Maximilian, Prince of Wied's, Travels in the Interior of North America, 1832-1834, part 2

In the early summer of 1833 a European courtier finds himself far from the polished salons of his homeland, stationed at the remote Fort Union on the upper Missouri. There he watches steamboats unload bundles of buffalo hides, hears the clatter of fur traders, and joins the daily rhythms of a frontier outpost where rain‑soaked pelts are dried anew and supplies of coffee and wine are treasured. His keen eye records the bustle of trade, the modest meals of fresh buffalo flesh, and the uneasy presence of Indigenous visitors who drift in and out of the fort’s courtyard.

Beyond the walls, the traveler ventures onto the prairie, following the river to Fort Mc Kenzie and beyond. He sketches the rolling hills, notes the customs of the Assiniboine, Cree, Mandan and Gros Ventres, and describes their material culture—from daggers and woven bags to the ritual dances that echo across the plains. Listeners will be immersed in vivid, firsthand observations of a pivotal moment in North‑American frontier history, where commerce, culture, and the raw landscape intertwine.