Alexander Culbertson (1809–1879), was an American fur trader who founded

Fort Benton, Montana Fort Benton is a city in and the county seat of Chouteau County, Montana, United States. Established in 1846, Fort Benton is the oldest continuously occupied settlement in Montana. The city's waterfront area, the most important aspect of its 1 ...

, and was a special government agent who played an important role in the negotiations leading to the 1851 treaty of Fort Laramie. Later, Culbertson and his wife

Natawista Iksina Natawista Iksina (born c. 1825, Alberta, Canada – died March 1893, Stand Off, Alberta, Canada), also spelled Natawista Iksana, Natoyist-Siksina', or Natúyi-tsíxina, was a Kainah interpreter and diplomat. Her father, Two Suns, was a Kainah lead ...

negotiated with the

Blackfoot Confederacy The Blackfoot Confederacy, ''Niitsitapi'' or ''Siksikaitsitapi'' (ᖹᐟᒧᐧᒣᑯ, meaning "the people" or " Blackfoot-speaking real people"), is a historic collective name for linguistically related groups that make up the Blackfoot or Bla ...

to let the northern Pacific railroad survey of 1853 continue unharmed.

Early life

Culbertson was born in

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the Mas ...

in 1809. His family was of Scots-Irish ancestry, and he was named for his great-grandfather. He left the family home in 1826, when he followed his uncle, John Craighead Culbertson, a

sutler A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp, or in quarters. Sutlers sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, traveling with an army or to remote military outposts. Sutler wago ...

with the army, to

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. There, under his uncle's tutelage, he traveled throughout the south and learned the rudiments of trade. In 1827, he came to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

where he made his first contacts with

John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor who made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by smuggling opium into China, and ...

American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British co ...

, then managed by Pierre Chouteau, Jr. He and his uncle did not stay in the area, but instead traveled to the

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

frontier and traded with Native people there.

In the west

In 1833, Culbertson returned to St. Louis and signed a three-year contract with the American Fur Company, beginning work as a clerk. After reaching Fort Union, his boss, Kenneth McKenzie, assigned him to Fort McKenzie, in present-day Montana, then part of

Nebraska Territory The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska ...

. Three weeks after he arrived, he married a Piegan woman, whose name was not recorded. It is unclear how long this first marriage lasted. He became ''Bourgeois'' (Manager) of the Fort in 1834. Culbertson came back to Fort Union in 1840. That year, he married Natawista Iksina, a young

Kainah The Kainai Nation (or , or Blood Tribe) ( bla, Káínaa) is a First Nations band government in southern Alberta, Canada, with a population of 12,800 members in 2015, up from 11,791 in December 2013. translates directly to 'many chief' (from ...

woman, daughter of a powerful Kainah leader, Two Suns. She was about 15 and he was about 30. The couple had five children. Culbertson rose to become superintendent of the Upper Missouri Outlet, overseeing all Company forts on the

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...

and

Upper Missouri River Upper may refer to: * Shoe upper or ''vamp'', the part of a shoe on the top of the foot * Stimulant, drugs which induce temporary improvements in either mental or physical function or both * ''Upper'', the original film title for the 2013 found fo ...

s until 1847. He established several other trading outposts. The uppermost was Fort Lewis, founded in 1846. Originally located about 15 miles farther upstream from its present-day location, Culbertson moved the Fort and rebuilt it in 1847, and it was officially renamed Fort Benton in 1850. In 1851 he became a special agent for government negotiations with the

Plains Indians Plains Indians or Indigenous peoples of the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies are the Native American tribes and First Nation band governments who have historically lived on the Interior Plains (the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies) of N ...

, and played a significant role negotiating the Treaty of Fort Laramie. Later he and his wife persuaded the Blackfoot Confederacy to let the northern Pacific railroad survey of 1853, under

Isaac I. Stevens Isaac Ingalls Stevens (March 25, 1818 – September 1, 1862) was an American military officer and politician who served as governor of the Territory of Washington from 1853 to 1857, and later as its delegate to the United States House of Represen ...

, continue unharmed.

Later life

In 1858, after having amassed a fortune estimated at $300,000, the Culbertsons and three of their children moved to

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

. There they purchased a farm and luxurious home. The property was named Locust Grove. The girls were sent to be educated in private religious schools. During their time in Illinois, Alexander and Natawista formalized their marriage in a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

ceremony on September 9, 1859. Culbertson was bankrupted by a series of poor investments and returned west in 1868. Some point after 1870, their return to Fort Benton, his wife left him and returned to her people. Culbertson died in 1879, at the home of his

son-in-law Son-in-Law (22 April 1911 – 15 May 1941) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses. The National Horseracing Museum says Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this count ...

, George H. Roberts,

Attorney General of Nebraska The Nebraska Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the e ...

, who was married to his oldest daughter, Julia.Agonito 2017, p. 57.

References

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