Mandan

Did you know that 1000 years ago, people were already living near the Missouri River…right here in the Fontenelle Forest/Mandan Park area?

Evidence of their settlements was discovered by Robert Fletcher Gilder, a newspaper man, painter and amateur archeologist.  According to Fontenelle Forest archives, he began exploring the area when he noticed shallow depressions on the bluffs.  It was here that he found the evidence of former habitations.

The previous inhabitants in this area remained here for approximately 400 years.  They hunted, farmed and fished.  They used naturally occurring resources such as clay and granite to create tools.  The lodges’ entrances faced south, and there were four main supporting posts and a firepit in their center.  The shape of the lodges was rectangular.  Their durability  enabled the inhabitants to easily survive the hot Nebraska summers and cold Nebraska winters…and, among the Mandans, were built and owned by the women of the tribe, who subsequently passed them on to their daughters!

While some archeologists have referred to the settlers as the Nebraska Phase people, it is probable that they were at least related to the Mandan Indians (hence, the name bestowed on Fontenelle Forest’s neighbor, Mandan Park).  Historically, the Mandans are known to have resided in North and South Dakota along the banks of the Missouri River, but the area which they migrated from remains unclear.  The inhabitants of Fontenelle Forest and Mandan Park had a culture very similar to that of the Mandans, who currently are part of the Three Affiliated Tribes (the Mandan, the Hidatsa and the Arikara).   

All three of these nations built lodges, farmed and hunted.  They were also traders.  When their people had been decimated by repeated attacks of smallpox and attacks by other nations, they migrated north, joined together and formed the nation of the Three Affiliated Tribes.

While these former inhabitants of Omaha and Bellevue receive little recognition today, one important reminder of them is the name of Mandan Park.  When we use it, we are reminded of the people who once made their home here, before circumstances forced them to find a new place to call home.  Jacky Paulson

https://www.mhanation.com/history