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The Major and the First Lady: Alexander Culbertson and Natawista on the Upper Missouri
Introduction
Photo: Alexander, Joseph, and Natawista Culbertson
Copy negative of a portrait of Alexander, Jospeh, and Natawista Culbertson. Copy made by Helena photographer Edward M. Reinig.
With the Lewis and Clark Expedition shedding light on Montana’s wealth of resources, fur companies flocked to the state to establish business. By the late 1820s, the American Fur Company had made a name for themselves in the region. Alexander Culbertson, one of their most lucrative traders, and his wife Natawista contributed to the Company’s success. Unlike most marriages between traders and Native women at the time, the pair were business partners. Alexander and Natawista swept the Upper Missouri by storm in their nearly thirty years of marriage — traveling, brokering deals, and founding Fort Benton.
Alexander Culbertson
Copy print of a portrait of Alexander Culbertson, reportedly taken in Peoria, Illinois about 1865. Note on verso states, 'One of the foremost white men of the Fur Trade period on the Upper Missouri (Fort Benton).'
Major Alexander Culbertson was born in 1809 in Pennsylvania. He began his career trading in the Minnesota Territory on the St. Peter’s River. Alexander quickly ascended the ranks of the American Fur Company due to his natural talent, experience, and vision for trading. He was also well-liked for his disposition and was deemed by others to be quite popular. By the time he was thirty, he received a share of the Company and soon after took over supervisory duties of Fort Union from Kenneth McKenzie.
Photo: Interior Fort Union, Mon. [sic].
View of the Bourgeois House in the interior of the Fort Union Trading Post, Dakota Territory, with a man sitting on wooden planks on the ground in the center of the Fort. The post manager and his family lived in this building. Erroneously placed in Montana in the title, Fort Union was in Dakota Territory just east of the territorial boundary. Taken during the Fisk Expedition of 1866 on the way from Minnesota to Montana Territory.
Fort Union was a primary point along the Upper Missouri. It was an epicenter of trade among many of the Native American tribes in the region. Assiniboine, Piegans, and Blackfeet would bring bison robes, various hides, and beaver pelts to trade. These wares would then be sent by steamboat to Company warehouses. It was at Fort Union that Alexander met his future wife.
Natawista
Photo: Culbertson, Natawista-Siksina ca. 1859
Natawista Iksina, also known as Natoyist-siksina or Medicine Snake Woman, was born in Alberta, Canada in around 1825. She was the only daughter of the chief to the Kainah Band of the Blood tribe. Natawista is described by many as the picture of beauty and a person of great charm and dignity. As a girl, she would accompany her father and brother when they traveled to Fort Union for business. It was during one of these many trips where Natawista met Major Alexander Culbertson. Alexander, despite being married to another Native American woman, grew fond of the young girl. In 1840, Alexander divorced his wife and brought nine horses to Natawista’s father, asking for the fifteen-year-old girl’s hand.
Photo: 254. Trading Party, Ft. Union, Mon. (sic.)
View of two log structure, likely small trading stores, near Fort Union, Dakota Territory, with a couple teepees nearby and a larger camp in the distance.
Natawista and Alexander did not have a proper, Catholic wedding. A traditional Blackfoot ceremony was performed, despite Father Pierre Jean de Smet imploring Alexander to marry in accordance with the church. It was not until 1859 that Natawista and Alexander officially tied the knot.
Portrait of Mary and Joseph Cobell sitting in chairs with a photographer's studio back-drop behind them. Mary's maiden name is reportedly 'Stak tsi nes skim' (Black Bear Woman) Owl Child, and she was the daughter of Peter Owl Child and Wolf Shot Woman. She was likely from the Piegan tribe. Joseph was a long-time employee of the American Fur Company from the 1840s-1860s.
Marriages between fur traders and Native American women were not uncommon. These marriages brought prosperity to both white fur traders and their Native American wives. Fur traders needed their wives to ask as liaisons to the Native tribes. These women would mediate and interpret for their husbands, leading to more successful and lucrative trades. With their husband’s success, Native American women would gain status in both white and Native society. With their husbands means, women were able to introduce positive change into Native societies.
A cropped view of a copy of a portrait of Natawista Culbertson.
Natawista and Alexander did not have a typical “fort marriage.” Traditionally, the women would stay at the forts while their husbands traveled and made trades. Natawista refused to be left behind. She told Alexander, “I am afraid that they and the whites will not understand each other; but if I go, I may be able to explain things to them and soothe them if they should be irritated. I know there is great danger; but, my husband, where you go, will I go, and where you die will I die.” From that point, Natawista accompanied Alexander on his travels, showing great skills in meditation and interpretation, and often being referred to as the “First Lady” of the forts.
Founding Fort Benton
Fort Benton, Montana. Along the Missouri River. A bridge across the river can be seen.
Alexander was described as a kind and benevolent man who had the ability to be intrepid when courage was needed. Natawista, regarded for her beauty and civilized manner, was also known for her humor, charm, and horseback riding skills. Of all the pair’s accomplishments, however, the founding of Fort Benton is the most widely known.
Copy of a photograph showing a square blockhouse, fort wall, and many buildings at Fort Benton, Montana.
In 1846, Alexander began the construction of Fort Benton. Buildings and walls were brought down the Upper Missouri to the site of what would become the last fur trading port in the region. Having spent time in the Southwest, Alexander requested the structures to be built in the adobe style to offer more protection against the often-harsh weather conditions. On Christmas day in 1850, a celebration for the completion of the fort took place. Natawista danced in a red silk skirt while Alexander christened the new structure as Fort Benton.
View of ten Blackfoot men, women, and children seated in front of a striped tipi, with other tipis and hills in the background. The men wear cloth shirts and trousers. The women and children wear cloth dresses and blanket shawls. The camp is located one mile north of Fort Benton, Montana.
Fort Benton became known as the “birthplace of Montana.” The fort grew in popularity, surpassing Fort Union in importance for the fur trade. Moving from beaver pelts to bison hides, traders flocked to the fort for business. A mile-long dock along the river would bring in up to fifty steamboats seasonally. Blackfeet, Piegans, and Gros Ventres came peacefully to the fort for trade. This shocked other traders who heard of the fort’s success, leading many to visit the region.
Photo: Fort Benton, Montana Territory, and the Missouri River, with two steamboats docked
One of these visitors was Governor of the Washington Territory, Isaac Stevens, who visited Fort Benton hoping to sign a treaty with the Blackfeet that would open the way for the Pacific Railway to run through the region. Governor Stevens attributes his success with the treaty specifically to Natawista, saying, “Mrs. Culbertson . . . rendered the highest service to the expedition, a service which demands this public acknowledgement.”
By 1859, Natawista and Alexander had amassed a fortune. Alexander retired from the fur trade and moved the two and their family to a home in Peoria, Illinois. After leaving, Fort Benton still prospered. The discovery of gold in the 1860s boomed business in the town, creating new jobs and markets. By 1887, the port was shut down, and the railroad took its place, bringing in more people and homesteaders. Fort Benton continued to flourish and grow into the historic town it is today.
Life After the Upper Missouri
View of the west side of Main Street in Culbertson, Montana.
Natawista and Alexander had five children while working on the Upper Missouri. The oldest, Jack Culbertson, owned and operated a well-known stagecoach station. When the railroad came through the area and the town needed a name, it was called Culbertson, after the landmark station.
Photo: Taken too soon after dinner in honor of Colonel Illges.
Studio portrait of Montana photographer L.A. Huffman posed with men against studio backdrop. Men include Guido Ilges, Frederick W. Sibley, W.D. Knight, Tom Defrees, Joseph Culbertson, and Lieutenant Aris.
The second of their children, Nancy, sadly drowned in the Missouri river. A tragedy that prompted Alexander to send their younger children back east for schooling, away from the dangers of the Upper Missouri. Their surviving daughters, Julie and Fannie, married Nebraska Attorney General George H. Roberts and Pioneer lawyer Louis Irvin respectively. Their youngest, Joseph, grew up to be a scout for the United States military. Joe resided in Poplar, Montana, where he is now buried.
Life in Peoria was far different from life on the Upper Missouri. Gone were the forts and camps and replaced them was a nine-room mansion. Here is where Natawista and Alexander had their proper, Catholic wedding. Citizens of Peoria found the family intriguing, often walking past the estate hoping to get a glimpse of them. During fall, it was not uncommon to see a tipi set up on the lawn and Natawista back in her traditional Native attire.
This new way of life was short lived. By 1869, the Culbertsons had lost their fortune and were back on the Upper Missouri. Natawista had once told Alexander that wherever he went, she would follow. Life had different plans for the pair. A few years after returning west, Natawista returned to Alberta, Canada. She briefly married a wealthy whiskey trader but decided it was time to retire among her people. Alexander eventually moved in with their daughter Julia and remained there until he died in 1879. Natawista lived with her nephew, Red Crow, until her passing in 1893.
Author: Nicole Bernard
Bibliography
Great Falls Tribune. “Old Fort Benton.” Great Falls Daily Tribune. March 20, 1900. https://mthspublic.newspapers.com/image/237990520/?match=1&terms=Natawista
Harper, Frank. “Fort Union and Its Neighbors on the Upper Missouri.” The Saco Independent. August 26, 1925. https://mthspublic.newspapers.com/image/955684251/?match=1&terms=%22american%20fur%20company%22
Horton, Helen M., A Consideration of Source Material in Montana Literature and History (1961). Montana History Portal, accessed 03/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/104147
“Natawista Iksina Medicine Snake Woman - Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service).” n.d. https://www.nps.gov/fous/learn/historyculture/natawista-iksina-medicine-snake-woman.htm
The River Press. “Col. Alexander Culbertson Erected Mansion at Peoria.” The River Press. September 09, 1936. https://mthspublic.newspapers.com/image/967305951/?match=1&terms=Natawista
Schemm, Mildred Walker. “The Major’s Lady: Natawista.” The Montana Magazine of History 2, no. 1 (1952): 4-15. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4515769
Wichman, Lesley. Frontier Diplomats: Alexander Culbertson and Natoyist-Siksina' among the Blackfeet. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2004.
Lansing, Michael. “Plains Indian Women and Interracial Marriage in the Upper Missouri Trade, 1804-1868.” Western Historical Quarterly 31, no. 4 (Winter, 2000): 413-433. https://www.jstor.org/stable/970101
Leeson, M. A. (Michael A.), History of Montana. 1739-1885: A history of its discovery and settlement, social and commercial progress, mines and miners, agriculture and stock-growing, churches, schools and societies, Indians and Indian wars, vigilantes, courts of justice, newspaper (1885). Montana History Portal, accessed 04/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/5087
“The History of Old Fort Benton.” n.d. https://www.fortbenton.com/fbrestore/history.html
Fort Benton Illustrated Almanac (1878). Montana History Portal, accessed 04/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/6196
Fort Benton. Montana History Portal, accessed 04/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/127755
The Herald-News of Wolf Point. “The Naming of Culbertson.” The Dillon Daily Tribune. July 8th, 1955. https://mthspublic.newspapers.com/image/964820283/?match=1&terms=jack%20culbertson
“Fort Benton Historic District: National Historic Landmark.” n.d. Historic Montana. https://historicmt.org/items/show/1.
Photo References
Unidentified photographer, [Alexander, Joseph, and Natawista Culbertson]. (Circa 1863). Montana History Portal, accessed 03/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/76485
Unidentified photographer, [Alexander Culbertson]. (Circa 1865). Montana History Portal, accessed 03/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/76484
Dutro, Dan, Mary and Joseph Cobell. (Between 1875-1885). Montana History Portal, accessed 04/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/76757
Illingworth, W. H. (William H.), 1842-1893, 255. Interior Fort Union, Mon. [sic]. (Early August 1866). Montana History Portal, accessed 03/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/91784
Illingworth, W. H. (William H.), 1842-1893, [254. Trading Party, Ft. Union, Mon. (sic.)] (Early August 1866). Montana History Portal, accessed 04/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/91783
Unidentified photographer, [Natawista Culbertson]. (Circa 1863). Montana History Portal, accessed 03/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/76486
Unidentified photographer, Three old Blood women with dog travois at Fort Macleod, Alberta. (1924). Montana History Portal, accessed 03/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/73621
Fort Benton, Montana (Circa 1900). Montana History Portal, accessed 04/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/16557
Unidentified photographer, Culbertson, Mont. (Between 1900-1915). Montana History Portal, accessed 04/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/106650
Huffman, L. A. (Laton Alton), 1854-1931, Taken too soon after dinner in honor of Colonel Illges. (Between 1879-1890). Montana History Portal, accessed 07/04/2026, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/72611
