The superintendent is named after the Indian villages of Knife River | News, Sports, Work

Tom Smith

STANTON — The National Park Service (NPS) has selected Tom Smith as superintendent of the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site located in Stanton. Smith is currently the site manager for the Manhattan Project National Historical Park in Los Alamos. He will begin his new role at Knife River in December.

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Landmark was established in 1974 by Congress to preserve the most complete archaeological record of village-to-village remains on the upper Missouri River in the United States. For thousands of years, the villages served as an important trading and agricultural center for the tribes of the northern plains. The villages were part of a trade network that stretched from Minnesota to the Great Plains, the Gulf Coast, and the Pacific Northwest.

The villages flourished until 1837, when a series of smallpox outbreaks devastated the population and the remaining people were relocated to the Fort Berthold Reservation. Today, the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara nations maintain strong ties to their ancestral homelands.

“I am pleased to announce that Tom Smith has become the new superintendent of the Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site,” said NPS Midwest Regional Director Bert Frost. “His familiarity with the resource and the community, as well as his creative and collaborative approach to leadership and decision-making, will serve the park and community well. I look forward to welcoming him back to the Midwest region.”

Smith brings nearly 20 years of NPS experience to his new appointment. He began his career as a seasonal ranger interpreter at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, which led to his first permanent appointment as chief ranger at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in Montana. In 2015, he served as a park ranger at the San Antonio Mission National Historical Park in Texas, before joining the staff of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail as an education specialist in 2016, where he will serve until 2023. Smith’s NPS experience also includes acting superintendent of the Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site from October 2022 to January 2023.

“I look forward to working with everyone who is connected to this special place and who calls it their homeland. I am honored to carry on the legacy of dedicated stewardship by those who have served before me.” Smith said.

Smith and his wife, Helen, who also works for the NPS, plan to move to North Dakota in December with their son and two dogs.