Fort Mandan (Washburn, North Dakota)
Washburn · North Dakota
History & Significance
The expedition chose this location near the Mandan and Hidatsa villages after finding these peoples friendly and helpful. The triangular fort was constructed from cottonwood timber cut from the riverbanks, with an 18-foot-high stockade surrounding the perimeter.
The winter proved brutally cold, with temperatures sometimes dropping to −45 °F, and several expedition members suffered frostbite. Lewis and Clark compiled extensive descriptions of the Missouri tributaries, Native nations encountered, and specimens collected—material later sent to government officials in St. Louis as the Mandan Miscellany.
The fort was also where Lewis and Clark appear to have first met Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman whose Hidatsa-speaking husband Toussaint Charbonneau served as an interpreter; their son Jean Baptiste was born on February 11, 1805, possibly at the fort. When the expedition returned in August 1806, a fire had destroyed the original fort, and the Missouri River eventually eroded the site, submerging its remains.
Key Facts
Map
View larger map ↗ · © OpenStreetMap contributors
🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Reconstructed 1804-1805 Lewis and Clark winter encampment with period-accurate wooden structures
- Interpretive exhibits on the expedition's historic winter stay and tribal relations
- Walking trails along the Missouri River with views of the landscape the explorers encountered
- Museum featuring artifacts and information about the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara tribes
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Mandan
- https://lewis-clark.org/the-trail/fort-mandan/
- https://lewisandclarkjournals.unl.edu/item/lc.jrn.1804-11-02
- https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-mandan.htm
- https://www.history.nd.gov/historicsites/mandan/
- https://ndstudies.gov/gr4/frontier-era-north-dakota/part-3-lewis-and-clark-expedition/section-4-expedition-north-dakota
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/mandan-fort
Other Forts in North Dakota
See all forts in North Dakota →