Golf in New Town

New Town is the Mountrail County seat on Lake Sakakawea near the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, the homeland of the Three Affiliated Tribes — Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara. The Bakken oil formation's development beneath tribal lands has brought significant royalty revenue and economic opportunity to the reservation, transforming New Town from a small agricultural community to a center of both tribal governance and oil industry activity. The tribes' historical experience — including the flooding of their ancestral villages by Garrison Dam — shapes a complex community identity balancing heritage preservation with contemporary economic development. North Dakota's strong community tradition and the investment in local institutions reflect the commitment of Great Plains residents to maintaining quality of life in a landscape defined by distance, weather, and the enduring agricultural economy.