MacKenzie's Post

MacKenzie's Post (1812-1813) - A Pacific Fur Company fur trading post established in 1812 above Lewiston, Nez Perce County, Idaho. Named MacKenzie's Post for Donald MacKenzie who established the post and who was a partner in the company. Abandoned in 1813.

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  MacKenzie's Post Marker Along Hwy 95.
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  Confluence of the Clearwater and Snake Rivers.

History

Established as a Pacific Fur Company trading post in late summer or fall of 1812 by Donald MacKenzie. The post was located along the Clearwater River near present day Lewiston, Idaho, an area inhabited by the Nez Perce tribes. MacKenzie built this post with only a store and two houses because he quickly found that the Nez Perce were unwilling to trap and process beaver pelts. As a result, there were few beaver pelts to be traded along this stretch of the Clearwater.

MacKensie returned to the headquarters of the Pacific Fur Company at Astoria Oregon on 13 Jan 1813 with news from Montreal that the War of 1812 had broken out. He returned to his post on the clearwater on 31 Mar 1813 to close out the fur season and bring out what furs he had obtained. He closed down the post and departed on 12 Jun 1813.

Current Status

Exact site unknown. Marker at the Confluence overlook on Hwy 95 as you come into the Lewiston-Clarkston area.

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Location: Near Lewiston, Nez Perce County, Idaho. Map point is the marker at the confluence overlook on Hwy 95.
Lat: 46.462° Long: -116.992° Bing, Google, OldMapsOnline, USGS, OHM

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See Also:

• Pacific Fur Company
• Pacific Fur Company Forts

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 253.
• Idaho Sate Historical Society - Fur Trade Posts in Idaho

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort MacKenzie Post
• NPS - Confluence Overlook

Related:
Pacific Fur Company, War of 1812,