In 1961, the site was designated by the Department of Interior as one of the earliest declared National Historic Landmarks in the United States.

There was a market in manufactured beads,[6] clay pipes,[7] guns, blankets, knives, cookware, cloth, and alcohol.

Historic visitors to the fort included John James Audubon, Sha-có-pay, Captain Joseph LaBarge, Kenneth McKenzie,[8] Jesuit missionary Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, artist George Catlin,[9] Sitting Bull, Karl Bodmer, Hugh Glass, and trader Jim Bridger.

Fur trade entrepreneurs, such as Astor and successors, exerted considerable influence on government policies that affected the Indian nations of the region.

Northern Plains Indians preferred the English-made "North West Gun," a smooth-bore flintlock, because of its reputation for quality and reliability.