The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1936-11-13

When the early-day American
fur traders padded up the Missouri
river on the trail of Lewis and
Clark following the return of that
expedition, they eyed the mouth of
the Yellowstone river as a strategic
point for the establishment of flu
ture trading posts and headquar-
tiers for trapping parties, but it was
not until 1922 that the first fort
was erected there. Until that time
the traders hurried on up the yell
lowStone to what was considered
a richer fur country.
Many posts were established on the
Missouri below the mouth of the Vel
lowstone, the locations of some of
which have never been definitely
known. Among them were Forts Vol
cano, Lucien and Madison, the latter
somewhere in the vicinity of the Man
dan villages in what is now Dakota.
Keen Rivalry Expands Field
By 1922 competition had become SO
of the traders began looking for new
territory. In that year the first post
was established at the mouth of the
Yellowstone by William Ashley and
Andrew Henry Of the Rocky Mountain
Fur Co. The latter had been an asso-
ciate of Manuel Lisa in the activities
of the Missouri Fur Co. along the Vel
lowstone. at the mouth of the Big Horn
and as far west as the Gallatin coun-
try, n had traded along the Snake
river in Idaho later. The Rocky Noun
tain CO. succeeded the original Missouri
Fur Co.
Located at the NOUN of the Vel
loWstone they conceived that they would
be in a position to trade both to the
west. The latter section had been well
combed by the traders during the Is
years since Lisa had established him
self on the Big Horn. but the Missouri
river valley to the west was virgin ter
ritory for many miles. David Thomp-
son and HudsoniS Bay traders were OPP
Grating on the west side of the noun
talns. but the upper stretches of the
Missouri. Milk and M.arias rivers had
hardly been scratched.
The venture of Ashley and Henry
evidently proved unsuccessful, for the
post was abandoned after one year and
the trading boats continued on past
that point up the Yellowstone.
Fort Union Best Built
In 1928 Kenneth Mckenzie of the
American Fur Co. built Fort Floyd at
the mouth of the Yellowstone, and 200
miles up the Yellowstone river erected
another establishment which he called
Fort Union. In this instance it was the
latter post which was soon abandoned.
Mckenzie closed it and transferred the
name Fort Union to the post at the
became Fort Union was the best built
fort in the entire west with the pos
Sible exception of Bent'S fort on the
Arkansas river in the far southwest.
Evidently business %prospered at the
new Fort Union, for in 1888 competi-
ton appeared with the establishment
by Sublette g. Campbell Of Fort Will
liam, located on the left bank of the
Missouri river just opposite Fort Union
where Fort Buford later was to be To-
Gated. Sublette and Campbell were &C
tive in and successors to the old Rocky
Mountain Fun Co., which in turn had
succeeded the original Missouri Fur
Co.. established by Manuel Lisa.
Fort William. however. was aban-
doned in 1884 when Sublette & Camp
bell sold out to the American Fun Co.
Already the movement up the Mis-
souri, river from the mouth of the yell
lowstone had definitely started, and
from that time on the number of trad
ers and trading posts continued to in
crease. James Kipp built one of the
first and farthest outposts in 1881,
Fort Piegan. somewhere near the mouth
of the present towns of Iona and
Virgelle. Kipp occupied the post only
one winter. He left it in the spring to
go down the river with the furs he had
taken in trade. and the post was
burned by the Indians and never re-
built.
In 1882, D. D. Mitchell built Fort Nc
Kenzie on the Missouri river six miles
above the mouth of the Marias for
the American Fur Co. It was occupied
as late as 1843, when the hostilities
of the Blackfeet Indians forced it's
abandonment. c. A. Chardon, who was
in charge of it at that time, moved its
men and stores to the mouth of the
Judith river where he built Fort Char
don. This post was occupied only a
short time.
The abandoned Fort Mckenzie was
afterwards known as Fort Brule and
its site as Brule bottoms.
The Beginnings of Poplar
In December, 1888, Chardon built
Fort jackson on the Missouri at the
mouth of Poplar river, where the town
of Poplar now stands. Chardon had 20
men and ample equipment. Fort Poplar
was a strategic move On the part of
Kenneth Mckenzie of the American
Fur Co. to force the rival firm of Sub
lette & Campbell to divide its Fort
William contingent. By giving the In
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