Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-09-25
Story Tells Of Days When
Mckenzie t,:al Was: King
And Fur Traders Fought
I With Whiskey As Amunii-
ton; Would Have Histor.
ical Site Preserved.

. f..H-FS. .s'N tff-NEIE 80 - s..| |r g.sLa. -.r ts#.s1
Muchs.of the early romance of the
J pioneer days Is 'cdnjured up in the
historical sketch of old Fort Union,
compiled by J.p. schue of Blanch-
ard, N. 3, and sent to j. b. Wine
man o. this city. in the hope that
steps may lie taken to suitably mark
ana preserve the old site.
Fort Union was the most important
post on the upper Missouri during
the Years 1928 to 1854, and located
at what is now the interstate border
near MCndak, N. D.
! Many incidents prior to, during
and following the establishment Of
the fort as related in the. sketch,
throw considerable light on " the
methods used by rival fur traders in
establishing their trade with the.1n-,
was the principal ammunition used
BY the warning traders.
This sketch was prepared follow
ing the expression OF considerable in
terest in & similar one relating to
the old Fort Buford which has gone
to rack and ruin and where the OLD
burial ground of federal Indian
fighters is being used for a COW pas
ture. r.y
NIL. OC1luo 3 SkcICH lOllOW6. -
Following the report Of the Lewis
and Clark expedition across the Amer
lean continent to the mouth. Of the
Columbia river in ,i1805-6, and the
great fund Of information furnished
thereby. on the resources OF the west
Arn country, a new impulse was given
10 the fur trading interests, and there
was no lack Of adventures ready to
Improve the Unprecedented opportuni-
ty of wealth and observation-disclosures
fraught.with danger and hardship the
enterprise might prove to be. il.
The first to undertake the same was
Manuel Lisa, d S%paniard, and the only
Indian trader Of note and experience
who had operated in what was then
known as Upper Louisiana. AS soon
as he had heard the description given
by the returning explorers of the rich
gtur-producing country along the upper
Missouri and its tributaries, he pro-
ceeded to form a company for the
tives OF those regions; and early in
the following spring (1S07) the ex-
petition left St. Louis IN its way to
the western wilds.
Dangerous Venture. q
1t wal a venture Of enormous haz-
ard; kor the locality decided upon was
sfully 1000 miles distant and among
the hostile tribes who were known to
he treacherols and desperate warriors.
Lisa and his party reached. the mouth
Of the Yellowstone river. and halted
at the spot where was to stand later
Fort Union, one Of the greatest Of ali
western fur-trading establishments:
Here he should have located his new
trading post but influenced, perhaps
by others Of his company. he decided
to ascend the Yellowstone river, push
ing on until he had Reached the
mouth of the Big Horn river, where
he began the construction SQfvthe $ftrei
American trading post established OF
the upper rivers. and the first bt1tldina
ever erected in what is now he state
of Montana. u.s
He returned to St. Louis at the end
pfthe year, elated by his success, and
by the following spring had enlisted
q number of Influential men in a new
and larger concern. This was incorpo.
rated in May, 1909, under the name
OF the St. Louis Missouri company
later known as the Missouri company
and was the first of number 81
Influential companies formed later t
explore and exploit. the great WilG
areas Of the illfmitable wast.
Perhaps the best known and mos
successful OF these was the American
Fur company, founded by John Jacol
Aston in 1911. His first venture wa
the trading post planted at the mouth
of the Columbia river-described b.
Washington Irving. and named Asto
ria, after its founder. AS China wa
at that time the best market for furf
and the new post being located clos
to the sources of supplyi the location
would appear to: have been ad1nirabl.
chosen. But, owing to the unsettle'
relations with England concerning tn
question of boundaries, resulting l.
the war Of 1872, together with the in
creased hostility of the great Hudson
Bay company of Canada, speedy dis
aster was brought to the America
enterprise when its new trading pos
was perfidiously sold and brought IN
der control of the Canadian company
Enterprise Resumed.
After the close Of the war in 1913
the enterprise of the American com
pany was. resumed and it's tfadin
posfsx in addition to the one at Van
couver, Oregon, were, planted In var
ious remote sections east Of the Rock
Mountains-the most important q
which was located in 1929. at tn
mouth of the Yellowstone" AN
while Manuel Lisa was the first I
carry trade far up that importan
tributary, the most prominent pionee
after Lewis and Clark-on the up
Per Missouri was Kenneth Mckenzie
He, with William Laidlow and La
mont, had formerly been in the EN-
ploy OF the British Northwest compa
ny of Montreal, but later. (abou
1929 had succeededsin forming a nei
company Of their own named the &C
lumbia, and established several trad
ing posts on the Missouri river. 'Th
most important Of these was Fort Te
curnseh-about a mile below the late
constructed post Of Fort Pierre, oppc
site the site of the present capital
tSosth Dakota. After operating ther
for some five or more years, the bus
mess was by agreement absorbed b
the American Fur company. when tn
fort passed under control OF the ne
MANAGEMENT and Mckenzie was plat
edain charge Of the entire business
thes company on the upper Missouri.
Seek Blackfect Trade.
McKenzie's, appointment to n
greatly enlarged responsibilities o.
cured in the year 1927. and In til
following summer he and his part,
ADVERTISEMENT