Issue 32 Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

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Special Announcement: You could win a free GPS system just by sending us your photo! Check out http://www.eTravelogue.com for more information!The history of land and vegetation use in the vicinity of Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site begins with the Native American occupation. This occurred about 10,000 years ago when big game hunting and berry/nut gathering people traversed the area. For nearly a millennium this area was a trading hub established by the earthlodged Hidatsa and Mandan tribes with the primary commodity being Knife River flint. In addition, it is important as a place where Indian culture and agriculture developed. It should be noted that there were more people living along the Knife and Missouri Rivers in the 18th and early 19th Century than there are today. After the small-pox epidemic in 1837, the Hidatsa and Mandan tribes abandoned their villages here and moved approximately 60 miles up river to establish Like-a-Fishhook village.During the second half of the 19th Century steamboats frequented the area and created "wood yards" on the Missouri River bottomlands. Their purpose and function were to cut and store wood to be used as fuel for the steamboats. The largest of these "wood yards" occurred at the mouth of the Knife River in what is now Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site and present day Stanton.It was originally believed that the park contained village sites that were hundreds of years old. The full significance and role of the park's cultural sites in our history is only beginning to be understood. Through archaeological studies we have found some sites that are not hundreds of years old but thousands of years old. The historical, archeological, and biological value of Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site is far greater than was first envisioned. It is one of the few units of the National Park System in which an intensive, parkwide archeological survey has been completed. The surveys conducted from 1976 through 1980 resulted in the identification and evaluation of all the archeological sites within the park.This week's interview: Knife River Indian Villages National Historic SiteWebsites:http://www.eTravelogue.com/http://www.nps.gov/knriBe sure to stop by our site and suggest attractions that you think we should cover on the program!Listen to this issue