Page "Louisiana Purchase" Paragraph 51

After the early explorations, the U. S. government sought to establish control of the region, since trade along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers was still dominated by British and French traders from Canada and allied Indians, especially the Sauk and Fox.

The United States adapted the former Spanish facility at Fort Bellefontaine as a fur trading post near St. Louis in 1804 for business with the Sauk and Fox.

In 1808 two military forts with trading factories were built, Fort Osage along the Missouri River in western present-day Missouri and Fort Madison along the Upper Mississippi River in eastern present-day Iowa.

With tensions increasing with Great Britain, in 1809 Fort Bellefontaine was converted to a US military fort, and used for that purpose until 1826.