Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1906-02-03
EARLY TRADING POSTS
Fur Trade Was the First Incentive To Settlement Of
Missouri River Country...Story Of Old
Fort Atkinson

EQlrOr bismarck tribune: nave
read your published article relating to
old Fort Atkinson with interest.
The history of that old trading post
at the Mandan villages, together with
Forts Triton, Clark, Berthold and
Stevenson, are intensely interesting.
The rapid development of the fur
trade on the upper waters of the Mis-
souri-of which these posts were
early exponents-followed the return
OF che Lewis and Clark explorers in
1906.
The Mandan Indians were then
located in two fortified villages at the
mouth of Knife river, near the pres
ent town of iWashburn, North Dakota.
During the year 1907 an enterprising
Spaniard, named Manuel Lisa, headed
a. trading expedition from Saint
Lewis to the Yellowstone river.
learning from the explorers that
valuable fur grounds were in that
favored region. He was accompanied
on his voyage up the Missouri by
George Dranilard, John Coulter and
William Potts, three of the members
of the Lewis and Clark expedition,
who acted as partners, guides and
interpreters to Lisa in the wilds of
the upper Missouri country. Two
trading posts were established by
Lisa: Fort Manuel at the Mandan vii
lagos, and Fort Lisa, (Which was &C.
cupie1 by Andrew Henry at the
mouth of the Big Horn, on the Yellow
stone.
In 1911 Lisa headed another expedi-
ton up the Missouri to the Mandans,
in search Of Andrew Henry and his
companions; who were driven by the
B1aekfeet Indians to the three forks
Of the Missouri; where Dronillard
was killed.
During the voyage up the great
river, Lisa overlook the Hunt-Astoria
expedition at the Grand Detour, or big
bend, near the present town of Cham
tberlain, s. D. The two expeditions
made famous through Washington
Irving's ASTORIA" voyaged together
as far aus the mouth of Grand river,
where Hunt and his men started. out
from the Ariekara villages, which
was then located there, to the Column
ibia river and Pacific Ocean.
In descending the Missouri river in
the fall OF 1871, Lisa abandoned his
fIlr-trading posts until the close of
our second war with England; owing
to the hostility of the Indians, caused
by the British fur-traders, who &C.
cupied posts on the Assiniboine and
Red river of the North.
In 1921, the Columbia Fur Company
was organized, with Joseph Renville
Kenneth Mckenzie and William Laid
law as active members; all OF whom
were furtraders from the British
Northwest Fur Company, whose
farther operations in the territory of
the United States was prohibited by
act of congress passed in 1916.
The legal title of the new fur
company was known as Triton &
Company, with their principal trad
ing house at Fort Tecumseh-Laid-
laws trading post-near Pierre, s. D.
"A small trading post was built for
the Columbia Fur Co. in bend of the
Missouri near the Mandan villages,
by James Kdpp, in 1922, which was
named Fort Tilton.
Here, near this old trading post, a.
party Of fur-traders were attacked by
a band Of Arickaras in the summer of
1928; all Of whom were murdered ex-
cept John Glasse, who reached Fort
Tdlton in safety, assisted 10y friendly
Mandans.
The American and Columbia fur
companies were In active competition
in the Indian trade until union was
formed in July, 1927; the property and
trading houses reverting to the Ameri-
can Fur company.
In 1881, James Kipp built Fort
Clarke for the American Fur company,
on the west bank OF the Missouri,
above a wooded bend near the Man
dan villages. 1t was located three
quarters OF mile below end on the
opposite bank of the river from old
Fort Mandan, built by Lewis and
Clarke I'm 1905. This post became an
important trading house in the upper
Missouri country; second only to Fort
Union at the mouth of the Yellow.
stone. Here Catlin spent a month
during the summer of 1882, painting;
and writing his Indian stories.
During the year 1888, smallpox was
carried to the Mandan villages by an
American Fur company steamboat
and within a few weeks but thirty
eight OF that once powerful tribe
were left alive. From that time and