Spirit Mound | Lewisandclarktrail

Legends and Lore Along the Lewis and Clark Trail

Spirit Mound: A Hill of Mystery and Myth
Vermillion, South Dakota | August 25, 1804

Long before Lewis and Clark set eyes on it, the small hill known as Paha Wakan—meaning “Sacred Hill” in Sioux—was shrouded in fear and legend. Local tribes including the Omaha, Sioux, and Otoes believed the mound was inhabited by powerful spirit beings: tiny warriors with oversized heads and deadly arrows, ready to strike down anyone who dared approach.

On August 25, 1804,
Captain Clark recorded

"Capt Lewis & my Self Concluded to go and See the Mound which was viewed with Such turrow by all the different Nation in this quarter"

So feared was Spirit Mound that nearby tribes avoided it altogether. But curiosity drove the Corps of Discovery forward.

On that sweltering on Saturday, August 25, 1804, Captains Lewis and Clark—along with nine men and Lewis' loyal dog Seaman—set out from their Missouri River camp to investigate the fabled mound. The nine-mile trek across prairie grasslands was grueling, and Seaman had to be sent back to cool off in the Vermillion River.

Upon reaching the hill, the men ascended its 70-foot rise and found a natural formation teeming with insects and swallows. The captains speculated that the swirling flocks of birds may have inspired the Indigenous legends.

Clark wrote:

📖 “One evidence which the Inds Give for believeing this place to be the residence of Some unusial Spirits is that they frequently discover a large assemblage of Birds about this mound- is in my opinion a Suffient proof to produce in the mind a Confident belief of all the properties which they ascribe it"

Today, Spirit Mound Historic Prairie remains a place of wonder, where fact, folklore, and natural beauty meet.

📍Plan Your Visit:
From Vermillion, South Dakota, take Highway 50, then head north on Highway 19 for six miles to reach Spirit Mound Historic Prairie. Spirit Mound is a natural attraction along the Missouri National Recreational River .