Questions: Sections 3-5

Comprehension Questions

  1. What method of transportation could carry more cargo, go upstream easier, travel longer distances, and travel much faster than a keelboat?
  2. What was the first steamboat to reach Fort Union?
  3. Who was the German scientist who studied and wrote reports about animals, plants, rocks, etc., in the Upper Missouri area?
  4. Name two artists who spent time at Fort Union and Fort Clark and did hundreds of drawings and paintings.
  5. Who identified 11 new species of birds in the Upper Missouri area? What has been named in his honor?
  6. What terrible misfortune did the steamboat St. Peter bring to the Upper Missouri in 1837?
  7. The Mandan and Hidatsa started a village together and were later joined by the Arikara. What was the name of the village?
  8. The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Tribes are known as what?
  9. When silk hats came into fashion, what lost its value?
  10. What prairie product did people on the East Coast think was a delicious food?
  11. What resulted in the killing of millions of bison?
  12. What happened to Fort Clark and Fort Union?

Critical Thinking Questions

  1. Why did Prince Maximilian bring an artist rather than a photographer with him to get pictures of American Indians and landscapes?
  2. John Jacob Astor retired in 1834. If he had retired in 1864 instead, do you think he would have become the richest person in the United States? Explain.