Escapees May-June 2023

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about. We walked on thick bison skins covering the fl oors, felt the weight of a long spear, inhaled the wood smoke scent from the fi re pit, gazed at the string of dried squash slices and imagined what a child felt while playing with its fabric doll. The Mandan Indians thrived in this location for over 200 years before tragedy struck. Like other native residents of the “New World” they had no immunity to smallpox which arrived with the European explorers. An epidemic killed four out of every fi ve Mandan in 1781. The survivors moved further up the Missouri River to combine with other villages located there. Fort Abraham Lincoln Down the hill from the earthlodges is the sprawling Fort Abraham Lincoln. In 1872 the United States govern ment established this as an infantry post to protect their interests along the northwestern frontier. Unlike some tribes, those of the Plains Indians were not meekly bowing to government pressure to become “civilized.” Theywere fi ghting back to preserve their cherished way of life. The military soon discovered that the infantry alone was no match for tribes such as the Sioux, who were excellent horsemen. In late 1873, General George Armstrong Custer and his wife Elizabeth arrived with six companies of the 7th Cavalry to take up residence. All buildings of the reconstructed fort were open for viewing, including blockhouses, barracks, stables and the Custer home. The three blockhouses (or watchtowers) were spread out over the high ground. These block-shaped struc tures are three stories high, including an open roof-top deck. I felt like a mountain goat climbing the vertical ladder-stairs to reach this deck but the wide open view of the Missouri River was so worth it. Of course, military life on the frontier was never a picnic, especially with the extreme climate of North Dakota. Winter temperatures could get down to 45 degrees below zero, and I am not talking wind chill. In summer, it was hot as blazes with little shade and swarms of mosquitoes with which to contend. Never theless, these barracks looked pretty wide open and spacious compared to other forts we have toured. Large stone fi replaces provided heat. The men slept on an individual cot with a foot locker for personal items. Meals were eaten indoors at communal tables. As expected, the Custer home was much more comfortable. Starting on the welcoming front porch, a costumed guide takes you through the home as if it is 1875, and you are an invited guest of the General and Mrs. Custer. This was actually their second home as their fi rst one burned shortly after they arrived. As such, they were able to make changes to the blueprints

Years ago, when we visited North Dakota for the fi rst time, it was because it was one of two states that we had not yet been to and we wanted to cross it o ff our list. To accomplish this, we took a detour north, while vacationing in the Black Hills of South Dakota, to enjoy the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. F ast forward to July of 2021: We were leaving our home state of Wisconsin to begin our third year of full-time RV life, heading northwest this time. As retired RVers, we could spend weeks exploring each state instead of only days, so it was time to see what the often-over-looked state of North Dakota had to offer. Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, just 20 minutes south of Bismarck, was a great fi nd. This state park, along the con fl uence of the Missouri and Heart rivers, brings to life two different eras: The years it was occupied by the Mandan Native Americans (1575–1781) and the years it was a military cavalry post under General George Custer (1873–1876). We started out by taking advantage of a ranger-led tour of the “On-a-Slant Indian Village.” This consisted of six reconstructed Mandan earthlodges located high on the slanted hill that gave it its name. An earthlodge was a rounded structure composed of cottonwood logs and mud, with a log entryway and a fi re pit in the center. The Mandan traditions speak of as many as fi ve original sub-groups that descended on the Missouri Valley, in the 1500s, and formed these villages near the river. By all accounts, the Mandan Native Americans were a peaceful people who hunted and fi shed, planted crops such as corn, beans, squash and sun fl owersand traded with other tribes and explorers. We learned a lot about the Mandan culture on this tour, including the fact that it was a matriarchal society. This means that the mother is the head of the family and any children belong to the mother’s clan. Each earthlodge was home to an extended family of 12 to 15 people. Typically the woman who owned the lodge lived there with her husband, her unmarried sons, her married daughters and their husbands and children. There might also be an elderly parent living there. Polygamy was an accepted practice so sometimes two daughters might have the same husband. Apparently there were not enough men to go around owing to the risks of hunting and defending the village. One of the earthlodges was fi lled with Mandan items that we could touch and feel and ask questions

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May/June 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine