Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, Fur trading post and national historic site at North Dakota-Montana border, United States.
Fort Union Trading Post is a partial reconstruction of the fur trading post that stood from 1829 to 1867. Its two-story white wooden building has a red shingled roof, green-shuttered windows, a second-floor balcony, and two red brick chimneys; a cupola and flagpole top the central section. A white picket fence runs across the front, and a tall flagpole stands to the right.
The trading post was founded in 1828 and became the primary center for the American Fur Company on the Upper Missouri. It operated until 1867, when it was eventually abandoned and later destroyed.
Trade at Fort Union shifted in the 1830s, when silk and wool hats replaced beaver in Eastern and European fashion and demand for beaver pelts fell; bison robes became the main commodity. Tribes such as the Assiniboine, Crow, Cree, Ojibwe, Blackfoot, Hidatsa and Lakota exchanged robes and furs for beads, clay pipes, guns, blankets, knives, cookware, cloth and alcohol. Northern Plains hunters favored the English-made "North West Gun," a smooth-bore flintlock.
Visitors can explore the grounds freely during daylight hours without requiring tickets. Wear comfortable shoes and prepare for changing weather, as the site is open and exposed to the elements.
The reconstruction relies on archaeological excavations and detailed drawings made by Swiss artist Rudolf Kurz in 1851. These historical records made it possible to rebuild the buildings and grounds as they originally appeared.
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