It was only in the low 50s when we set off on our travels today but by late afternoon it was in the high 70s AND it was a beautiful day (no rain!!)
Our first stop today was on the high ridge that at one time was the home to Fort McKeen which was established in 1872 to provide protection for the surveryors and later those who came to construct the planned Northern Pacific Railway. The infantry posted there was not given horses so they weren't particularly successful. Today all that remains are a couple of blockhouses, a small cemetery, and foundations of barracks and other such buildings.
Most of us climbed to the roof of this restored blockhouse just to see the fantastic view of the Missouri River and the surrounding area.
Near the end of 1872 the cavalry came and by the next spring set up Fort Abraham Lincoln on the flat below this point. At one point there were 500 men posted there. One of the first Generals was General George Custer who arrived in late 1873 and lived in this house with his wife, Elizabeth and his daughter.
This young docent regaled us with some accordion music while we were gathering so that he could give us a guided tour inside.
As you can see by some of the pictures below, the general and his wife had a very nice home out in this wilderness.
This was the general's office with many different stuffed animals decorating the walls - all items he had killed and done the taxidermy on so they could be on display.
He turned a spare bedroom into an officer's club where his officers could gather to play pool, cards and other games, enjoy music, and relax away from the troops they led.
Unfortunately they were only here for a couple of years as it was from here that he led troops to Little Big Horn where all of them were killed. His wife was then given just thirty days to move out.
Across the parade ground in front of the house was a barrack (actually there had been many of them but only a few of the buildings have been restored)
An area for cleaning up and then dining area behind that with its own kitchen
The bus then took us to On-a-Slant Indian Village just a short distance away. It is a small recreated Mandan Indian Village similar to what Lewis and Clark and their Corps of Discovery would have visited and stayed near the first winter of their Expedition.
The Mandan Indians were friendly and promised to feed the men for the winter if they set up camp nearby. During those winter months the men acquired a good deal of information about what and who lay ahead. They molded into a much tighter "family" working as a unit which was a must for a successful journey.
The earthen homes they lived in were built using cottonwood trunks and large branches. Then the cracks between the logs were filled in with twigs and grasses and then covered over with mud that became like concrete. The men would chop down the trees, set the up right poles and and prepare the other logs for the walls and ceilings but it was the women who did the rest of he building.
Beds like these were around the circular walls and could also act as chairs. An average of 10-15 Indians would live in each of the huts. At one time this village had around 80 such homes.
More to come...................................
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