Lewis and Clark Trail History
The Treaty of Fort Clark
From 1796 to 1822 the primary means by which the United States government interfaced with indigenous peoples was through a system of factories.
Not like this.
More like this.
You see, in those days factor was synonymous for agent, so a factory was an agency, and what the agent would do there is set up a trading post in order to trade goods from the east for furs.
The factories were created by an act of Congress to protect Native Americans from exploitation. In practice, numerous tribes conceded extensive territory in exchange for the trading posts. This is what happened in the Treaty of Fort Clark, whereby the Osage Nation ceded most of the present state of Missouri on November 10, 1808.
As the Lewis and Clark Expedition established contact with tribes in the newly acquired Missouri Territory, they would invite the chiefs to travel to Washington D.C. in order to meet their new father. In 1804 Osage chiefs went to meet President Thomas Jefferson, and he promised to build them a trading post. The trading post was established at Fort Clark, as specified in the treaty that was signed in 1808.
Fort Clark was located near present Sibley, Missouri, which is on the Missouri River about five or ten miles east of Kansas City. The fort was later renamed Fort Osage, but was originally named after Captain William Clark. In 1807 Clark had been made the agent for Indian affairs in the Louisiana Territory, as a reward for the successful conclusion of the expedition. The deal made in 1808 was that the fort would be built for the protection of the Osage, and in return the Osage would cede all of Missouri east of the fort, which was almost all of the present state of Missouri.
Fort Osage was one of the first United States military installations in the Louisiana Territory, and became a major stopping point for travelers on the Missouri River. The fort remained a landmark on the Santa Fe Trail, but by 1836 only the foundations remained. In the 1950's the foundations were discovered by archeologists, who reconstructed the fort as accurately as was possible.
