Tuesday, August 18, 2009

August 18,2009

Fort Union Trading Post

Day of driving with one (or two) sights along the way.  Fort Union was not a military post.  It was built by the American Fur Company (established by John Jacob Astor) to do trade with the Native Americans and trappers.  It is located near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers.  A major crossroads for both land and river traffic.   The docent at the fort gave a very good talk about the protocol of trading.  It was not a simple exchange concept.  There was much ceremony and socialization in the process as well.  The fort/trading post is an exact replication of the original built on the original foundations.  The trade room is stocked with trade goods representative of the era which are for sale.  We did not have any hides with us so did not trade.  :)

A couple of pictures.

This is the front gate facing the river.  That small window to the left of the gate is where all trading with commoners took place.  Only special clients were invited in to the trading rooms just inside the gate. 

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This area was still separated from the interior of the post by another gate.

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Here is a view from the top of the fort wall.  When the fort was built, the Missouri River bank was at the tree line in the front of the picture. A distance of about 30 yards.  Now the river is just in front of that distant tree line.  Several hundred yards away.  The rivers course has changed that much since 1828.

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From the fort/trading post we drove four miles east to the confluence information center.  We had hoped to view the joining of the rivers but the shore line is so overgrown with brush that we could not see anything.

On to Minot, ND.  The ranchers here are very frugal.  :)  They even cut and bale the grass that grows along the highway.



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