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(Photograph by Steve C. Martens)
Fort Union Trading Post was considered the most important and most elaborately furnished of all the Upper Missouri River posts. It was a primary post for trading fur and skins, from beaver pelts to buffalo hide. In addition, the fort attracted attention from artists, scientists, government surveying teams, miners, and West Coast-bound emigrants. The post, built by John Jacob Astor for his American Fur Company, became a primary meeting place for Blackfeet, Assiniboine, Arikara, Sioux, Plains Cree, and Crow Indians. Initially, the buildings were mainly of log construction, but the site was dominated by the Bourgeois House, which was altered in 1851 with Greek Revival features and painted in a startling red, white, and blue color scheme. In 1867, the fort was dismantled. Following extensive archaeological investigation, the National Park Service supervised reconstruction of the fort from 1985 to 1991 as a National Historic Landmark. All features at the site are historical reconstructions.