Fort Union Trading Post

I have long been fascinated with the old west's mountain man. My father was an avid hunter and collector of antique firearms and I became familiar with the old guns as a youngster. We trapped some when I was a child so perhaps this early peek into a trapper's life is the origin of my fascination. One place I always wanted to visit was Fort Union Trading Post. From 1828 to 1867, this post was the most important trading post on the upper Missouri. Many native American tribes brought their buffalo hides here to trade and the post was frequented by all the famous early mountain men. The Park Service has done an outstanding job with the post. You really get a feel that the post is active today. The trading rooms are stocked with trading goods and it just feels so real.  Part of the grounds are in North Dakota and part are in Montana. It is near Williston, North Dakota.