After the horrendous smallpox outbreak among the Mandans in 1837, it became incumbent upon them to team with their long-time allies the Hidatsa to live together for mutual protection against the Dakota and Yanktonai bands. In addition, the Caddoan-speaking Arikara moved northward for similar protection against their Lakota/Yanktonai adversaries. White traders at Ft. Clark encouraged the three tribes to form a common village across the river from the fort. By 1845, Like-A-Fish-Hook village formed and almost immediately provided at remarkable combination of white and Native Peoples cultures. Besides earth lodges and tipis, log cabins were constructed at the site, giving the observer a grand view of a unique combination of cultures. In time, Ft. Berthold was constructed nearby, as were missionary efforts. By the late 1880's, with the advent of the allotment process and the Dawes Act, the village evaporated and the inhabitants took up resident on trust and then fee patents. By the mid-1950's, after the construction of Garrison Dam, the remains of the village disappeared beneath the waves of Lake Sakakawea.
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