Near Mandan in Morton County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Slant Indian Village

Photographed by Connor Olson, August 11, 2019

1. Slant Indian Village Marker

Inscription. Slant Village was occupied by the Mandan, an agricultural Indian tribe, and received its name because of the sloping ground upon which it was situated. The village embraced about seven or eight acres of ground and the most recent survey of the site, made in 1937, revealed the ruins of seventy-five earth lodges. The readily visible circular depressions on this site mark the ruins of the lodges. A study of the tree rings and timbers found at this site indicates that Slant Village was occupied during the period of 1650-1750. In the fall of 1804, when the Lewis and Clark Expedition moves up the Missouri River, this village was in ruins. At the time the Mandan tribe was living in the vicinity of the Knife River, some 60 miles up the Missouri River.

The Mandan tribe moved into North Dakota from the south and the ruins of their abandoned villages were present in this state from the South Dakota state line north to the Berthold Reservation.

The ditch or dry moat was restored on this site in 1935 at the location of the original. The five earth lodges restored during the same year are typical of the dwellings inhabited by the Mandan before they were confined to a reservation.

The plat at the left shows the principal topographical features and the location of the earth lodge ruins on the Slant Village site. The plat at the right indicates the major known Indian village sites along the Missouri River in the vicinity of Slant Village.

Erected 1956

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by State Historical Society of North Dakota.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1804.

Location. 46° 46.016′ N, 100° 50.793′ W. Marker is near Mandan, North Dakota, in Morton County. It can be reached from Fort Lincoln Road. Located at the Mandan Village Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4482 Fort Lincoln Rd, Mandan ND 58554, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Missouri Plateau

and in Greater Bismarck Area.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cannonball Concretions (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort Abraham Lincoln Military Reservation Boundary Marker (about 300

Slant Indian Village Marker (detail, bottom right) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 21, 2025

2. Slant Indian Village Marker (detail, bottom right)

Map of Indian Village Sites in Missouri River Valley / South Central North Dakota

Click on Image to Enlarge it

feet away, measured in a direct line); Civilian Conservation Corps (about 300 feet away); Civilian Conservation Corps Project (about 300 feet away); Commanding Officer’s Quarters (about 400 feet away); Powder Magazines (approx. 0.3 miles away); Laundress' Quarter: "Suds Row" (approx. 0.3 miles away); Schoolhouse (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mandan.

Slant Indian Village Marker (detail, bottom left) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 21, 2025

3. Slant Indian Village Marker (detail, bottom left)

The Slant Indian Village Site

Click on Image to Enlarge it

Photographed by Connor Olson, August 11, 2019

4. Slant Indian Village Marker

Reconstructed Mandan earth-lodges. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Connor Olson, August 11, 2019

5. Reconstructed Mandan earth-lodges.

Photographed by Connor Olson, August 11, 2019

6. Earth-lodge

Reconstructed Eathelodge image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 21, 2025

7. Reconstructed Eathelodge

Slant Indian Village diorama image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 21, 2025

8. Slant Indian Village diorama

Credits. This page was last revised on October 4, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2020, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 635 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 19, 2020, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 2, 3. submitted on October 4, 2025, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 19, 2020, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. 7, 8. submitted on October 4, 2025, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.