Fort Clark Archeological District
About this property
Fort Clark Trading Post State Historic Site was once the home to a Mandan and later an Arikara settlement. Over the course of its history it also had two factories (trading posts). Today only archeological remains survive at the site located eight miles west of Washburn, North Dakota, United States. In 1822, the Mandan tribe built a settlement with earth-covered lodges on the bluffs of the Missouri River. In 1830, a representative of the American Fur Company named James Kipp built Fort Clark Trading Post south of the village. The first steamboat to journey up the upper-Missouri River was the Yellowstone which arrived in 1832 carrying 1,500 gallons of goods and liquor. George Catlin visited in 1832, and Karl Bodmer and Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied stayed the winter of 1833-1834. In 1837, the steamboat St. Peters docked at the village carrying passengers infected with smallpox, and sparking the 1837 Great Plains smallpox epidemic. As the disease swept through the village, it wiped out approximately ninety percent of the inhabitants. In 1838, the nearby Arikara tribe moved into the abandoned village. In 1850, another trading post was built by Charles Primeau. In 1851, a cholera outbreak occurred and then a smallpox outbreak in 1856. When an attack by the Dakota happened in 1861, the fort was permanently abandoned. Most of the site has been owned by the state since 1889. A total of 125 acres (51 ha) in two sections of the state historic site were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as Fort Clark Archeological District. More than 2,200 features on the surface from the ruins of houses and graves still exist. Lodge depressions are also visible along with an unmarked cemetery with more than 800 graves. The site is operated by the North Dakota State Historical Society. Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Fort Clark Archeological District
This page lists Fort Clark Archeological District. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Fort Clark Archeological District listed on the National Register?
Fort Clark Archeological District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 18, 1986.
What type of historic resource is Fort Clark Archeological District?
Fort Clark Archeological District is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Fort Clark Archeological District?
The period of significance for Fort Clark Archeological District is recorded as the early_republic era.
Can I research the history near Fort Clark Archeological District?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Fort Clark Archeological District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Mercer County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Mercer County.
Explore MercerCounty ›More historic places in North Dakota
Browse all historic places in North Dakota.
View North Dakotahistoric sites ›North Dakota history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
North Dakotahistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Fort Clark Archeological District will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.