"This Flag-Staff is the Glory of the Fort": Archeological Investigations of the Fort Union Flagpole Remains

The flag and flagpole at Fort Union were important visual symbols to the inhabitants and visitors to the Upper Missouri region as is clearly evidenced by Edwin Denig's quote. The flag and the pole it flew upon were visible reminders of a place of safety and rest for the person approaching the fort from land or water. The flag and pole were a part of the every day scene at Fort Union and yet they served a more important, although less tangible role as a visual symbol of American control of the Upper Missouri. In addition it was a symbolic statement that American culture and western civilization were present in "this far western wild". As important a role as the flag and pole may have played in the life of Fort Union it is one of the least documented features of the historic site.联合堡（Fort Union）的旗帜与旗杆是密苏里河上游地区（Upper Missouri Region）居民与访客眼中至关重要的视觉象征，埃德温·德尼格（Edwin Denig）的引述已对此作出明确佐证。无论从陆路还是水路抵达该要塞的人员，皆可通过这面旗帜及其悬挂的旗杆，直观感知到这里是一处可供休憩与寻求庇护的安全之所。尽管旗帜与旗杆已是联合堡日常景致的组成部分，它们却承载着更为重要却也更为抽象的象征意义：作为美国掌控密苏里河上游地区的视觉符号。此外，它们也象征着美国文化与西方文明已然扎根于这片“遥远西部的蛮荒之地”。尽管旗帜与旗杆在联合堡的历史生活中发挥了如此关键的作用，它们却是该历史遗址中记载最少的遗存之一。