Long before Lewis and Clark ventured up the Missouri River in 1804, the Mandan people had been thriving on a very productive agricultural lifestyle in the Heart River area.  Trading other Native American nations, the Mandan became a well-known culture to all who visited with them.  By 1575, the Mandan chose to build a fortified village on a tract of gentle sloping land located on the west bank of  the Missouri River to continue maintaining their rich and distinct culture.

The Mandan, or the Nu’Eta (The People) called the Missouri River “home“  and for a 1000 years they lived in several earthlodge communities.  Rich in culture and tradition, the Mandan hunted buffalo, grew several varieties of corn, beans, and squash, which enabled them to establish a vast trading network with other tribes and visitors to their villages. 
By 1781, the Mandan of On-a-Slant village had lived there for 200 years.  Even though the ravages of smallpox had reduced the Mandan population significantly, they continued to prosper at the Knife River Villages with their Hidatsa and Arikara allies and again by the 1900s to resettle at Fort Berthold to form the Three Affiliated Tribes.

The Mandan of On-a-Slant Village has a legacy that still lives on as interpretive guides take you through five reconstructed earthlodges, in an effort to tell the Mandan story.

Tours are available from Memorial Day to Labor Day- 9 a.m. to 7 p.m