Projectile Point (FOUS 84275) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
Besides being made on site by the fort’s blacksmiths, many metal projectile points like this iron one could have been massed produced in a factory and then shipped to the different trading posts.
Iron Ball (FOUS 1024) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
This 1.0 caliber iron ball is another example of grapeshot unearthed during the Fort Union excavations. This ball may have been manufactured for a large muzzle-loading gun.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Southwest Bastion Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Circular sandstone metate (left; FOUS 723) and Mano (FOUS 3906)
Pommes blanches, or Pediomelum argophyllum, is more commonly called Indian breadroot. The plant’s energy-rich and nutritious root was harvested, as Audubon observed, and frequently ground into a flour that the ... More
Five Lead Musket Balls (FOUS 2704)
Five lead, .50 caliber musket balls for a muzzle-loading gun. Like FOUS 181, 1023, and 1450, these balls were probably used in a musket such as the Northwest Trade gun. Inventories, letters, and orders indicate... More
Projectile Point (FOUS 16785) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
Iron projectile points such as this one could have been forged on site by the Fort Union’s blacksmith. What metal might the blacksmith have used? The hoops around barrels containing trade goods shipped upriver ... More
Projectile Point (FOUS 85649) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
Projectile points were crafted for two uses, hunting and warfare. This particular point resembles a point made for warfare. What is the difference? This point has a rear-pointing triangular end; these barbs wou... More
Two Lead Balls (FOUS 181) - Public Domain image, National Parks Galler...
Two .54 caliber lead balls. These balls were probably used in a musket such as the Northwest Trade gun. During the time of the fur trade, these smoothbore trade guns were among the most common firearms that Ame... More
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Tipis near the fort Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
National parks: 1 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Projectile Point (FOUS 16794) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
This triangular-shaped point with a plain tang is made of brass. Along with a source of metal, American Indians would need only a few Euro-American tools – a file, cold chisel, and a hacksaw, for instance – to ... More
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Bourgeois House and Visitor Center Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Projectile Point (FOUS 16794) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
This triangular-shaped point with a plain tang is made of brass. Along with a source of metal, American Indians would need only a few Euro-American tools – a file, cold chisel, and a hacksaw, for instance – to ... More
Plains Side-Notched Projectile Point (FOUS 99186)
This side-notched Plains projectile point may have been made sometime between 1,500 BP and 200 BP. If made by an experienced flint-knapper, the point could have been made in as little as twenty minutes!
Projectile Point (FOUS 16785) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
Iron projectile points such as this one could have been forged on site by the Fort Union’s blacksmith. What metal might the blacksmith have used? The hoops around barrels containing trade goods shipped upriver ... More
Construction of Small Boat - Public Domain image, National Parks Galle...
Construction of small boat that would have been used during the fur trade era.
National parks: 3 - public domain image
Picryl description: Public domain image of a construction site, wooden frame, timber, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
Projectile Point (FOUS 16793) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
Soon, American Indians would begin to make their own metal points out of scrap metal such as worn out kettles. This iron point is triangular in shape with a serrated tang. The tang is the projection from the ba... More
National parks: 5 - public domain image
Picryl description: Public domain image of a construction site, wooden frame, timber, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
Brass Point (FOUS 16795) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Although Knife River flint and other stone arrowheads could be sharper than metal points, they could break on impact. If damaged during use, metal points like this one made of brass, could be reworked and sharpened.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Bourgeois House and Visitor Center Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Twenty-Six Lead Balls (FOUS 1450)
Twenty-six .50 caliber lead ball reproductions. During the fur trade, lead balls like these would have been used in smoothbore muskets such as the Northwest trade gun. The Northwest trade gun was specifically m... More
Single bit American axe head (FOUS 85646)
A single bit American axe head (FOUS 85646).
National parks: 7 - public domain image
Picryl description: Public domain photograph group portrait, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
Projectile Point (FOUS 94935) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
For American Indian men, the bow and arrow was an essential tool. Even with the introduction of the gun, American Indians continued to utilize this powerful weapon well into the last half of the 19th century. T... More
Projectile Point (FOUS 94935) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
For American Indian men, the bow and arrow was an essential tool. Even with the introduction of the gun, American Indians continued to utilize this powerful weapon well into the last half of the 19th century. T... More
National parks: 4 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
National parks: 7 - public domain image
Picryl description: Public domain photograph group portrait, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
Single bit American axe head_FOUS 85646
Picryl description: Public domain image of a coal mine, industrial facility, mining industry, early 20th-century industrial architecture, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Main Gate, Indian Trade Houses, and Buffalo Robe Press Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
![Fous, Jacob - Age [Blank], Year: [Blank] - Sixth Infantry - West Virginia](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn10/L3Bob3RvLzE5MTIvMTIvMzEvZm91cy1qYWNvYi1hZ2UtYmxhbmsteWVhci1ibGFuay1zaXh0aC1pbmZhbnRyeS13ZXN0LXZpcmdpbmlhLTA2NzNhZi0xMDI0LmpwZw%3D%3D/40/44/webp "Fous, Jacob - Age [Blank], Year: [Blank] - Sixth Infantry - West Virginia")
Fous, Jacob - Age [Blank], Year: [Blank] - Sixth Infantry - West Virgi...
Carded Records Showing Military Service of Soldiers Who Fought in Volunteer Organizations During the American Civil War
Pelican Lake Projectile Point (FOUS 3911)
The Lynch Quarry Site in central western North Dakota was a major quarrying site for Knife River flint. A highly prized lithic, Knife River flint was knapped into projectile points like this one, a corner-notch... More
National parks: 4 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Three Lead Musket Balls (FOUS 2701)
Three lead musket balls of different calibers: .32, .38,and .41. How does one know which is which? Caliber refers to both the diameter of the ball and a gun’s barrel. The larger the ball, the larger its caliber... More
Metal Ball (FOUS 575) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
This 3.2 oz. molded metal ball is another example of grapeshot unearthed during the Fort Union excavations. As with FOUS 151, it may have been made for use in a swivel gun. Such guns might have been mounted on ... More
Corner Notched Projectile Point (FOUS 71101)
This corner-notched projectile point is made from silicified, or petrified, wood. Silicified wood is created when silica, a mineral, is dissolved in water that is then absorbed by and replaces wood’s cellular s... More
Projectile Point (FOUS 85649) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
Projectile points were crafted for two uses, hunting and warfare. This particular point resembles a point made for warfare. What is the difference? This point has a rear-pointing triangular end; these barbs wou... More
Plains Side-Notched Projectile Point (FOUS 99187)
This point was made by a process known as flint-knapping. Flint-knapping is the method of shaping stones by striking, or knapping, naturally brittle rock with a piece of antler, bone or rock. This Knife River f... More
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Bourgeois House and Visitor Center Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Tipis near the fort Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Copper Point (FOUS 97844) - Public Domain image, National Parks Galler...
In 1870, Harpers Weekly published “Making Arrows”, an article that describes the speed and agility of a skilled American Indian hunter: “grasping his bow and five or six arrows in the left hand, [the archer] wi... More
Hand-wrough rectangular axe head (FOUS 508)
Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Southwest Bastion Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
National parks: 1 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
National parks: 1 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Copper Kettle (FOUS 98273) - Public Domain image, National Parks Galle...
Repurposing metal objects into new and useful items was a common practice among the different Northern Plains tribes that traded at Fort Union. This metal kettle bottom appears to have a section of it cut out a... More
Half a Domino (FOUS 24642) - Public Domain image, National Parks Galle...
Pictured here is one half of a domino found during excavations between 1968 and 1972. According to the report Homer Thiel wrote, the domino broke while it was being made at Fort Union. The second half, which wa... More
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Fort Interior Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Projectile Point (FOUS 85666) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
As early as 1832, George Catlin noted that American Indians used metal-tipped arrows. This metal point is trapezoidal in shape with tapered and pointed end.
Hunter's Shack Construction - National Parks Gallery
Civil War weekend, Dave Evanson building the hunter's shack under the west side of the palisade wall.
National parks: 5 - public domain image
Picryl description: Public domain image of a construction site, wooden frame, timber, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
Euro-American-Style Bone Die (FOUS 3252)
Euro-American playing dice discovered at Fort Union during the excavation of the “Indians and Artisans House.” This die was machine-cut from a very large mammal bone.
National parks: 6 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Construction of Fur Press - A group of men standing around a wooden fe...
Living history weekend, FUMLA members construct a historic fur press. September 1998.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Upper Missouri River Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Blacksmith Shop Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Carte Ancienne des Pays compris à préfent fous les noms de Provinces -...
Escala gráfica además en 'Mille Romaine de 75 au Degré'. Coordenadas : E1 00'-E5 00'/N53 35'-N49 25'. Meridiano de París. Coordenadas también del meridiano de Ferro
French-style iron trade axe (FOUS 737)
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Two Lead Balls (FOUS 181) - Public Domain image, National Parks Galler...
Two .54 caliber lead balls. These balls were probably used in a musket such as the Northwest Trade gun. During the time of the fur trade, these smoothbore trade guns were among the most common firearms that Ame... More
National parks: 6 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
National parks: 5 - public domain image
Picryl description: Public domain image of a construction site, wooden frame, timber, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
Three lead musket balls (FOUS 2701)
Three lead musket balls of different calibers: .32, .38,and .41. How does one know which is which? Caliber refers to both the diameter of the ball and a gun’s barrel. The larger the ball, the larger its caliber... More
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Upper Missouri River Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Southwest Bastion Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
The trade room - National Parks Gallery
Headman from the Upper Missouri tribes often met with Fort Union's traders in this reconstructed trade room. During the post's active years, 1828-1867, they often would sit on bison robes on the floor and then ... More
Side-Notched Projectile Point (FOUS 71265)
Porcellanite is a hard, dense rock that resembles unglazed porcelain. Found during Fort Union’s archeological excavations, this side-notched projectile point may have been made, or knapped, between 1,500 BP and 200 BP.
National parks: 2 - public domain image
Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Projectile Point (FOUS 16793) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
Soon, American Indians would begin to make their own metal points out of scrap metal such as worn out kettles. This iron point is triangular in shape with a serrated tang. The tang is the projection from the ba... More
Twenty-six Lead Balls (FOUS 1450)
Twenty-six .50 caliber lead ball reproductions. During the fur trade, lead balls like these would have been used in smoothbore muskets such as the Northwest trade gun. The Northwest trade gun was specifically m... More
Metal Ball (FOUS 575) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
This 3.2 oz. molded metal ball is another example of grapeshot unearthed during the Fort Union excavations. As with FOUS 151, it may have been made for use in a swivel gun. Such guns might have been mounted on ... More
Five Lead Balls (FOUS 2704) - Public domain natural history illustrati...
Five lead, .50 caliber musket balls for a muzzle-loading gun. Like FOUS 181, 1023, and 1450, these balls were probably used in a musket such as the Northwest Trade gun. Inventories, letters, and orders indicate... More
Metal Point (FOUS 58276) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Factory-made metal arrowheads were first introduced to American Indians by Europeans. Their adoption helped the bow and arrow remain a popular hunting technology among the Plains peoples up until the second hal... More
National parks: 2 - public domain image
Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
National parks: 6 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
![Habit of an English page in the reign of Edw[ard] VI. Page Anglois fous le regne d'Edouard VI.](https://cache.getarchive.net/Prod/thumb/cdn6/L3Bob3RvLzE3NzEvMTIvMzEvaGFiaXQtb2YtYW4tZW5nbGlzaC1wYWdlLWluLXRoZS1yZWlnbi1vZi1lZHdhcmQtdmktcGFnZS1hbmdsb2lzLWZvdXMtbGUtcmVnbmUtYzA1OGQ5LTEwMjQuanBn/40/51/webp "Habit of an English page in the reign of Edw[ard] VI. Page Anglois fous le regne d'Edouard VI.")
Habit of an English page in the reign of Edw[ard] VI. Page Anglois fou...
Public domain scan of French 18th-century print, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Copper Point (FOUS 98266) - Public Domain image, National Parks Galler...
This copper projectile point was found during Fort Union’s 1988 archeological excavations. Notice anything unusual? The green coloring you see is not a decorative element but rather copper carbonate, the presen... More
National parks: 2 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Lead Ball (FOUS 1023) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
This .60 caliber lead ball was probably used in a muzzle-loading gun. Muzzle-loading guns like smoothbore muskets are loaded by pouring and ramming a measure of powder and a ball down a gun’s barrel. How did a ... More
National parks: 5 - public domain image
Picryl description: Public domain image of a construction site, wooden frame, timber, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
National parks: 6 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
National parks: 4 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Besant Projectile Point (FOUS 3909)
Before Europeans arrived in the Americas, Swan River Chert, was one type of lithic material that American Indian peoples knapped into projectile points. Found in glacial till, the small rocks left behind when g... More
The river-front gate - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
Fort Union Trading Post's whitewashed south palisade wall and bastion once provided a windbreak for the northern plains tribes that in winter visited and stayed in tepees outside the post. During their visits, ... More
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Fort Interior Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Fort Interior Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Upper Missouri River Public domain photograph of river bank, water, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Metal Point (FOUS 1403) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
“In ancient times the heads were rudely hammered out of flint,” an unattributed 1870 Harpers Weekly article, “Making Arrows,” said, “but now they are made from hoop-iron and are of course much more effective.” ... More
Iron Ball (FOUS 151) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
This 3.2 oz. iron ball, a 1.3 caliber grapeshot, was possibly used in a swivel gun. The smallest type of cannon, a swivel gun could be mounted on a keelboat’s bow, or forward end, which in combination with the ... More
Iron Ball (FOUS 1024) - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery
This 1.0 caliber iron ball is another example of grapeshot unearthed during the Fort Union excavations. This ball may have been manufactured for a large muzzle-loading gun.
Fur Pres Construction - National Parks Gallery
Living history weekend fur press construction.
Flint and Fire Steel (FOUS 844 and FOUS 840)
Flint and a fire steel from Fort Union Trading Post's museum collections (FOUS 844 and FOUS 840, respectively). To start a fire, one strikes the flint and fire steel together to create a spark above tinder fung... More
Projectile Point (FOUS 84275) - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...
Besides being made on site by the fort’s blacksmiths, many metal projectile points like this iron one could have been massed produced in a factory and then shipped to the different trading posts.
Twenty-sid Lead Balls (FOUS 1450)
Twenty-six .50 caliber lead ball reproductions. During the fur trade, lead balls like these would have been used in smoothbore muskets such as the Northwest trade gun. The Northwest trade gun was specifically m... More
Bench Construction, National Parks gallery
Fort Union Muzzle Loaders build historic benches at Fort Union. Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Construction of Hunter's Shack - Public Domain image, National Parks G...
Construction of hunter's shack under the palisade wall. Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
National parks: 3 - public domain image
Picryl description: Public domain image of a construction site, wooden frame, timber, free to use, no copyright restrictions.
National parks: 1 - public domain image
Public domain photograph of American trade card, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Tipis near the fort Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Main Gate, Indian Trade Houses, and Buffalo Robe Press Public domain photograph of a post office building, postal service, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
Upper Missouri River Public domain photograph by National Parks Administration, nature conservation, tourism, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description