to the Hidatsa village on the
Missouri where Lewis and Clark, taking leave of their faithful guide, set out
for St. Louis and home. The careful observations recorded in the journals of
their party are a valuable contribution to the history of this region.
The Hidatsa village where Sakakawea was from has been now identified as the
Awatixa Village. The village site along with two others are located in the
Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site. The site has many
earthlodge location disks showing as a result of earthlodges collapsing leaving
an outline of their locations. The circles can be seen when viewing the
satellite view in Google Maps.
You are allowed to walk around and explore the village site. You may see many
artifacts, it is against Federal law to disturb or remove artifacts.
The trailhead to reach the location is located at the visitors center for the
Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site at N 47° 19.886 W 101° 23.142.
At the visitors center there is a replica earthlodge where the rangers conduct
interpretive talks.