Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, National Park Service

National Park Service

Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (NHS) is situated just north of the confluence of the Missouri River and Yellowstone River in present-day western North Dakota, on the border with Montana. The lack of major population centers around Fort Union contributes to the relatively undeveloped surrounding landscape, maintaining the open quality that characterized the area during the time of historic significance. The views from the site create a visual boundary that exceeds the physical landscape boundaries, including the rolling hills, river and bluffs to the south, and surrounding prairie. Features within the Fort Union Trading Post landscape include the reconstructed Palisades, Bourgeois House, and Indian Artisan House. Fort Union Trading Post is nationally significant during the period 1828-1866 for its associations with commerce, exploration, and transportation in the American frontier, as well as for its role in interactions between indigenous populations and Euro-American settlers. This period begins with the fort’s construction by Kenneth McKenzie and the American Fur Company, continues through its use and gradual decline, and ends with the eventual closing and destruction of the trading post in 1867. Fort Union was one of the largest fur posts on the upper Missouri and provided access to excellent hunting areas, while also serving as a stop for many notable westbound explorers, artists, and travelers. The trading post was a critical meeting place for surrounding Native American groups to trade, receive annuities, and communicate about Euro-American activities. This included Assiniboin, Cree, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Sioux, Arikaras, and Crow tribes. The success of the post was directly related to both the wealth of resources in the surrounding area and the hunting and trading contributions of the Native Americans. The trading post site was initially selected for its proximity to the river convergence, the abundance of nearby timber, and the elevation above the water. The river was crucial for providing transportation, and the surrounding prairie supported Native American encampments. Mosquitoes, strong winds, and brutal winters challenged those at the post, although these were minor discomforts compared to the small pox epidemics that struck in 1837 and 1857. The illness would decimate large portions of many tribes. Fort Union’s decline in the 1860s was partially due to this loss of Native American populations, who had been a critical link in the economic system of securing and marketing furs. Changing fashions and the expansion of the frontier were other factors, and the fort was sold to the U.S. Government in 1867. It was torn down by the army, and the materials were used to expand the nearby Fort Buford military post and for fuel by steamboats heading to the Montana gold fields. The buildings and structures currently associated with the Fort Union Trading Post are reconstructions (1985-1991), built on the footprints of the original structures and modeled after archeological evidence and historic documentation. The accuracy of their placement has re-established the original design intent and spatial character of the fort. Currently, restored prairie and agricultural fields surround most of the park, and a small area of native prairie still exists in the Bodmer Overlook locale. The Missouri River is a major feature of the landscape, although the river is now dammed and no longer winds between the fort site and the bluffs on the south shore. The vegetation surrounding Fort Union retains the overall character of the historic period but has been impacted by the introduction of various exotic species. In general, the landscape of Fort Union retains integrity of location, setting, feeling and, association.

Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, National Park Service

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