46 ANNUAL REPORT SMITPISONIAN INSTITUTION, 1955 



the North Dakota party found indications of the remains of Fort 

 Berthold I but had no opportunity to study them. Because of lack 

 of funds nothing was done there in the summer of 1953. The plans 

 for the 1954 season included the clearing of several features at Fort 

 Berthold II, excavation of the remains of Fort Berthold I, and some 

 additional digging in the aboriginal area. When the project was 

 brought to a close on July 10 the remains of the original Fort Berthold 

 trading post were fully exposed and the stockade which surrounded 

 the original Indian village had been foimd and completely defined. 

 The excavations were greatly accelerated by the use of mechanical 

 equipment. Fort Berthold I was built and occupied from 1845 to 

 1862 and the adjacent Fort Berthold II, which originally was called 

 Atkinson, was occupied from about 1858 to 1890 by both fur traders 

 and American military forces. Like-a-Fislihook Village was situ- 

 ated between the two trading posts and was built about 1845. It was 

 occupied by groups of Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara who had joined 

 forces against the Sioux. Information obtained from the digging of 

 the various features in the area has made possible the preparation of 

 the first complete map showing the extent of the two posts and the 

 village and has added considerable information pertaining to the f ui* 

 trade and other white and Indian contacts during the period involved. 

 The entire area went mider water in the spring of 1955. 



From Fort Berthold, Woolworth and the State Historical Society 

 party moved farther upstream and excavated the remains of Kipp's 

 Trading Post. The stockade was outlined and the positions and 

 extent of the log buildings originally within the enclosure were de- 

 termined. A representative collection of objects characteristic of the 

 period was obtained. This supplemented and broadened the informa- 

 tion from test excavations made there by a River Basin Surveys party 

 in the fall of 1951. The site is of particular interest because it was 

 occupied for a short time during the winter of 1826-27 when the 

 period of organized trade on the Upper JMissouri was just getting 

 under way and because Kipp's Post seemingly was the immediate 

 predecessor of Fort Union which became the great trade capital for 

 that part of the Plains area. xVfter completing the work at that 

 location, the party made some further investigations at Grandmother's 

 Lodge, a site where some preliminary digging had been done during 

 a previous season. Grandmother's Lodge was the traditional dwell- 

 ing place of the Mandan or Hidatsa supernatural being wlio was 

 considered to be the patroness of gardens and crops. Investigation 

 of the remains provided data that can be compared with the legendary 

 story which is one of the important myths of the Indians in that 

 district. 



Three detailed technical reports, all pertaining to excavations at 

 sites in the Garrison Reservoir area in North Dakota, were completed 



