Fort Union, A Fur Trade Fort Revisited

Fort Union, A Fur Trade Fort Revisited

"From the top of the hills we saw a grand panorama of a most extensive wilderness, with Fort Union beneath us and far away, as well as the Yellowstone River, and the lake across the river. The hills across the Missouri appeared quite low, and we could see the high prairie beyond, forming the background."

John James Audubon. 1835

As we paddle our canoes down the River Missouri, thinking of all that passed before us in another time, our minds drift to the Forts of the past. In the Blackfoot country to the north and at our backs are, Ft. Benton and Ft. Lewis, Ft. McKenzie and now going into Assininoin country we near Ft. Union.

The pictures painted by Bodmer, Audubon and so many others are now clear in one's mind, as are the landscapes and rock out-croppings viewed in those wonderful studies we all know so well. With little problem, we have been moved back in time to a period in history, that only students of the American Fur Trade can relate too.

This section from Ft. Benton to Ft. Union and Ft. Buford have changed very little when compared to what has happened further down the river. You will see in the distance modern changes, but most of the way its fur trade country all the way, with a little imagination you can slide back in time.

This is our third trip on the Upper Missouri, in almost the same amount of time, with floods happening in the east, canceling plans for the Bonnet's Mill to Ft. deChartre run in '93 and again in '95. So we just go north and try another section of the Upper Missouri that we have not experienced as of yet and will make at least a 6-10 day outing.

For good places to camp and nice paddling with easy 40 mile days possible, its hard to beat this section of the Missouri. The only problem you should be aware of is the float outfitters, some can be a little on the questionable side, with their services for moving your vehicles. Get it down in writing for a firm price of their service, we didn't the 1st time and once arriving, prices doubled.

The US Parks Service have very helpful employees, with literature and guide books of the history of the Upper Missouri, covering from the early explorers through the Indian Wars.

Let me refresh your memory of this area, John Jacob Astor's American fur Company built Fort Union in 1829 near the junction of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. This became the center of trade for beaver, buffalo and other valuable hides, along with the trade of game meat and horses with the Assininboin, Crow and Blackfeet.

Much of the early success of Fort Union was credited to its founder Kenneth McKenzie, Scottish-born and considered a fair man by those he traded with. He supervised the construction and served as its first bourgeois (superintendent), of the Astor Upper Missouri Outfit. A lot of his experience was gained while in the employment of the North West Company, located in Canada.

The fort stands on a grassy plain that runs for a mile, giving ample room for Indian camps when trading and for fort personnel to keep fights between tribes to a minimum. The fort its self has stout log timbers for walls, that span 220 feet by 230 feet in length and rooms for employees and their trade goods on the west side of the enclosure. On the east side was a like structure that contained a warehouse and trade room. The north end is the location of a great house for the bourgeois, with a bell tower and kitchen. The main gate was used for freight and public trading, opening to the south with massive gates on the river, another gate is located on the north wall. There were other buildings housing a blacksmith, carpenter, powder magazine and so on.

Like most forts of this time period, liquor became available, as did other problems brought by the white man, smallpox and other diseases not known to these people. With little to no resistance to fight off these diseases, the number of looses were large in all the tribes as time pasted.

Such famous people, like George Catlin came in 1832, as did Prince Maximilian of Weid, Father Pierre DeSmet, John James Audubon, Karl Bodmer, and Rudolph Frederich Kurz to name just some we have all read about.

Thompson Denig was known far and wide for his fairness in the traderoom, with his retirement of 25 years service, the later ones as bourgeois, he had compiled a mound of information on the tribes of the area. His work of this time and his collection of skins and skulls of the Upper Missouri can be seen at the Smithsonian in Washington today, a great contribution to the US.

As the time of the beaver passed and buffalo hides were in great demand, one could see change on the sky line with the white civilization encroaching on the Native American's lives and their lands.

As the Civil War began the general trade had declined and the fort was in need of total repair. General Alfred Sully with the US Army described Fort Union as "an old dilapidated affair, almost falling to pieces." In June 1866, a new fort was built, Fort Buford, located on old Fort William. In 1867 the US Army dismantled Fort Union for her material, to complete the new Fort Buford, leaving only the foundation.

Now only a memory, the great trading post of the Upper Missouri. A notice was posted almost monthly for able bodied men looking for work, as employee turn-over was always a problem on the frontier. A number of skills needed and paid for, as to what you could do, was a general thing.

On the bright side of all that has happened to Fort Union, the new structure stands on the same location, built with similar materials in 1985, with work continuing on today, to bring back a piece of history of the mid-19th century by the US Parks Service.

This is a very important part of the fur trade and a place one should try and vist, the Fort Union Trading Post National Historical Site is located 24 miles southwest of Willistown, ND and 21 miles north of Sidney, MT. The Fort is open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. For information write the National Park Service, US Department of Interior, Buford Route, Williston, ND 58801.

Take it from me and many other students of the fur trade, you'll enjoy the experience whether you go by land or water, Oh - ask about their rendezvous in mid-June, we had a good time.

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