River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 20: The Archeology of a Small Trading Post (Kipps's Post, 32MN1) In the Garrison Reservoir, North Dakota

The purpose of this study is to describe the archeological remains recovered from the excavation of 32MN1, the site of a Columbia Fur Company trading post---Kipp's Post--which was apparently built at the mouth of the White Earth River in the fall and winter of 1826-27. Kipp's Post was built before the construction of Fort Clark in 1831, and is the predecessor of the famed Fort Union, built by the American Fur Company near the mouth of the Yellowstone River in 1828. This site was only briefly noted in contemporary literature, and details of its physical appearance and construction were not previously known. The available historical facts are presented in this study, and should provide a background for an understanding of portions of the fur-trading activities of the Upper Missouri River in the late 1820's.