Fort Union Coloring Pages

1. Print out any or all of the following four coloring pages or open them in a computer program like Paint.

2. Color. Do the activities. Make it your own.

3. Share your masterpieces to our Facebook page.

Bison and Beaver

Cannon and Cart

Native Woman and Otter Skins

Trade Negotiation

Beaver and Buffalo Coloring Activity

Fort Union Association, Shannon Meyer and Briana Lassey

Physical Description

Beaver and buffalo were all over the plains.

Beaver

Beaver live near water and buffalo lived on the open prairie. The beaver is the largest North American Rodent. Beavers are short and fat with a waffle like tail. Their Fur is rich brown with black to reddish guard hairs. They have large buck teeth that are continuously growing.

Bison (Buffalo)

Bison are the largest North American land animals. They have a massive dark head with short black horns curving upward and inward from the base. A large mop of long dark hair covers the top of the head. The body is tall and narrow, with a distinctive large shoulder hump tapering toward the hindquarters. The tail is short and tufted at the end. The legs are relatively short. Adult Bison have heavy light brown hair covering their shoulders and forequarters blending to shorter darker hair from their shoulders back.

Cart and Cannon Coloring Activity

Fort Union Association, Shannon Meyer and Briana Lassey

Physical Description

Red River Cart

Red river carts were used to haul things long distances. A red river cart is two-wheeled and is constructed entirely of wood. It is a rectangle with an eight spoked wheel on each side. There are wooden beams extending out the front to attach to horses or oxen.

Cannon

The cannon was used to let the fort know when important people came or when the steamboat was coming. A cannon is a type of artillery, usually large and tubular in shape, that uses gunpowder to propel a projectile over a distance. Cannons vary in size, range, mobility, rate of fire, and fire power.

Native Otter Coloring Activity

Fort Union Association, Shannon Meyer and Briana Lassey

Physical Description

Otter pelts were common during the fur trade era. They were scraped and tanned, then traded for things like pots and beads. The river otter is long and cylindrical with four webbed feet and a thick powerful tail. It has small eyes and ears and a flattened head. Its fur is dark brown on top and silvery or paler brown on the throat, chest, and underside. While it is semi-aquatic, its short, muscular legs move surprisingly well on land. The American Indian woman wearing a traditional leather dress is shown scraping an otter hide with a bone or metal scraping tool.

Trade Negotiation Coloring Page

Fort Union Association, Shannon Meyer and Briana Lassey

Physical Description

The Trade House is where trading would take place. The Indians and trappers would trade furs and buffalo robes for things they wanted and needed. Two men sit on a buffalo robe in front of a fireplace. One man is wearing traditional American Indian dress. He is wearing a feathered headdress, leather shirt, and leather pants. He is communicating with Plains Indian Hand Talk. The other man is dressed as a trader. He is seen with a clerks cap, long sleeve shirt, button-down vest, and cravat. He is presenting a blanket to the other man.