Arrival at the Mandan Villages

After nearly six months and 1,600 miles on the Missouri, the expedition reached the Mandan and Hidatsa villages near present-day Washburn, North Dakota. This complex of five earth-lodge villages was one of the great trade centers of the Northern Plains, home to approximately 4,500 people.

“Many men, women & children flocked down to see us. Capt Lewis and my Self walked up to the village.”

The expedition would spend the winter of 1804-1805 here, building Fort Mandan near the villages. During this time they gathered invaluable geographic intelligence about the route ahead, hired Toussaint Charbonneau as an interpreter, and thus gained the services of his wife Sacagawea — whose presence would prove essential to the journey’s success.

Chief Sheheke (Big White) of the Mitutanka village became a particularly important ally, sharing detailed maps and geographic knowledge of the upper Missouri country.