Before trading began at Fort Union the Trade House's reception room was prepared for feasting. Traditionally a meal was shared between the Upper Missouri Tribes and American Fur Company employees
Between 1828 and 1867, Fort Union was the most important fur trade post on the Upper Missouri River. Here, the Assiniboine and six other Northern Plains Tribes exchanged buffalo robes and smaller furs for goods from around the world, including cloth, guns, blankets, and beads. A bastion of peaceful coexistence, the post annually traded over 25,000 buffalo robes and $100,000 in merchandise.
The National Park Service has scheduled a prescribed fire on federal lands in Williams County this Spring depending on environmental conditions. The current plan is to burn approximately 15 acres of grassland near the maintenance shop.