In North Dakota there is evidence of 11,000 years of human occupation prior to written records. These archaeological sites provide important scientific information about where people lived, the resources they utilized, the technology used, and lifeway changes through time. The photo above is of the Knife River Flint Quarries. Knife River flint was used from the earliest times into the historic period by Native American peoples to make stone tools.
Historic archaeology combines archaeological and historical methods, sources, and perspectives to study the recent past. Examples of historic archaeological sites in North Dakota include fur trade posts, military posts, battlefields, trails, and homesteads. The image above is of Fort Clark State Historic Site. The site was first occupied by the Mandan by 1822 and later by the Arikara (1838). Fur trade posts (1830/31 – 1861) were constructed near the earth lodge village in hopes to enhance trade with the Native Americans, including the Mandans, Hidatsas, and Arikaras.
A two-year mapping project at Fort Clark State Historic Site produced a 15-cm contour map of the Native American (Mandan and Arikara) earthlodge village and a planimetric map of that part of the historic district that lies above the Missouri Read More …
Historical archeological work during the summers of 2000 and 2001 has been directed toward development and installation of a series of interpretive panels relating to the history, archeology, and peoples living at Fort Clark. In anticipation of this, investigations in Read More …
The Fort Clark State Historic Site (32ME2) is a well known site on the upper Missouri River, North Dakota. The site was the location of two Euroamerican trading posts and a large Mandan-Arikara earthlodge village. In 2004, Dr. Kenneth L. Read More …
Fort Clark, first established on the Missouri River in 1 824 some 2,400 km above St. Louis, was for decades a principal hub of the fur trade and a well-known destination for prominent travelers. Illustrations and scientific observations made there Read More …
The purpose of this study is to present a detailed descriptive statement of the archeology of one of the early village sites in the northern part of the Middle Missouri area. The Middle Missouri area consists of the Missouri River Read More …
The Knife River Indian Villages are located in North Dakota near the confluence of the Knife and Missouri Rivers, just north of the contemporary town of Stanton, North Dakota. They lie within the area between the Garrison Dam to the Read More …
The Dickinson Area digs are named such because they are near Dickinson. The staff departs from and returns to Bismarck, ND each day, but will meet diggers in Dickinson.
The Cannonball River Study Unit (CRSU), like other large parts of western North Dakota, is a land of prominent buttes. From west to east, the major named buttes are White Butte, West Rainy Butte, East Rainy Butte, Whetstone Buttes, Wolf Read More …
The field investigation was undertaken in accordance with the Corps of Engineers obligations to inventory and assess all cultural resources within its jurisdiction. The Phase II intensive test excavations were initiated for the purposes of: delineating the spatial distribution, horizontal Read More …
For those familiar with North Dakota history, dinosaurs are just a part of life. Here’s our experience on a dig.