Early on our travels with Lewis and Clark along the Missouri River, we spent some time at Fort Osage in the Omaha area. William Clark, ever the military man, recognized this location as perfect for a trading post. If you’d like a look back at these posts, part 12 is all about Clark’s importance here. Part 13 is about Clark’s time at Fort Osage. As the Corps left the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, they passed by this next location, and Lewis and Clark again recognized the importance of this site as a trading post. Fort Union Trading Post is just inside North Dakota, while the parking lot is in Montana.
Visitors entering the Fort from the river side had to pass through outer and inner gates separated by an enclosed area with access to the Indian Trade Room. When the outer gate was closed, trading could be carried on through a wicket (or window) just to the left of the entrance.
The configuration of this area provided security during periods of hostilities and when the threat of smallpox was present. It also permitted separating unfriendly Indian groups from each other when they came to Fort Union to trade.
right: Natives using the trading wicket (window)
He told us that the chiefs came and bartered for the furs to sell and the items to buy. The ranger told us they were shrewd negotiators, even with using sign language. Once the prices were agreed on, the chiefs would return to the tribe and tell them the trade amounts. Then Natives could come and use the small window on the outside of the Fort to buy their supplies.
history of this Fort
Lewis and Clark were among the first to recognize the suitability of this site for a trading post when they passed through this area on their way to the Pacific Coast.
Cottonwood and ash were readily available for construction. The site provided a broad vista, which would prevent approaching Indians from being concealed. Indians on their trading migrations would also be able to see an outpost from a great distance.
On the return leg of the journey, Lewis extensively surveyed and charted this site and the land near the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers.
water travel in the 1800s
In the 19th century, the fastest and easiest means of transport was by water. River-ways linked major U.S. cities with trading posts on the frontier. The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, and their tributaries, were highways of commerce to St. Louis, Missouri, and the port of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Supplies for the Fort came up river and furs went down to make their way to the markets of the world.
Fort Union built here
Early explorers reported that America’s western mountains were rich in furs. As a part of a plan to extend trading into the Upper Missouri country, John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company built Fort Union here in 1829 near the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers. This post soon became he headquarters for trading beaver furs and buffalo robes with the Assiniboin Indians to the north, the Crow Indians on the upper Yellowstone, and the Blackfeet who lived farther up the Missouri.
During its 38 years of operation, travelers and famed men passed through Fort Union’s gates. Adventurers, artists, scientists, and priests—even princesses—made their way up the Missouri to this site. This was one of the busiest and grandest of a network of fur trading outposts.
Fort Union provided merchandise that its patrons needed for survival or luxuries they wanted for their enjoyment. It sold fabrics, clothing, manufactured metal goods, tobacco, firearms, and luxury goods (beads, jewelry, etc.)
Its estimated that during the American Fur Company’s peak over $100,000 dollars (worth about $4,281,435.90 today) worth of trade and goods passed trough the fort.
Goods included everything from Northwest Trade guns from England and Belgium to Gambier pipes from Givet, France [these pipes had a face at the end, and its beard acted as a handle for holding the pipe].
From the time it was initially constructed until the time it was torn down, Fort Union was continually occupied. During the coldest winters and the hottest summers, the traders and operators lived here, quickly making the fort a place of community.
When tribes would come to trade, they would spend time connecting with their families at the Fort. They integrated many cultures together for mutual benefit that fostered the flow of ideas and trade.
During the historic period, Fort Union’s busy deep-water landing was located just below where we are standing. Riverboats and other vessels tied up here to off-load and on-load passengers and cargo.
Over the years, the Missouri River slowly changed course, and the channel moved away from this bank.
entrance from the prairie
Overland travelers usually departed from the back gate. This was the take-off point to the wilderness, trails, and gold fields.
In summer, Indian encampments could be seen around the Fort. Teepees dotted the landscape, and smoke curled from cooking fires.
Years after Fort Union ceased operations, the prairie gave way to railroads, hay fields, and farming.
inside the fort
Historic paintings and drawings provided information regarding the outside appearance of the structure. The dimensions of the house and the size and shape of the rooms are based on evidence from archeological excavations. The reconstructed house is built on its original site.
This was the most elaborate structure on the upper Missouri River during the peak of the fur trade. The National Park Service has reconstructed it to its 1851 grandeur. However, only the floor plan can be documented in the historical record, which precluded reconstruction of the interior space.
The first house was a more simple French Colonial design. During the winter of 1850, the Upper Missouri Outfit remodeled the house into a classical revival structure, adding a full second floor and the two-story porch to express the Company’s American roots.
clerk’s office
Occasionally this office acted as a meeting place between the Bourgeois and important American Indian leaders. These meetings and ceremonies established the value of hides and trade goods and also helped create lasting alliances and friendships. Gifts were exchanged and news was shared over a fine meal, coffee, and tobacco. The topic of trade and prices would not actually be discussed until all of this was completed first, often taking several hours.
One meeting sketched by the Fort Union clerk was between the Bourgeois Edwin Denig and Cree Chief Le Tout Pique in October of 1851.
the grounds
The Dwelling Range area was used to house a variety of people—clerks, interpreters, hunters, and employees, as well as their Indian wives and children.
The original structure was destroyed by fire in 1832. The new Dwelling Range was constructed shortly thereafter on this original foundation and was described as being not as substantial as the Store Range.
The stone foundations of the Store Range area is in the previous picture. This was the principal warehouse and business center at Fort Union. Here, furs and robes were processed for shipment to St. Louis. Meat was stored in a center room.
If enough money can be raised, both the dwelling and store ranges will be rebuilt.
We’ll be in Montana for almost a month.
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