LAKE MANDAN. 
AKE Mandan once a part of the bed of the swift 
flowing Missouri—now but an unused bend ot 
that mighty stream, lies northwest of the Painted Woods 
about twelve miles; being intermediate between that 
point and Lower or Big Knife River. Itisa place of 
historic interest being the vicinity of old camping grounds 
of confederate Indian tribes. It was near this point the 
explorers, Lewis and Clark, found and had their first-for- 
mal reception with the lower village of the Mandans, 
the latter part of October 1804. 
The shores around the lake and neighboring plain is 
still well marked by raised circles of earth where wild 
Indian life had its time of joys and sorrows—where the 
soft voiced maidens danced and sang their love lullabies 
in fantastic groups, in the, shadowy twilight of long 
summer days. Where the ambitious warrior returned 
from gory combat to show his spoil and vaunt his deeds; 
or some broken hearted wife or mother, wailing mourn- 
fully from a high bluff’s pinnacle for the memory of he 
who went forth proudly to do battle, but never returned 
more. 
After the remnants of the Mandans and Aricarees 
moved to the vicinity of Fort Berthold in 1856 the large 
brush bottoms south of Lake Mandan became a restort 
for numerous herds of elk and deer. While the rough 
and hilly country west of the lake were favorite haunts 
of black tailed deer and antelope. 
