Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-08-19
PAGE TWO

D.; General Pershins Sta
tened There At One Time
As a Lieutenant.
Because Of the large amount of in
terest which has been stirred up re.
Gently through efforts Of persons de-
sirous Of preserving the cemetery at
old Fort Buford. The Herald Is pub
fishing the following historical sketch,
fof the founding Of the fort. which mas
been prepared by Rev. j.. P. Schell Of
Blanchard, N. d. The sketch fol-
lows:
Among several of the more impor-
tant localities within our state that
are entitled to rank as centers Of his
toric interest may very properly be
mentioned the strip Of territory lying
along the north bank of the Missouri
river between Buford and the inter
state boundary at, or near, the pres
town of Mondak.
On the north bank of the river at
this latter point was located nearly
100 years ago (1s2S), the once ia
NOUS trading post of the great Amer
lean Fur company. It was known as
Fort Union" and was founded and
for many years maintained under the
management of Kenneth Mckenzie,
chief of the American Fur company's
traders.
But while old Fort Union has a most
interesting story all its own. we wish.
for the present, to refer to an early
the founding of an audacdous COM
petitor for the Indian trade, and which
was located some two or three miles
below Fort Union or the site Of what
was later known as Fort Buford.
Founded In 1888.
Tho I'm OF the rival trading post
was Fort William. so named after one
lof itsI founders, William Sublette, ST.,
bell, erected the same in the fall Of
1855.
At this time the Fort Union trader,
Mckenzie, was doing an immense
business with the native hunters-the
value OF his shipment of furs for that
lyear amounting to az much as $780,
( 600, and the new rivals. Sublette and
Campbell, with plenty Of grit and
fbacktng. undertook aggressive action
1.-THE profits arising from the trade.
They accordingly sought to plant their
competing establishments in close
proximity to those Of the American
,company-hoping by various means
to divert their trade.
The strongest bait employed in
Turing their native cugtomers lay in
their hendiah love for liquor and the
ability of the traders to supply the
same. And although the traffic had
been previously outlawed by the gov
eminent it was then Gas now Sc
cretly imported II dealt out after
wards to their thirsty and, clamorous
customers with little regard for the
law or for the lives Of their frenzted
victims.
Completed ON Xmas.
Fort Williams was completed on
Christmas day. 1893. It was built
with a 150tfoot front by $50 in depth.
The stockade was Of cottonwood logs,
Is feet In length, hewn on three sides
and get three feet in. the ground. The
traders house was a double cabin,
1890 feet, with a passage between.
The store n warehouse we're 40
feet in length by Is feet in width.
There were two bastions, a carpenter
shop. blacksmith shop, ice house,
meat house, etc.
The post. was later moved back
from the river on account Of the rise
cutting away the bank. 1t was call
ed Mortimer" and was occupied un-
der that name by Fox, Livingston and
company until the yea 1843.
Abandoned Following Year.
The Fort William only continued
under its original management for a
short period and was abandoned the
following year $3.50 by its found
] n Nevertheless they made things
HvNr f0r fhoir rivals vpH,S1o $haxr -
dnued to carry IN there. They put
IN an immense stock of goods, hired
popular clerks and interpreters who
had formerly worked for Mckenzie at
Forth Union, and to offset this, the
Fort Union trader gave his men au-
thor1ty to use any near necessary
to hold the trade, and to pay any price
demanded TO obtain it. As high as
$12 was paid for beaver skins, the
/. smuEgled In and used without limit by
; both contestants, the result being
hat the Fort william parties were
driven to he wall at the end Of their
1rEt ~
Night Of Dehaach.
q realistic picture il given BY
Charles Larpenteuf, who was In
~charse2oK the liquor sales at the time
OF the opening Of the new post on
Chr1st1nas day, 1883 He sayB, eft was
not until night that we got ready
o the trade. It started at dark, ana
than the singing and yelling com
The Indians were all locked
mp II tho fort for fear they might 70
hg---only about : IL miles distant.
Imagine the noise! Five hundred n
u diana with their sqtlxWs, all drunk
rs could be, locked up IN that small