The village contained 85 round earthlodges. Several reconstructed earthlodges may be toured by park visitors. Smallpox epidemics, combined with attacks by other Indian tribes, led to the village's eventual abandonment. The Lewis and Clark Expedition camped near the village ruins on October 20, 1804, and noted the abandoned village in their journals.

Fort Abraham Lincoln was established on June 14, 1872 to protect the surveyors and workcrews of the Northern Pacific Railroad. The fort's first commander, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer arrived in the fall of 1873 and lived here for 2 1/2 years with his wife, Libbie. On May 17, 1876, Custer and the 7th Calvalry rode out to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. The fort was ordered abandoned on May 28, 1891. Portions of the fort have benn reconstructed including the Victorian-style Custer home.

There is an excellent small museum with one room showing On-A-Slant Mandan Indian information and the other showing Fort Abraham Lincoln information.

Row 1--#2-model of village, #3-men's & women's work, #4-6-farming tools. Row 2--#1 hunting implements, #2-shield, #3 & 4-kitchen implements, #5-fun & games, #6-smoking pipe. Row 3--#1-entrance to village, #2 & 3-mounds show location of lodges, defensive palisade in background, #4-6-earthen lodges, drying rack in front of #4. Row 4-#1-Council lodge, #2-construction- of lodge was 4 center posts with cross beams, outside edge of shorter vertical beams with connecting horizontal beams, roof beams resting on outer edge and on center cross beams, willows woven tightly to form inner roof, with mud plastered on outside of willows, center opening in roof allowed smoke out, if raining it was covered with buffalo hide, #3-door behind this area which is the ceremonial area in lodge, #4-each lodge has buffalo skin with history of family (winter count) drawn on it, #5-living area of matriarch of family, #6-musical instruments and scrapers. Row 5-#1 & 2-squash, corn, beans, fish for food, #3-dog travois, #4 & 5-squash, corn & beans growing, #6-cache for winter and emergency food was dug in the floor of lodge. Row 6--#1-mock-up of cache, #2-5-how complete buffalo was used, #6-children. Row 7-#1 children, #2-4-winter count, #5-6-winter at Fort Mandan. Row 8-#1 & 2-Lewis & Clark at On-A-Slant, #3-model of Fort Abraham Lincoln.