Ponca Fort

Ponca Fort, or Nanza, was a principal Ponca settlement in northeastern Nebraska near the meeting of Ponca Creek and the Niobrara River, occupied from around 1700 to about 1865. Built as a fortified village, it contained many earth lodges and a substantial defensive system of wall, ditch, embankment, and post palisade, likely intended to protect the Ponca from rival groups. Archaeological excavations show that Nanza was also tied to wide trade networks, with European goods and items from distant Native communities found there. Cemeteries around the village may reflect disease outbreaks after European contact, and the site is notable for resembling fortified Middle Mississippian towns.

Verdel, Nebraska · United States