BUSHNELL] VILLAGES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI 4 
McDonnell, a partner of the North-West Company, made brief men- 
tion of the Mandan in his journal. He wrote: “These Indians live in 
settled villages, fortified with palisades, which they seldom ever 
abandon, and they are the best husbandmen in the whole Northwest. 
They raise indian corn or maize, beans, pumpkins, squashes in con- 
siderable quantity, not only sufficient to supply their own wants, with 
the help of the buffalo, but also to sell and give away to all strangers 
that enter their villages.” (McDonnell, (1), pp. 272-273.) And in 
1804 another representative of the old North-West Company referred 
to the gardens of the Mandans and said in part: 
“Tn the spring, as soon as the weather and the state of the ground 
will permit, the women repair to the fields, when they cut the stalks 
of the Indian corn of the preceding year and drop new seed into the 
socket of the remaining roots. A small kind of pumpkins which 
are very productive they plant with a dibble, and raise the ground 
into hillocks the same as those about Indian corn. Their kidney 
beans they plant in the same manner. They cultivate a tall kind of 
sunflower, the seed of which is reckoned good eating dry and pounded 
with fat and made into balls of three or four ounces; they are found 
excellent for long journeys.” (Mackenzie, Charles, (1), pp. 338- 
339.) And the narrative continued: “The only implement used 
among the Mandanes for the purpose of agriculture is a hoe made 
from the shoulder blade of a buffalo and which is ingrafted upon a 
short crooked handle. With this crooked instrument they work very 
expeditiously, and soon do all that is required for their supplies.” 
As already mentioned, the Lewis and Clark party departed from 
their winter quarters April 7, 1805, to pursue their journey westward. 
The next year, on August 14, 1806, when returning, they again ar- 
rived at the Mandan villages. They reached Rooptahee, where they 
were kindly received by the people, but it is interesting to know that 
during the 16 months which had intervened between the departure 
and return of the Lewis and Clark party a great change had taken 
place in the appearance of the native village. As mentioned in the 
journal, “This village has been rebuilt since our departure, and was 
now much smaller; a quarrel having arisen among the Indians, in 
consequence of which a number of families had removed to the 
opposite side of the river.” Such were the changes ever occurring 
among the people of the upper Missouri. Old villages were aban- 
doned and new ones built, some to be divided and others united, 
consequently very few of the ruined sites discovered along the course 
of the river represent towns which were occupied at the same time. 
Although the work just quoted contains much of interest pertain- 
ing to the Mandan and neighboring tribes, subsequent writers de- 
scribed the appearance of the villages and separate structures more 
