30th Wisconsin, Company I, Fort Union, 1864-1865

11/21/2023

06/13/2023

Starting in just a couple of days, here's the lineup for Thursday, June 15th, of our 40th Annual Fort Union Rendezvous!

All times Central Daylight Time (CDT)
9:00-5:00 Visitor Center & Traders Row Hours of Operations
10:00-4:00 Camp and Demonstration Hours of Operations
9:30-4:00 Blacksmithing (Blacksmith Shop)
10:00-2:00 Kids Day (Courtyard)
10:00-4:00 Jeff Brown, Canoes of The Fur Trade (Camp Site)
2:00 Billy Maxwell, Hide Demonstrations (Hunter's Shack)
3:00 Rod Douglas, Bagpipes (Camp and Courtyard)
4:00 Chris Floyd, Metis Fort Hunter (Camp Site)
4:30 Terry Madden, Frontier Cooking (Camp Site)

For more information about the weekend, check out: https://www.nps.gov/fous/learn/photosmultimedia/rendezvous-information-for-participants.htm

05/28/2023

Looking for a delightful weekend adventure? Join us at Fort Union Trading Post, where we're thrilled to kick off our exciting summer season!

Tomorrow, Sunday May 28, 2023, we are hosting multiple ranger-led tours of the fort. Come by and visit some of the most significant structures relating to the fur trade and daily life here at the fort. Tours will start at 10:00, 11:00, 1:00, 2:00, and 3:00 CDT. Meet on the front bank of the fort, right outside the main gate. No reservations required, tour length 45 mins/1hr, all ages welcomed.

Monday May 29, 2023, our Trade House will open for the summer season. Where a ranger wearing living history attire will be ready to share intriguing information and engage in enlightening conversations about the fur trade and history of Fort Union.

For accessibility concerns please see our park’s accessibility page linked below, we will be walking on rough ground and climbing a staircase as part of the tour. https://www.nps.gov/fous/planyourvisit/physical-mobility.htm

11/11/2022

10/24/2022

Here's a fun project for the military Living Historian in your life with the weather getting colder.

Looking for Civil War Knitting Patterns? Knit and Crochet Civil War Soldier Trigger Mittens. Mitten Pattern.

10/17/2022

08/24/2022

Need a nightcap to keep your head warm and the bugs off? Need a housewife? Check out AC approved vendor, Preservation Parcels!

https://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/classifieds-approved-vendors/ac-approved-vendors/29580-caps-housewifes-gifts-for-preservation

08/22/2022

I am frequently asked if I sell patterns or pre-cut papers for making cartridges; the short answer is no, but that’s primarily because there is already a superior option for you.

My friend Steven over at Forth Armory makes the rolling mandrels, formers, and steel template patterns for the Enfield and US style cartridges. They are fully 100% compatible with the Pritchett/Enfield bullets I sell, and also the US style Minié balls. You only need to buy them once, as they’ll last a lifetime.

I recommend using 55-W tracing paper for the “outer wrapper” on Enfield cartridges, as it’s thinner than the vellum papers and even thinner than Fidelity Onionskin, and therefore will work better with the .568 Pritchetts.

https://forth-armoury.com/cartridge-templates.html

06/11/2022

BISMARCK, N.D. (KXNET) — For our June 8 KX Conversation, Leif Halvorson spoke with Nicholas Quallich and Brooke Williams about the Fort Union Rendezvous. Halvorson discussed the number of years thi…

05/15/2022

Bullets of the American Civil War. The technological advancement that contributed greatly to the losses in the war was the cavity in the base of the lead bullet. This allowed for a bullet of slightly smaller diameter to easily fit down the rifled barrel of the muzzle loading musket. When the power charge fired, the cavity would expand into the rifled grooves of the musket. This bullet — with a smaller diameter and expanding base — allowed rapid loading (3 shots a minute), and accurate, long range fire like never before.