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Missouri River near Bismarck/Mandan, North Dakota

About the Missouri River near Bismarck/Mandan

The Heart River joins the Missouri River just south of Mandan.  The capital of North Dakota, Bismarck, is located across the Missouri River to the east.  The area has been inhabited for centuries, and thousands of Native Americans lived on both sides of the river.  However, the Mandan people were forced to move upstream after a smallpox epidemic, and Lewis and Clark noted the villages as abandoned in the early 1800’s (DeVoto, 1953).  On–A–Slant Village, on the west side of the Missouri River, and Chief Looking’s Village, on the east side, are preserved as parks.  Replicas of earth lodges have been erected at On–A–Slant Village.  Standing at Chief Looking’s Village, looking over the valley, one can still imagine what the river looked like centuries ago.  Despite the presence of two cities and an oil refinery, the view from Chief Looking’s Village remains one of the most beautiful views of the Missouri River.

Captain Clark

Saturday, October 20, 1804, on the Missouri River, south of present–day Bismarck/Mandan

Set out early this morning and proceeded on the wind from the S.E. after brakfast I walked out on the L. Side to See those remarkable places pointed out by Evins, I saw an old remains of a village (covering 6 or 8 acres) on the Side of a hill which the Chief was Too ne tels me that nation lived in 2 villages 1 on each Side of the river . . . . (2) passed a small Creek on the S.S.¹ (3) and one on the L. S.² passed (4) a Island covered with willows laying in the middle of the river  no current on the L. S. Camped on the L. S. above a Bluff³ containing coal (5) of an inferior quallity, this bank is immediately above the old Village of the Mandans⁴.  The Countrey is fine, the high hills at a Distance with gradual assents, I kild. 3 Deer  The Timber confined to the bottoms as useal which is much larger than below.  Great numbers of Buffalow Elk & Deer, Goats.  our hunters killed 10 Deer & a Goat to day and wounded a white Bear, I saw several fresh tracks of those animals which is 3 times as large as a mans track.  The wind hard all Day from the N. E. & East, great numbers of buffalow Swimming the river  I observe near all large gangues of Buffalow wolves and when the buffalow move those animals follow, and feed on those that are killed by accident or those that are too pore or fat to keep up with the gangue.

Sunday, October 21, 1804, on the Missouri River, near present–day Bismarck/Mandan

a verry Cold wind hard from the N. E. Some rain in the night which frosed as it fell  at Day light it began to Snow and continued all the fore part of the Day  passed just above our camp (1) a Small river⁵ on the L. S. called by the Indians Chiss–che–tar  this river is about 38 yards wide containing a good Deel of water  Some distance up this River is Situated a Stone which the Indians have great faith in & say they See painted on the Stone, all the Calemetes & good fortune to hapin the nation & parties who visit it.  . . .  at 2 Miles (2) passed the 2nd Village of the Mandins.  which was in existance at the same time the 1st  this Village is at the foot of a hill on the S. S. in a butifull & extensive plain, (nearly opposite is another village in a bottom the other side of Missouri) at this time covered with buffalow.  a cloudy afternoon, I killed a fine Buffalow, we camped on the L. S.⁶ (below an old Mandan village having passed another up a Creek 3 miles below on S. S.⁷) verry cold Ground covered with Snow.  one orter [otter] killd.

    Course Distance & reffers. - 21st Oct.
   
    S. 80° E.  2  miles to the place the Mandans had a village formerly at the foot of a riseing 
               part of the plain.
                    (1) on the S.S. passed a river.   
   
    N. 16° W.  1½ miles to a grove on the S.S.
   
    N. 40°     3½ Miles to a pt. on the S.S. river wide and sand bars a large willow Island
               _
               7

Monday, October 22, 1804, on the Missouri River, north of present-day Bismarck/Mandan

. . . We Set our early, the morning Cold at 7 oClock we came too at a camp of Teton Seaux on the L. S. . . . (Passed old Madan village near which we lay⁸, another at 4 miles⁹, one at 8 miles at mouth of large creek¹⁰ 4 miles further on on Larboard side.) (The mounds, 9 in number along river within 20 miles the fallen down earth of the houses, some teeth, and bones of men & animals mixed in these villages, human skulls are scattered in these villages)

Camped on the L. Side¹¹ passed an Island Situated on the L. Side at the head of which we pass a bad place & Mandans village S. S.¹² (2 miles above).  The hunters killed a buffalow bull, they Say out of about 300 buffalow  which they Saw, the did not, see one Cow.  Great Deel of Beaver Sign.  Several Cought every night.

    Course Distance & Reffurences - 22d Oct
      
    N. 50° W.  3 Miles to a pt. on the S. S.
      
    N. 34° W.  3 Miles to the lower point on an Island on the L.S.
      
    N. 34° W.  3 Miles to a pt. on the S.S. passed a bad riffle or bar
      
    North      1 Mile to a point on the L. S. a Deep bend to the S. S.
      
    N. 24° W   2 miles to a point on the S. Side.
               _
              12

The Missouri River between Bismarck and Mandan

The Missouri River between Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota, is shown in the above September 17, 1997, photograph.

The reach of the Missouri River between Garrison Dam and Lake Oahe is one of the few remaining free–flowing reaches of the river.  While prized for its scenic beauty, the river is increasingly being affected by human activity. Residential development, primarily north of Bismarck and Mandan, has resulted in bank stabilization efforts as shown in the above photographs. Commonly called riprapping, rocks are placed on the bank to avoid erosion of the riverbanks near residences.

Current Streamflow Data

To view current water–level and streamflow data for USGS gaging stations on the Missouri River and the Heart River near Bismarck and Mandan, click on the links below.

• Apple Creek near Menoken, ND
• Heart River near Mandan, ND
• Missouri River at Bismarck, ND
• Burnt Creek near Bismarck, ND
• Square Butte Creek below Center, ND

Water–Discharge and Water–Quality Records

To view water–discharge and water–quality records for USGS gaging stations on the Missouri River and its tributaries near Bismarck and Mandan, click on the links below.

• Water Resources Data, North Dakota Water Year 2003, Volume 1. Surface Water
• Water Resources Data, North Dakota Water Year 2002, Volume 1. Surface Water
• Water Resources Data, North Dakota Water Year 2001, Volume 1. Surface Water
• Water Resources Data, North Dakota Water Year 2000, Volume 1. Surface Water
• Water Resources Data, North Dakota Water Year 1999, Volume 1. Surface Water

Footnotes

¹Apple Creek enters the Missouri River approximately 7 miles south of Bismarck (Reid, 1947–48).

²The Little Heart River enters the Missouri River south of Mandan (Reid, 1947–48).

³The bluff is on the west bank of the Missouri River about 4 miles south of Mandan or ½ mile north of Fort Lincoln State Park (Reid, 1947–48).

⁴The village referred to is On–A–Slant Indian Village, now preserved within Fort Lincoln State Park (Reid, 1947&8211;48).

⁵The Heart River enters the Missouri River on the south side of Mandan (Reid, 1947–48).

⁶The camp was on the west side of the Missouri River northeast of the city of Mandan (Reid, 1947–48).

⁷The village on the west side of the Missouri River may have been the Motsiff site about 1 mile south of Mandan. The small creek on the east or "S.S. side" is Burnt Creek. Ward Indian village is just above the mouth of the creek (Reid, 1947–48).

⁸The village was near Mandan City Waterworks, SW¼ Sec. 14, T. 139 N., R. 81 W. (Reid, 1947–48).

⁹Boley site, Sec. 33, T. 140 N., R. 81 W. (Reid, 1947–48).

¹⁰Located at the mouth of Square Butte Creek, possibly Sec. 6 or Sec. 7, T. 140 N. R. 81 W. (Reid, 1947–48).

¹¹Camp was on the west side of the Missouri River about 4 miles northeast of Harmon, North Dakota (Reid, 1947–48).

¹²Double Ditch Indian Village, now preserved as a State Historical Site, NE¼ Sec. 21, T. 140 N., R. 81 W. (Reid, 1947–48).

References

DeVoto, Bernard, ed., 1953, The Journals of Lewis and Clark: New York, Mariner Books Houghton Mifflin Company, 504 p.

Reid, Russell, ed., 1947–48, Lewis and Clark in North Dakota: Reprinted from North Dakota History, published by the State Historical Society of North Dakota, vol. 14–15, 359 p.

Smylie, Tom, n.d., Beaver,  WO2156–21, National Image Library of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: accessed October 9, 2002, at URL http://images.fws.gov.

U.S. Geological Survey, 1997, aerial photograph of the Missouri River between Bismarck and Mandan: accessed August 2, 2001, at URL http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/image.asp?S=15&T=1&X=56&Y=809&Z=14&W=1.

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