Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-09-07
Rivalry Between Two Northwest Trading Posts
of EARLY Days Lasted More Than 100 Years


Although only a few miles auarf
on the north bank Of the Missouri
4 river near its Junction with the
Yellowstone, Fort Union, In Nom
tana, and Fort BufOrd, i'm North
Dakota, had a struggle f0r SUI
premacy extending over almost a
century with first one and then
the other riding the waves Of pros-
perity. Unnoticed, as IL were, until
the hand of time summed up his
tOricaI progress, Ii was a struggle.
nevertheless, In which today Fort
Buf0rd holds supremacy almost 10
the obliteratiOn Of Fort Uni0n.
In location they were equal, each be-
ing located near the junction Of the
Yellowstone and the Missouri. Fort
Union slightly west and Fort Bilford
just TO the eastward.
Natural Trading Point
From the very earliest Of pioneer
times 1t was a natural trading point
and probably long before the advent
Of the white man his Indian predeces-
sors were prone to gather there for
the exchange of wares and holding
council. Two great rivers, both navi-
gable, afforded an easy mode Of trans
portation for the early day trappers
and traders and their aborigine Gus
toners who came from as far south
as Wind river, as far west as the
and from the recesses of
the northern wilds
It was a land of wild game. where
the buffalo abounded and where could
be found In countless numbers the
FUR bearing animals so eagerly sought
Oy fur traders. No wonder the Ameri-
IAN Fur Co. and the Rocky Mountain
FUR Co. sought to maintain posts there.
Natural advantages there for trading
we're recognized by Lewis and Clark
N their westward journey when they
amped near the mouth of the Vel
oWstone and in their journal made +
tote that it would be a fine place to
SJabliSh and maintain a trading post,
'eing well protected, having an ex-
client location with plenty Of timber
nd nearby limestone bluffs for build
lg material.
Fort Union Established
Journeying westward to establish a
-ading post from the upper Mississippi
alley where he had been with the
LudSons Bay people, Kenneth Nc
.enzie, nephew of Alexander McKen-
lie, who explored the Frazier river,
uilt what was destined to be the
reatest of all northwestern trading !
Union, situated just west /
order above the mouth of the yellow
one at its junction with the Mis- /
,uri From then, the fall of 1929, 7
ltil 1867, it was for most of the time /
lie dominating headquarters Of the I
eat American Fur Co., and from Its
)rtals went forth to market millions
dollars worth of furs, marketed 1
ere by the Indians and free traders. /
absolute monopoly was J
1t long to endure and there arose {
ON time to time to compete with Y
various trading posts and forts, but d
only CONSTANT rival over the years v
ls-F'ort William, Fort Mortimer and Ii
VT Buford-al situated in the same fl
ace, about "a miles east, below the i
notion of the two great rivers. Il
In the march Of civilization toward
e great northwest these two places a.
We played a most important part Ii
d their history is interviewer with W
e story Of the northwest and its Il
ogress. ri
Fort william Built e.
Fort William came into the picture
the northwestern fur trade four N
arS after Mckenzie had founded a.
rt Union and established a fine Il
de with the Indian tribesmen. While II
neer writers have given much more b
their time and effort to the history W
Fort Union, that of Fort Buford al
just as interesting, particularly so pr
the later days when it was a
at army post. 1t was the first stop
the water caravan which took Chief W,
eph's Nez Perces down the river DC
m Fort Keogh to Bismarck In 1873 WI
he American Fur Co., dominated so
the field of its operation by that at
tive Scotch character, Kenneth Wa
Kenzie, who lived like feudal lord
his castle, was well established in wi
friendly trading relations with the di
inniboineS, eros VentreS, Crows and or
er migratory tribes that roamed the CO