Mandan

City and seat of Morton County, south-central North Dakota, on the Missouri River opposite the state capital Bismarck; population (2000) 16,700.

Mandan, founded in 1872, was named after the native people who lived in the region (‘river bank dwellers’). It became a bustling centre of commerce and shipping after the Northern Pacific Railroad built a line and bridge here in 1882. Mandan continues to be known for livestock auctions and as a market centre for local dairy goods and grain. Plentiful lignite deposits have also encouraged the manufacture of iron and brass. The Fort Lincoln State Park here houses a reconstruction of George A Custer's final headquarters before the Battle of the Little Bighorn.