Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804) -continues: The Sioux (Part 4) and the Mandans

Our pioneer journey continues.   Evaluating the disposition of  the indigenous people and the lay of the land, so to speak, were primary objectives of  the 1804-1806 Corps of Discovery expedition to the Pacific Ocean, led by Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.  Sioux Indian bands already roamed and raided other inhabitants of the northern plains in the Louisiana Territory, purchased from France by the new United States.  Along the Missouri River red men and white men both traded guns and furs, especially of buffalo feeding across the Dakotas.  For part of the 19th century Teton Sioux, or Lakota, protected their middleman trader role largely with the acquiescence of the new American representatives of the Great Father in Washington.  Most other tribal groups along the river were seriously undermined by disease and Sioux warriors.  

In today’s central North Dakota, Mandans and Hidatsa hosted the Lewis and Clark party during the winter of 1804-1805.  Fort Mandan was constructed on a bluff beside the Missouri among these indigenous neighbors who provided supplies and advice for the journey ahead.  But they too eventually succumbed to Sioux intimidation. (HD, 22 minutes). Text available.