Tribal representative George Gillette breaks down in tears as 154,000 acres of land are signed away for the construction of a new dam in North Dakota, 1948. Approved under the Pick–Sloan Missouri Basin Program, the dam was promoted by the federal government as a flood-control and hydroelectric initiative. In 1948, leaders of the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation were pressured to accept payment for land destined to be permanently flooded. During the signing, tribal representative George Gillette reportedly broke down in tears, understanding that the agreement meant the irreversible loss of land central to his people’s agricultural, cultural, and historical life. An estimated 154,000 acres were taken, including fertile river bottomlands that had supported farming, grazing, and village life for generations of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations. The flooding destroyed homes, burial sites, and sacred places, forcing entire communities to relocate to far less productive land. Although compensation was promised, it was often delayed and widely regarded as inadequate, leaving many families to endure lasting economic hardship.(Historic Vids)