The Agent's Quarters

The French called the person in charge the "bourgeois"; Americans anglicized the word to "bushway".  His quarters were always separate, and he and his family lived more comfortably than the rest of the post.  At his home notables and dignitaries were received as well as Indian Chiefs.   In the early days of the Upper Missouri, the artists Catlin, Audubon and Bodmer visited posts of the American Fur Company and notables Prince Maximilian and Governor Isaac Stevens.  Many of the bourgeois, including Fort Benton's founder Alexander Culbertson, married Indian women.  Culbertson's wife Natawista was Blackfeet; she made possible the profitable trade between her people and the company.

Photographs and artwork within this website may not be copied or reproduced without written  permission of the Fort Benton Restoration Committee and the River & Plains Society. Copyright and reproduction rights apply.

© Fort Benton Restoration Committee