Tag: National Historic Site

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.

Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

August 7, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

We woke up from sleeping overnight in the Walmart parking lot and traveled about 155 miles to the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site in Stanton, ND, knocking another place off the list in my National Parks Book.

This site was established in 1974, to preserve the historic and archeological remnants of the Northern Plains Indians called the Hidatsas, of North Dakota. This area was a major trading area for these peoples. There are three distinct villages known to have inhabited the area. They are the Big Hidatsa Village, the Lower Hidatsa Village, and the Awatixa Village.

Just behind the visitor center is a replica of one of the large earthmound dwellings. It was much larger than I expected it would be. It smelled as soon as you entered and pulled back the heavy buffalo hide hung across the opening. I’m not sure what the smell was…dirt or hot air. It would take some getting used to.

If you walk the trails to the village sites, you will see large circle indentations in the ground where the mound dwellings were. Established earthlodge settlements along the Knife River date to circa-1525 CE. They thrived until 1837, when smallpox greatly reduced the population of Indians living here.

The Awatixa Village was the village where Sakakawea (also known as Sakagawea) lived. This is where Lewis & Clark first met her. The Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail is also here and you can drive the trail and follow the signs.

We left here and headed to our home for the next week near the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Thanks for joining us on this traveling journey.

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

July 31, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie

Herbert Hoover was born on August 10, 1874 in a small town in Iowa. He served as the 31st President of the United States from 1929 – 1933. The Herbert Hoover National Historic Site is located in West Branch, Iowa and we were only 30 miles away while we were parked at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop & Museum.

We hopped in the car and drove to the Visitor Center. I got my stamp and sticker for my National Park Book. From the Visitor Center you simply walk the old wooden plank sidewalk to the small cottage where he was born.

This 14 foot x 20 foot home was built in 1871. It doesn’t take long to go from the front door to the back door. With two adults and three children, there was not much room in the small dwelling.

Out the back is another wooden plank sidewalk leading to the outhouse and across the street to the Blacksmith Shop where Herbert’s father, Jesse Hoover, worked.

Next is the one-room schoolhouse built in 1853. It served as the primary school for the children of West Branch when Herbert was a boy. It used to be a couple blocks away but it was moved here beside the Blacksmith Shop.

From here you can walk to the Presidential Library & Museum or drive to it. We got back in the car and drove to it. The Presidential Library is separate from the National Park so there is a separate fee to enter. We chose not to enter the museum.

Continuing on the road past the Presidential Library we drove through a peaceful park leading to the gravesite of President and Mrs. Hoover. It is very simple and elegant. I have never visited the gravesite of a president before and I was extremely impressed with the simplicity of this one.

Herbert Hoover died on October 20, 1964 and was buried here – on this hill overlooking his childhood home – five days later, beside his wife Lou Henry Hoover who died in 1944.

From the parking area it is a short 280 ft. walk to the graves. The path will continue around to a Tall Grass Prairie Observation Deck or you can simply go back to your car.

If you are ever on I-80 in Iowa it would be good to take the time to visit this gem of a place.