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Legends of North Dakota
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer left his mark on North Dakota, and U.S. history, with his defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. You can see Custer's house at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park south of Mandan. Facts about Custer:
During the Civil War, he saw action at Gettysburg, Antietam, Bull Run and Chancellorsville
In 1866, he was named commander of the 7th Cavalry
He was stationed at Fort Abraham Lincoln in North Dakota from 1873 to 1876.
He died at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876
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Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was chosen by President Thomas Jefferson to lead the Corps of Discovery up the Missouri River to find an elusive water route to the West Coast. Facts about Meriwether Lewis:
He was the official leader of the Corps of Discovery
His military service on the Ohio and Tennessee frontiers before the expedition helped qualify him for the leadership position on the mission
He chose William Clark as co-leader after serving with Clark on the frontier
The Lewis and Clark Expedition made winter camp at Fort Mandan near what is now Washburn, North Dakota, in October 1803. The encampment was across the Missouri River from Matootonha, a village of the Mandan and Hidatsa people.
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President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt said his time spent as a rancher in the Badlands of North Dakota prepared him for the rigors of being President of the United States. Facts about Theodore Roosevelt:
He was a rancher in the Badlands of North Dakota from 1884 to 1886. He moved to North Dakota after his mother and wife died on the same day
He served as President of the United States from 1901 to 1909
He was quoted as saying "I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota."
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Sakakawea
Historians argue about the correct spelling of her name: Sakakawea, Sacagawea, Sacajawea. But there is no arguing the contributions she made to Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. Facts about Sakakawea:
She and husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, joined the Lewis and Clark Expedition at the Knife River Indian Villages near present-day Stanton, North Dakota
She played a key role in establishing relations with the Shoshone tribe in Idaho, from which the expedition was able to obtain horses and food to get across the Rocky Mountains
She and her family remained in North Dakota on the return from the Pacific Ocean, while others in the Corps of Discovery returned to St. Louis
She was befriended by William Clark, who said of her prominence within the corps: "We find (that she) reconciles all the Indians, as to our friendly intentions - a woman with a party of men is a token of peace."
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Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull played a prominent role in the shaping of the American West. Facts about Sitting Bull:
Hunkpapa Lakota chief and holy man
Besides being a warrior, he also was skilled as a musician and artist
Led 3,500 warriors to a victory over the U.S. 7th Cavalry in the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876
Also fought in the Battle of the Killdeer Mountains and the siege of Fort Rice.
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William Clark
William Clark was chosen co-leader of the Corps of Discovery. Facts about William Clark:
His brother was Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark
Clark and the corps spent five months at Fort Mandan, hunting, trading and learning about the route they would take from the tribes and French-Canadian trappers with knowledge of the river ahead
After the expedition, he became Indian agent for Louisiana Territory, and later became superintendent of Indian Affairs at St. Louis
He was a gifted cartographer
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