Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village - Lewis and Clark Trail Experience

Information

April to May & September to October 31st Monday – Saturday 9:00 am – 6:00 pm (last tour is 5:30 pm) (Closed Sundays in April and after Labor Day September through November) Summer - Memorial Day to Labor Day Monday - Saturday 8:00 am – 7:00 pm, Sunday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm November 1ST to March 31st Appointments are recommended, weather permitting. Hours may vary for special scheduled events. See Facebook for more information.

(605) 996-5473

Adults $6, Senior Citizens (60+) $5, Students (13-18) $4, Children (12 & under) FREE Group (10 or more people) Adults $4, Students (2) School Tours - Please call for rate and to schedule tour

We know that your pets are a part of your family and that it is not fair to leave them in your vehicle. That's why we welcome well-behaved pets! All pets must be leashed.

lat: 43.7421489 long: -98.0332606

Over 1,000 years ago a prehistoric Native American community had settled along what is now Firesteel Creek, SD. Today archaeologists have been able to reconstruct what life in this prehistoric village may have looked like. But discoveries are still being made at this excavation site turned museum. Visitors can watch archaeologists search for pottery, arrowheads, jewelry, and more at the Thomsen Centre Archeodome. Guests are even encouraged to be part of the site’s mission to further exploration and learning by helping wash and sort artifacts that were recently unearthed.

Complete with state-of-the art exhibits, educational and cultural events, tours, a shop, this site truly has it all. Enjoyable to all ages, the chance to visit South Dakota’s only archaeological site open to the public, is one you do not want to miss.

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village Dig-site

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village Dig-site

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village Student researchers

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village Student researchers

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village digging for artifacts

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village digging for artifacts

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village student researchers

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village student researchers

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village student researchers

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village student researchers

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village museum

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village museum

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village black and white dig-site

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village black and white dig-site

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village black and white dig-site

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village black and white dig-site

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village archaeological grid-system

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village archaeological grid-system

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village researcher in excavation site

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village researcher in excavation site

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village close up of student researcher from above

Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village close up of student researcher from above

Nearby Attractions

Distance Unit:

South Dakota Tractor Museum

South Dakota Tractor Museum

117 Cemetery Rd, Kimball, SD 57355, USA
Distance: 46.24 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers

View Listing

Wagner Labor Day Celebration

Wagner Labor Day Celebration

Wagner, SD 57380, USA
Distance: 47.59 Away

Festivals and Events

View Listing

Buffalo Ridge Ghost Town

Buffalo Ridge Ghost Town

Buffalo Ridge Ghost Town, South Dakota 38, Buffalo Ridge, SD, USA
Distance: 58.08 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers

View Listing

Snake Creek Recreation Area

Snake Creek Recreation Area

Snake Creek State Recreation Area, South Dakota 44, Platte, SD, USA
Distance: 59.56 Away

Outdoor Experiences

View Listing

Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center

Akta Lakota Museum & Cultural Center

1301 North Main Street, Chamberlain, SD, USA
Distance: 64.61 Away

Tribal Experiences Museums and Interpretive Centers

View Listing

Silver Dollar Bar

Silver Dollar Bar

Silver Dollar Bar, North Main Street, Chamberlain, SD, USA
Distance: 64.84 Away

Food and Drinks

View Listing

American Creek Recreation Area & Campground

American Creek Recreation Area & Campground

American Creek Recreation Area, North Main Street, Chamberlain, SD, USA
Distance: 64.85 Away

Outdoor Experiences Shopping RV and Camping Lodging

View Listing

A Bridge View Inn

A Bridge View Inn

115 North River Street, Chamberlain, SD, USA
Distance: 65.04 Away

View Listing

Upper Crust Pizza & Wings

Upper Crust Pizza & Wings

Upper Crust Pizza & Wings, West King Street, Chamberlain, SD, USA
Distance: 65.04 Away

Food and Drinks

View Listing

Dignity Statue

Dignity Statue

Chamberlain SD Rest Area facility, Interstate 90, Chamberlain, SD, USA
Distance: 65.25 Away

Tribal Experiences

View Listing

South Dakota Hall of Fame

South Dakota Hall of Fame

South Dakota Hall of Fame, South Main Street, Chamberlain, SD, USA
Distance: 65.39 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers

View Listing

Mead Cultural Education Center

Mead Cultural Education Center

82 Mickelson Drive, Yankton, SD 57078, USA
Distance: 65.42 Away

Galleries and Venues

View Listing

Sign Up for the Lewis & Clark Trail Experience Newsletter

Our bi-weekly newsletter provides news, history, and information for those interested in traveling along along the Lewis & Clark Trail.

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive the Lewis and Clark Travel Experience newsletter provided by the Lewis & Clark Trail Alliance. You can revoke your consent at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact.

Instagram Feed

Holidays on the Trail “In the first few decades

Holidays on the Trail

“In the first few decades of the 1800s, throughout the North, Christmas was just another ordinary day; it didn’t become an official holiday in the US until 1870. Meanwhile, most southerners observed it with fireworks, hunting, dancing, food, and drink. However, on the western frontier—in Kentucky, for instance—Christmas was an occasion to indulge in a few extra rations and to recall the pleasures of lives and times left behind, beyond the Appalachians. Easter was even less significant in the puritanical early American church. Not until after the Civil War, during which violent death had touched nearly every family, did Easter become as significant as Christmas.

In a compromise with its multicultural makeup, the Corps of Discovery celebrated just three special days—Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Independence Day—and each must have been observed with a jovial mixture of traditions.”

Click the link below to learn more about the Corps and the 3 Christmases they spent while on the expedition - Camp Dubois in 1803, Fort Mandan in 1804, and Fort Clatsop in 1805.

https://lewis-clark.org/other/holidays-on-the-trail/

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, all!

Site of the Week: Falls of the Ohio State Park St

Site of the Week: Falls of the Ohio State Park

St. Louis is often recognized as the starting place of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. However, others would argue that the Expedition began further east where Lewis and Clark met to begin traveling together. Today, this site is the Falls of the Ohio State Park.

In 1803, Meriwether Lewis brought the keelboat down the Ohio River to meet Clark in Louisville. While Lewis had been overseeing the building of said keelboat, Clarj had been busily recruiting local men by way of a strict interview process. Once Lewis arrived with his two men and joined them with Clark’s seven men in Louisville, these first men of the Expedition became known as “the Nine Young Men from Kentucky.” These were William Bratton, John Colter, Joseph and Reuben Field, George Shannon, John Shields, Nathaniel Pryor, George Gibson, and Charles Floyd.

While the Falls of the Ohio are no longer visible, the fossil beds are still very prominent. These Devonian fossil beds are famously recognized as being one of the largest exposed fossil beds in the world. There is a museum on site which tells the history of these fossils, as well as the evolution of the area’s wildlife. The museum also provides information about Lewis and Clark’s time at the Falls and the complicated relationships between the incoming settlers and the local native tribes. The museum was recently renovated and has significantly expanded its exhibits.

Photos credited to Mitchell Pence and the Department of Natural Resources

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #fallsoftheohiostatepark #ohioriver

Check out our YouTube Channel! We have some great

Check out our YouTube Channel!

We have some great content being posted there every Saturday - you’ll see videos related to personal stories and adventures on the trail, special reports on various trail locations, and much more!

Be sure to subscribe and share with friends as well!

https://www.youtube.com/@lewisandclarktrailalliance

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you haven’t yet to bring the adventure and magic of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail on your mobile device. Scan the QR code here or find it on your app store.

Site of the Week: Pompey’s Pillar National Monum

Site of the Week: Pompey’s Pillar National Monument

William Clark christened the rock formation “Pompey’s Tower” on July 25, 1806, as he and his party descended the Yellowstone River. Clark gave the huge monolith the nickname that he himself had fondly bestowed upon Sacagawea’s young son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Nicholas Biddle, as he edited the journals upon Lewis and Clark’s return, changed the name to “Pompey’s Pillar.”

Pompey’s Pillar is known for being the only site with visible physical evidence of Lewis and Clark’s journey: Clark carved his name and the date onto the rock’s face. Now covered by a clear panel, the signature is protected from the elements while still being visible to visitors willing to climb up the steps to see it. Visitors can continue up the steps to the top of the rock where they can enjoy a 360-degree view of the landscape surrounding the site. There is also a highly informative and very well-designed visitor’s center at the base of Pompey’s Pillar, along with several outdoor educational structures and hiking trails.

Photos credited to Cait Clark.

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #pompeyspillar #Montana #pompeyspillarnationalmonument