The Hidatsa people, along with a few other similar tribes, lived along the Missouri River and tributaries like the Knife River for hundreds of years. Villages of earth lodges were built on the high ground overlooking the river, where the people farmed, hunted and fished.

In October, 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition arrived at the villages and were welcomed for the winter. When they left in the spring, they were accompanied by a French trapper and his Shoshone wife, Sacagawea.

Her knowledge of lands to the west (her birth lands) contributed greatly to the success of the entire expedition. Lewis and Clark returned to this area in 1806.

The park visitor center has a nice video of life in the village, narrated in the first person of a Hidatsa woman. Outside of the visitor center is a full reconstruction of an earth lodge. Though it looks small from the outside, the inside is both roomy and comfortable - several degrees cooler than the 90+F outside temperatures.

Walking paths lead to various sites where the villages were located. Today, the landscape still reflects this as subtle rises and depressions show where lodges stood.