Where the Two Rivers Meet

Old maps of the Northwest applied the name Dakota to the James River. The junction of the Can Sa Sa, or James River, and the Pipestem, where Jamestown is now located, was a favorite gathering place among Indians before the coming of whites. In 1839 Fremont named this place Bois D' Are. The meeting of the two streams was a landmark well known to Indians and French trappers. The first inhabitants of this park were the Yanktonaise Sioux, who came here after 1800 and lived for several generations in the Klaus Park region, which they called Itazidakak, meaning Cutting the Bow. Among their chiefs were Santomi Sapa, Hogan Luta, Sr., and Tatonka Witko. They were friendly Indians, but General Sibley's army drove them west in 1863.

Jamestown, North Dakota · United States