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Fort History Plains Tribes Site Map |
USING THE FORT UNION TRADING POST TEACHER PACKET Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site was authorized in 1966 by congress to commemorate its significant role as a fur trade post on the upper Missouri River. This civilian fur trading post, operated by the American Fur Company, was active from 1828 to 1867, when it was dismantled by the United States Army. Fort Union functioned as a center of inter-cultural contact between Plains Indians and European Americans. Partially reconstructed in the 1980s, Fort Union today is a stage where your students can experience the history of the fur trade on the upper Missouri.
Fort Union is partially reconstructed to the 1851 period, including palisade, two stone bastions, a flagstaff, the Bourgeois House and the Indian Trade House.
An asset for your on site visit is the re-stocked Indian Trade House which has been furnished with replicated trade goods. Your students can sit by the fire in the reception room that once welcomed the Plains Indians as they came to trade. A park interpreter will share the furs and explain trade items that sustained a flourishing trade on the upper Missouri between the two cultures.
The information and activities included in this packet are designed to be used in the classroom and provide excellent background for an on site visit to Fort Union Trading Post. Your preparatory step should be the reading and discussion of the enclosed background information of Fort Union to your class. What follows are a number of activities where you can find ideas, and the information should be fairly self-explanatory. If at anytime you have any question or comments, please call us during our business hours.
This packet is available for all the teachers in the school; please pass on the information. The rest of the packet is presented in a printer-friendly format for easy downloading and printing.
An expanded packet that includes student activities is available by contacting:
Curriculum Coordinator Fort Union Trading Post 15550 Hwy 1804 Williston ND 58801 PLANNING A VISIT TO FORT UNION TRADING POST
Field trips have long been a staple of educational services at Fort Union Trading Post NHS, and they will continue to be so. We strongly suggest that you utilize the staff at Fort Union during your visit.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site is open daily, year-round, except winter holidays. Located off ND Highway 1804 on the North Dakota/Montana border, Fort Union is 25 miles from Williston, ND and 24 miles from Sidney, MT. Though it straddles two time zones, Fort Union operates on Central time and is open 9-5:30 daily, 8-8 in the summer season.