Tag: Forts

Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site

August 20, 2023 – Traveling With Rich & Julie

We had already driven north to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park north unit entrance in North Dakota, and were only 60 miles away from this national historic site, so we made the trip on up to Williston.

What a neat experience it is to drive through the vast open prairie and see an old fur trading post appear.

According to NPS.gov, Fort Union was one of the most important and profitable fur trading posts on the Upper Missouri River between 1828 and 1867.

Several local Indian tribes exchanged large buffalo hides and smaller furs like beaver and rabbit, for a mixture of goods from all over the world.

Fort Union was not a military fort. It was built by John Jacob Astor, founder of The American Fur Company as a privately owned commercial establishment to engage in business with the Northern Plains Tribes.

As settlers moved west and migrated into the Dakota territory, the United States Army built Fort Buford in 1866, just three miles east of the trading post, to protect the Missouri River transportation route from scavengers. We did not have time to visit Fort Buford.

One year later, in 1867, the Army purchased Fort Union from its last private owner and tore it down.

It wasn’t until 1966 that the National Park Service acquired the property and began reconstruction efforts to restore the fort to its former glory.

Archeologists recovered many artifacts during the restoration process and these items are on display today.

Today’s Fort Union is a reconstruction based in part on the archaeological evidence recovered during those and later excavations completed between 1986 and 1988. Rebuilt to its appearance in 1851, at the height of the buffalo robe trade at Fort Union, the fort offers a place that helps illuminate the post’s role in shaping the land and culture of the Upper Missouri region and the Northern Great Plains. -NPS.gov

Another National Site marked off my bucket list.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my article about another great site in North America.

Pipestone National Monument

August 4th and 5th, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Friday, August 4th, we left the Don McLean American Pie Parking Lot in Clear Lake, Iowa and drove 208 miles to the Pipestone Family Campgrounds, which is right across the street from the Pipestone National Monument entrance.

In 1937, the US government declared this property a National Monument in order to protect the right of any American Indian to quarry the pipestone. American Indians continue to quarry the stone today. This national monument also protects over 300 native plant species – including 70 grasses – of the tallgrass prairies.

I am on a quest to visit as many National Parks and Monuments as I can. There are hundreds of National Monuments in addition to the 63 main National Parks.

The Pipestone Family Campground is a nice facility with clean restrooms, laundry, and a swimming pool. The workers were polite and helpful, and our site was wonderful. Sadly, we showed up on a stormy, rainy weekend and spent a lot of time inside playing cards and listening to the weather station. At one point we were under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning and Tornado Watch.

On Saturday, we drove around to see some things in the rain. We went to the Visitor Center for my stamp and sticker and saw some of the Native Americans carving the pipestone.

Right behind the Visitor Center is the start of the Circle Trail that takes you back to Winnewissa Falls, but I was not able to walk this trail. I have hurt my right knee and was barely able to make it to the Visitor Center. Here you can see an example of the Quarry Floor. This red pipestone is what the Indians use to carve animal sculptures and pipes.

On the way to the Visitor Center there are some large boulders to your left. We stopped by on our way out. The Three Maidens are three large granite boulders that used to be one large boulder. There are smaller fragments here as well. Legend says that the boulders were deposited here by the glaciers. These are sacred to the local people.

On the opposite corner from the entrance to the National Monument is a full-size replica of Fort Pipestone. Fort Pipestone is an 1860’s palisade fort with a cedar log cabin gift shop and museum. Visiting the fort and gift shop was free.

We drove on into the town of Pipestone, Minnesota and found another fun gift shop with a huge peacepipe sculpture and horse outside.

In town there is a historic concrete water tower located in a welcome rest area setting with picnic tables, restrooms, and even a free RV dump station. This unique concrete water tower stands 132 feet high, holds 500,000 gallons of water, was built in 1920 and began serving the community of Pipestone in 1921. It served the community until 1973 when it was retired. It was restored, repainted, and fixed in 1990 and became a historical landmark.

No trip to Pipestone, Minnesota would be complete without seeing the gorgeous courthouse grounds and Civil War Memorial. The courthouse is made of the red pipestone quartz and has been kept as near as possible to its original condition.

The Civil War Memorial Soldier Statue is inscribed on all four sides with the names of more than 200 veterans of the Civil War and Spanish-American War, and joining the statue on the courthouse lawn is a WWII RA M4 Sherman Tank.

And last but not least, we drove the King of Trails Scenic Byway, which is Highway 75, from Pipestone north to Lake Benton. This scenic byway goes on for over 400 miles. It is miles of beautiful prairie lands untouched by man.

Thanks for joining me on this travel journey. I hope you enjoy seeing all the places we are visiting. Leave me a comment to let me know you were here.

Effigy Mounds National Monument

August 1 and 2, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Yesterday, August 1, was spent driving from the Iowa 80 Truck Stop to Grant River Recreation Area in Potosi, Wisconsin, and relaxing after a long day stranded by the side of the road waiting to get the RV fixed. $700 later, we arrived at the campgrounds.

I wanted to stay along the Mississippi River, but close enough to visit Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harpers Ferry, Iowa. The goal of this trip out west is to see as many of the National Parks and Monuments as we can.

Grant River Recreation Area is run by the Army Corps of Engineers. Reservations had to be made online and with Rich’s lifetime National Park Pass it was only $10 per night to camp.

Our site had 50 amp electric hookup but no water or sewer. Drinking water is available throughout the park and a dump is available when you leave. The view of the river was absolutely stunning.

On the way to Effigy Mounds today, Wednesday, August 2, we stopped at the Fort Crawford Museum in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Zachary Taylor, who became the twelfth president of the United States commanded the fort from 1829 to 1837. Jefferson Davis, former president of the Confederate States of America, was stationed at Fort Crawford, and the Sauk leader Black Hawk surrendered here and was held prisoner after the Black Hawk War of 1832.

On to the mounds. Effigy Mounds National Monument holds 206 known prehistoric mounds with 31 of them in the form of animal effigies. Some of the other mounds are conical, linear, or compound. These effigy mounds are not the result of nature, but were built by American Indians between 850 and 1,400 years ago. I wasn’t able to hike to the individual mounds, as many of the trails are anywhere from one to four miles long.

After exploring the Effigy Mounds Visitor Center we drove on down the river to the Marquette Scenic Overlook at the Pontoon Bridge. What a beautiful view this was.

The next stop was Pike’s Peak State Park in McGregor, Iowa. I do want to mention here that all of the State Parks in Iowa are free entrance to anyone. Some of the state parks are the most beautiful places in the country. Please take advantage of this if you are ever in Iowa.

Known for its majestic views of the Mississippi River, this is a must stop place for anyone. It was a short walk to the platform. The view of the river and surrounding area is gorgeous, and several bald eagles soared above our heads as we stood in silence enjoying the view.

It was a glorious day exploring another small corner of America. Stay tuned for the journey as we travel further west.