Lewis and Clark - Visitor Attractions - Knife River Indian Villages

These Hidatsa villages were once the center of a thriving trade and agricultural center. The site contains the remains of three villages, of which the Awatixa Xi’e (Lower Hidatsa village) is the oldest. Awatixa (or Sacagawea village) was settled in approximately 1795; while Big Hidatsa village was established around 1600 after the Hidatsa peoples once living at Heart River moved north. At its peak, the trade network at Knife River extended to the Great Lakes in the east, deep into the southern Great Plains in the south, and perhaps as far west as the Rocky Mountains. It is no exaggeration to say that in the world of Native American trade, the Knife river villages held a place of importance comparable to Chicago today.

The Knife River villages were largely abandoned after the calamitous 1837 smallpox outbreaks, with the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara survivors moving to Like-a-Fish-Hook village further to the north.

A National Historic Site, Knife River has an interpretive center, reconstructed earth lodge, and presentations by Park personel. Archaeological work is ongoing at this important one- time center of trade and agriculture.

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site