Corrals

Archaeologists believe these enclosures may have been corrals constructed by the Arikaras after they moved into the village in the winter of 1837-1838, since views of the fort painted by George Catlin and Karl Bodmer between 1832 and 1834 do not show them. Soil samples taken in the summer of 1988 found higher-than-normal levels of phosphorus and total organic carbon in the east enclosure, elements found in urine and manure, supporting the idea that the enclosures may have served as corrals for horses. Their size, general outline, composition, and position near the village margin closely match the "Bullberry Fence" corral at Like-A-Fishhook Village, where bullberry bush branches were set in the ground at irregular intervals and later trapped sediment, creating a low earth embankment.

North Dakota · United States