Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

The villages at the Knife River were a major center of Hidatsa life and Northern Plains trade, and it was here that Sakakawea was living when she joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The ground is still dimpled with earthlodge depressions, and a full-size reconstructed earthlodge shows how families lived.

Step inside the huge reconstructed earthlodge and walk the village trail past the lodge depressions. For a challenge, hike the longer trails to the outlying village sites, where the lodge rings of Awatixa and Big Hidatsa villages still mark the prairie.