During the summer, Tom and I enjoyed all the wonderful visitors to Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site. We averaged about 100 people a day from June through August, and then about 50 a day during September. Our highest numbers were during the special events of Rendezvous and Living History Weekend. 100 visitors a …
From National Parks
Library at Fort Union Trading Post
During my time at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site I have been working in the Fort Union Trading Post library. Most National Park sites have a library full of books about the park or related subjects. Tom and I usually spend a lot of time in a park’s library. Fort Union has a …
Bucket, Barrel and Bellows at Fort Union
During his time here at Fort Union Trading Post, Tom has made a bucket, a barrel, and a bellows. These are all related to his demonstrations and the talks that go along with them, but building them has kept him busy all summer. Bucket, barrel and bellows Part 1: Ranger Karl knows how to make …
New Desk in the Visitors Center
About a month ago, we got a new desk in the Visitors Center. It happened about the same time we had to start wearing masks again indoors. And about the same time I started working in the Visitors Center more often. The new desk had been ordered in March. During the year that the Visitors …
Living History Weekend at Fort Union Trading Post
Over Labor Day weekend, Fort Union Trading Post hosted a Living History Weekend. Rendezvous in June is the biggest event of the year but Living History Weekend is a close second. It seems an appropriate bookend to our time at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site. We hurried to get out here in time …
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
Last week I got my final National Park stamp in North Dakota when we visited Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site. Of course, it helps that there are only three National Park sites in North Dakota, but it still felt good. Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site is an interesting place located about …
Edwin Denig and the Clerk’s Office
Whenever I do my demonstration, I am stationed in the Clerk’s Office and get to tell the story of Edwin Denig. Edwin Denig and Rudolph Kurz are my two favorite historical people at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site. I love talking about them and am constantly trying to learn more about them. First, …
Kids Crafts at Fort Union Trading Post
During the summer, on Saturdays, we had Kids Crafts at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site. Every Saturday there was some kind of craft, related to the fort, that kids could do and take home. Ranger Kristin Norgaard prepared and led the crafts, but Tom and I helped some. The kids crafts were a …
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
After the quiet and solitude of Bighorn Canyon, Tom and I headed to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Often referred to as “Custer’s Last Stand,” Little Bighorn has been romanticized to the point of absurdity. Despite his leadership during the Civil War, George Armstrong Custer died an arrogant fool. His story, as told by his …
Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
On our way back to Fort Union Trading Post from Billings, Tom and I stopped at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. We wanted to check it out and, of course, get the stamp in my National Park Passport book. Tom and I are not big fans of dams. We like wild rivers that run free …