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 History
of Ft. Abraham Lincoln
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park in North Dakota is one of the outstanding
historic areas within the state. The park is made historically important
because within its boundaries are the ruins of On-A-Slant Mandan
Indian Village and the Fort Abraham Lincoln cavalry and infantry
posts.
The land itself was deeded to the state in 1907 by President Theodore
Roosevelt. Park development started in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC), who built the visitor center, earthlodges, blockhouses,
shelters and roads, and placed cornerstones to mark buildings at
the infantry and cavalry posts.
Additional development took place in the late 1980s and 1990s,
with the reconstruction of the commanding officer's house, commissary
storehouse, enlisted men's barracks and granary, all on the cavalry
post grounds; and the Council Lodge in the On-A-Slant Village.
On-A-Slant Village
The history of the Heart River Mandan teaches that not all Plains
Indians lived a nomadic life. Since most people equate Indian life
on the Great Plains with that of the culturally different hunting
and gathering Sioux, it may surprise some to know that the Mandan
lived a sedentary, agriculturally-based society.
Newly studied archeological data suggests the On-A-Slant Village
was established about 1575. On-A-Slant was one of the southernmost
of nine villages near the mouth of the Heart River, which they believed
to be the center of the universe.
The village, named On-A-Slant because of its slope toward the river,
contained about 75 earthlodges with a village population of around
1000.
The earthlodges were constructed and owned by the women. The frame
was made of cottonwood logs, covered with a thick mat of willow,
grass and earth. Typical earthlodges were between 20 and 40 feet
in diameter and 15 to 20 feet high. In the center of the roof, a
circular hole acted as a skylight and smokehole for the firepit.
Unlike most Plains Indian tribes, the Mandan lived in sedentary
communities and relied upon a mixture of hunting and agriculture
for subsistence. The men hunted while the women tended crops, prepared
animal hides and meat, gathered wild berries, wove baskets and made
pottery. The Mandan were noted for their skill in processing animal
skins and manufacturing pottery, and their villages became trading
centers where nomadic tribes came to exchange animal skins for agricultural
products.
After prospering on this site for two centuries, a smallpox epidemic
hit in 1781 and virtually eliminated the Heart River-region Mandan.
The survivors moved north along the Missouri River, eventually joining
the Hidatsa near the Knife River.
When Lewis and Clark discovered the deserted On-A-Slant Village
in late 1804, it was already in an advanced state of decay, for
they reported that the remains included fallen heaps of earth which
had covered the houses.
Today, descendants of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara tribes live
on the Fort Berthold Reservation surrounding Lake Sakakawea.
Seven of the estimated nine Mandan village sites on the Heart and
Missouri rivers have been identified. Most of the village sites
were destroyed or seriously disturbed due to urban and industrial
development along the rivers. These villages represent the middle
period of Mandan culture, during which they achieved their highest
civilization. On-A-Slant has probably had less disturbance and pilferage
than the others and offers future archeologists considerable opportunity
to expand the knowledge of Mandan society.
The Military Years
Nearly a century later, the military established an infantry post
on a bluff above the On-A-Slant ruins.
In preparation for the Northern Pacific Railroad to lay its track
to the Missouri River and beyond, the military was dispatched to
the area. In June 1872, an infantry post, called Fort McKeen, was
built by Companies B and C of the 6th Infantry. The name Fort McKeen
was short-lived; the designation was changed to Fort Abraham Lincoln
on November 19, 1872. In 1873 Congress authorized the addition of
a cavalry post and its construction was mostly completed the same
year.
The Seventh United States Cavalry, which had been scattered throughout
the south and west, proceeded north to Fort Abraham Lincoln. By
1874, Fort Abraham Lincoln housed three companies of the 6th and
17th Infantries and six companies of the 7th Cavalry, making the
fort a nine-company command. With a total complement of about 650
men, the fort was among the largest and most important on the Northern
Plains.
Lt. Colonel (Brevet Major General) George Armstrong Custer was
the first commander of the enlarged fort and served here from 1873
until the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876.
Fort Abraham Lincoln was the headquarters of the 7th Cavalry until
June of 1882, when the 7th Cavalry and its headquarters were transferred
to Fort Meade in present-day South Dakota. Upon completion of the
railroad to Montana, Fort Abraham Lincoln had fulfilled its primary
purpose. Consequently, the fort gradually declined in importance
and was finally abandoned in 1891.
In its heyday, the fort encompassed 78 separate buildings. Many
of the original buildings were dismantled by area settlers and the
materials used in the construction of area homes and farms.
Today, the Victorian-style home of George and Libbie Custer has
been reconstructed and is open for living history tours. Also
reconstructed
are the commissary storehouse, which houses a gift shop, the enlisted
men's barracks, granary and stable.
History Links
For more information about the Plains Indians, Lewis and Clark,
Custer and military life, check out the links listed on the Little
Big Horn Associates web site at http://www.lbha.org.
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