Fort Raymond or alternatively Manuel's Fort or Fort Manuel, was an outpost established by

fur trader The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

Manuel Lisa Manuel Lisa, also known as Manuel de Lisa (September 8, 1772 in New Orleans Louisiana (New Spain) – August 12, 1820 in St. Louis, Missouri), was a Spanish citizen and later, became an American citizen who, while living on the western frontier, b ...

and was named after his son.Morris, Larry E. ''The Perilous West''. Lanham, MD: Row & Littlefield Publishing. 2013, p. 20. The post was located at the confluence of the

Bighorn The bighorn sheep (''Ovis canadensis'') is a species of sheep native to North America. It is named for its large horns. A pair of horns might weigh up to ; the sheep typically weigh up to . Recent genetic testing indicates three distinct subspec ...

and the

Yellowstone River The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the Western United States. Considered the principal tributary of upper Missouri, via its own tributaries it drains an area with headwaters across the mountains an ...

s. Brackenridge, Henry Marie
''Views of Louisiana.''
Baltimore: Schaeffer & Maund. 1817, p. 143. Upon its foundation it was the first trading post maintained by European descendants in the modern state of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

. It would be the first of several posts by Lisa over his time in the developing regional

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

. Among those hired by Lisa for the expedition were several members of the

Corps of Discovery The Corps of Discovery was a specially established unit of the United States Army which formed the nucleus of the Lewis and Clark Expedition that took place between May 1804 and September 1806. The Corps was led jointly by Captain Meriwether Lewis ...

at Fort Raymond, notably

George Drouillard George Drouillard (1773–1810) was a civilian interpreter, scout, hunter, and cartographer, hired for Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery to explore the territory of the Louisiana Purchase in 1804–1806, in search of a water route to the Pacifi ...

John Colter John Colter (c.1770–1775 – May 7, 1812 or November 22, 1813) was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804–1806). Though party to one of the more famous expeditions in history, Colter is best remembered for explorations he made ...

and

Peter M. Weiser Peter M. Weiser (October 3, 1781 – c. 1810) was an American soldier and member of the Corps of Discovery on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Early life Weiser was born in Berks County, Pennsylvania of German parentage, the son of John Phillip Wei ...

, who were stationed at Fort Raymond. Work began on the station in November 1807 with the initial buildings being "temporary shelters and a trading house with two rooms and a loft". Lisa oversaw daily operations for nine months after opening the post. During the winter, Colter was sent with trade goods to the

Niitsitapi 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 ...

homelands to establish commercial relations.Binnema, Ted, and William A. Dobak. ''"Like the Greedy Wolf": The Blackfeet, the St. Louis Fur Trade, and War Fever, 1807–1831.'' Journal of the Early Republic 29, No. 3 (2009): 411-440. Colter met a group of indigenous men and agreed to travel with them. These men were from two nations that were traditional enemies of the Niitsitapi, the

Salish Salish () may refer to: * Salish peoples, a group of First Nations/Native Americans ** Coast Salish peoples, several First Nations/Native American groups in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest ** Interior Salish peoples, several First Nat ...

and Apsáalooke. An armed group of Niitsitapiksi was encountered and a battle ensued, Colter joining his traveling party against the Nittsitapi. Colter's presence on the battlefield noted by Niitsitapiksi warriors, having a ruinous effect on future relations between Manuel Lisa's commercial efforts. Lisa returned 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 ...

in 1808, leaving a complement of fur trappers at Fort Raymond. Upon arriving at St. Louis Lisa joined

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Misso ...

in forming a jointly owned effort to exploit fur bearing populations, the

Missouri Fur Company The Missouri Fur Company (also known as the St. Louis Missouri Fur Company or the Manuel Lisa Trading Company) was one of the earliest fur trading companies in St. Louis, Missouri. Dissolved and reorganized several times, it operated under various ...

(MFC). After returning to the station in the spring of 1809, Lisa formally added Fort Raymond as MFC property.Chittenden, Hiram
''The American Fur Trade of the Far West.''
Vol. 1. New York City: Francis P. Harper. 1902, p. 126. The station was abandoned after the opening of Fort Lisa in 1810.

References

{{coord missing, Montana Fur trade Missouri River History of United States expansionism 1807 establishments in the United States

Raymond Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...