Editing Fort Madison, Iowa (section)

====Location of the Fort====
A disputed 1804 treaty with the [[Sauk people|Sauk]] and affiliated tribes led to the U.S. claim of control over western [[Illinois]] and parts of what is now [[Iowa]]. To establish control, the U.S. Army set out to construct a post near the mouth of the [[Des Moines River]], a major trading route into the interior of Iowa. Not finding suitable land near the mouth of the Des Moines, the expedition also considered land near [[Quashquame]]'s [[Sauk people|Sauk]] and [[Meskwaki]] village at the head of the [[Des Moines Rapids]], a choke point of trade and transportation on the Upper Mississippi below modern [[Montrose, Iowa|Montrose]]. Again, this land was not considered suitable for a fort. The Army settled on a location several miles upstream at what is now the city of Fort Madison.<ref>Jackson (1958, 1960)</ref>

First called Fort Belleview, this post was also soon deemed inadequate. It was poorly situated at the base of a bluff next to a deep ravine, areas from which enemies could safely fire at the fort. Its construction led to resentment among the local Native Americans, especially the Sauk: They considered the 1804 treaty invalid, the fort threatened established trading networks, and American trade goods were considered inferior to French or British goods.<ref>Jackson (1960); Van der Zee (1914)</ref>

Black Hawk lamented over the new fort, and disparaged its construction in his autobiography.