Fort+Mandan

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=__Fort Mandan__= Fort Mandan was created during the winter of 1804-05, on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Fort Mandan was named after one of the local Indian tribes. The fort served as a home for the Expedition during the cold, long winter. The actual site of the fort is disputed and it was burned.

=__About the Fort__= The Fort was built of cottonwood lumber cut from the river banks. It was triangular in shape, with high walls on all sides and a gate facing the riverbank. The Corps of Discovery started the Fort on November 2, 1804, and remained in the area until April 7, 1805. The Mandan were a tribe that Lewis was specifically told to trade with by then President Thomas Jefferson.

=__Why it was called Mandan__= Fort Mandan was named Mandan after an indian tribe named Mandan. The Mandan was a tribe Lewis was told to trade with. The Mandan tribe lived slightly down the river from Fort Mandan in a village. The Mandan tribe was happy too trade with the explorers.They traded things like knifes, guns, and ammunition for food and other tings they needed for their trip. =__The People they met up with__=

=__The Mandan Tribe__ = The Mandan Tribe's population is less than 100 pureblood individuals. Their population used to consist of over 9,000 individuals.The Mandans were regarded as " Prarie people ". They lived in permanent villages along the Missouri River and cultivated corn, beans, squash and tobacco. They primarily hunted buffalo and were known to have gone on great excursions for deer. During times of fall and spring migration, the tribe hunted elk and antelope ; later aided by the introduction of the horse in the 1750's.

=__The Sioux__= The Sioux Indians were a large and powerful tribe of indians. They were found by the French in 1640, near the headwaters of the Mississippi River. The Sioux tribe threatened to attack the Mandan village along with the explorers. Although several parties did attack, no major conflict arose. They occupied the vast domain extending from the Arkansas River, in the south, to the western tributary of Lake Winnipeg, in th north, and westward to the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. =__Conclusion__= Fort Mandan was one of the two forts the Corps of Discovery built.The other fort was Fort Clatsop that was built after Fort Mandan. Fort Mandan is still standing today. It is located in North Dakota and tours are given daily. When you go there you are not allowed to go in the rooms of the fort. If you're lucky enough to visit North Dakota while it's snowing, you should see the fort because it looks beautiful in the winter.