This was a fur trading post built in 1844 by the Chouteau Company of Saint Louis, MO and located in Sec. 31-147-87, like-a-Fishhook Twp., on the north bank of the Missouri River. It was first managed by James Kipp, who had previously run a small post upriver near the mouth of the White Earth River. The post was named for Bartholomew Berthold, a prominent fur trader in Saint Louis. The famous Mandan-Hidatsa settlement, Like-a-Fishhook village, was built adjacent to this post. It enjoyed a near monopoly in the area until Fort Atkinson was built nearby in 1859. Fort Berthold was destroyed by the Sioux on December 24, 1862, after which Fort Atkinson was acquired and occupied as a new Fort Berthold, sometimes called Fort Berthold II by historians. The destruction of the original post called for an increased military presence, leading to the building of Fort Stevenson in 1867

This fur trading post was built in 1858 or 1859 in Secs. 30 &31-147-87, Like-a-Fishhook Twp., and Secs. 25 & 36 -147-88, adjacent to its rival post of Fort Berthold. Henry Boller was the manager of the post, which was named for Gen. Henry Atkinson, the negotiator of an 1825 treaty between the Teton and Yanktonai tribes. The post was never much of a threat to Fort Berthold, and when the latter post was burned by the sioux on December 24, 1862, its owners acquired Fort Atkinson, renaming it Fort Berthold, often referred to as Fort Berthold II to differentiate it from the original facility.

Fort Berthold Indian Reservation was created April 12, 1870, and this post became the agency headquarters. The post office was established September 1, 1874 with William Courtenay pm. The site developed into a thriving village, with several stores, a doctor, and a school. The 1890 population was reported to be 125. Among its residents was Mattie Grinnell (1866-1974), credited with being the last full-blooded Mandan Indian. On December 22, 1906 the post office was moved nine miles north to SE 1/4 Sec. 17-148-87, Blackwater Twp., and renamed Blackwater.

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