What kind of trading post was fort whoop up

Indeed, by the mids brokers such as Thomas C. Power were shipping an estimated , buffalo hides and wolf pelts through Fort Benton annually. There was virtually no law of any kind, civil or moral, one visitor recalled. North of the border, after crossing the Milk River, the trail split into three routes—the eastern branch veering to the north end of present-day Lethbridge, Alberta; the central route heading to Fort Whoop-Up originally Fort Hamilton , south of Lethbridge; and the westernmost course continuing on to Fort Macleod built in In the partners built a crude trading post, dubbed Fort Hamilton, at the confluence of the St.

Mary and Oldman rivers. The new structure, which came to be known as Fort Whoop-Up, incorporated heavy timber walls and blockhouses mounted with cannon to guard the approaches. Fort Whoop-Up operated as a self-contained community.

Healy was the self-styled law and order. After venturing west in as a member of the 2nd U. Dragoons, he soon set aside a soldiering career to prospect in the Montana gold camps and the broader region. Having little luck, he tried his hand at a variety of ways to turn a dollar—town-site promoter, farmer, hunter, Indian fighter. In , following his successful stint as post trader at Fort Whoop-Up, he was appointed sheriff of Chouteau County and soon became anathema to horse thieves.

During those lively early years any itinerant adventurer passing along the Whoop-Up Trail might enjoy the companionship of freighters and bear witness to the snap and pop of bullwhips, or perhaps trade tobacco for safe passage from a roving party of Blackfoot. When the Mounties took up their station that summer, they soon focused their attention on the free traders, who had a mixed reputation in the region. Some saw them simply as innovative businessmen who provided a useful service to the Blackfoot, Bloods, Crees and other tribes.

Missionaries, government officials and military commanders saw them as a destructive force. Healy, for one, argued that traders taught the Indians to behave and made the country safe for travel. Generally speaking, the Mounties found the traders to be a decent if rowdy bunch, mostly young men, many of whom were recently discharged veterans, Yankee and Confederate.

Wolfers—hunters who tracked and culled wolves for their pelts—were less welcome. Wolf pelts were much in demand, and American wolfers could turn a handsome profit. Traders and Indians generally loathed the wolfers, who lived like their prey and whose indiscriminate hunting methods relied on strychnine rather than guns or traps bullet holes and leg wounds devalued the pelts.

Lacing the organs of a buffalo with the poison, they baited hungry wolves to feast on the meat, then returned later to skin their carcasses. During the cold winter months, when game was often scarce, the scent of buffalo meat drew prey like a magnet. Problem was, the bait also drew domesticated dogs, costing the Indians many valuable animals. In the s Montana, prompted by ranchers fed up with livestock losses, offered a bounty for dead wolves, which made hunting the animals even more profitable and led to even more brutal methods.

Indians tended not to bother the traders, who represented a source of food, whiskey and weapons. They found no whisky on the premises and the flag that had been reported as an American flag was inspected and found to be a trade flag for the fort later adopted by the City of Lethbridge as the municipal flag.

Finding no reason to close the fort, they continued further west and the fort continued in the trade of legal goods. Their first strike on the alcohol traders came after a Native complained at Fort Macleod about a group of whisky traders who had sold him overpriced whisky. Although the presence of the NWMP decreased the abundance of whisky trading, it still occurred.

This arrangement lasted for at least twelve years, the fort acting as both a trading post and a NWMP post. The following year, Healy and Hamilton sold the fort to Dave Akers, who was in control of the fort almost until its demise.

The fort was again burned in , the fire having started in the NWMP barracks. This fire was not as severe as only the NWMP barracks were destroyed. The fort remained in operation until it was deserted somewhere between and It was then destroyed piece by piece until the last of it was washed away in a flood in This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more Got it! Toggle navigation. Degenstein says the society's relationship with the city started deteriorating after flooding in left the fort with some cash-flow problems.

And that's a lot of money for a non-profit to have to deal with," said Degenstein. The society's lease at Fort Whoop-up expires at the end of December, but the city decided to open it up to bids — rather than renew it as it usually does, according to Degenstein. It's time to move on, because we are going to do nothing but have disagreements in the future," said Degenstein. However, the city denies the move is anything unusual, saying it's something done periodically on other contracts.

From my perspective, we're okay. The city is expected to announce who the successful bidder is next month.