"RMASFAA 2002 - The Financial Aid Frontier"
Highlights and Facts...
Did you know that the Lewis & Clark Expedition arrived at the Mandan-Hidatsa Indian villages near present day Bismarck, North Dakota in October 1804? They found the local people very friendly and decided to stay at this site for the winter months until warmer weather would allow them to resume their journey west.
 To provide the corps protection from the elements, work on a fort began November 3.
It became a site of considerable activity and was named Fort Mandan in honor of their newly discovered friends. As it turned out, Fort Mandan was occupied longer than any other winter post during the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
One of the men in the Lewis & Clark Expedition who kept a personal diary of the Corps of Discovery's journey west was Sergeant Patrick Gass. In December of 1804, the corps was nearing completion of Fort Mandan, a winter fortification near present day Bismarck, North Dakota.
The men were far from friends and loved ones, and must have felt quite alone in the vast prairie wilderness.
On December 24 and 25, Sergeant Gass writes a poignant reflection of the spirit of the holiday season at Fort Mandan. On Christmas Eve he observed, "This evening we finished our fortification. Flour, dried apples, pepper and other articles were distributed in the different messes to enable us to celebrate Christmas in a proper and social manner."
Christmas Day, he continues: "Captain Clark then presented to each man a glass of brandy, and we hoisted the American flag in the garrison, and its first waving in Fort Mandan was celebrated with another glass. The men cleared out one of the rooms and commenced dancing, which was continued in a jovial manner till 8 at night."
On behalf of your RMASFAA friends in North Dakota, have a safe and happy holiday season!
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