North West Company Post
Encyclopedia
The North West Company Fur Post is a reconstructed fur trade
post on the Snake River
west of Pine City, Minnesota
. The post was established by John Sayer, a partner in the North West Company
, in the fall of 1804, and built by his crew of voyageurs
. The site operated for several years, although its exact period of operation is unknown. It was later destroyed by fire.
The North West Company was formed in Montreal
in the mid-1780s from a partnership of merchants. The company established a large post at Grand Portage
and built several other forts to house wintering voyageurs. Besides the Snake River forts, they also established forts at Fond du Lac
(now part of modern Duluth
), Big Sandy Lake
, and Leech Lake
. A typical fort would include a dwelling for the clerk, a storehouse, and a bunkhouse for the ten to twenty voyageurs who spent the winter. During the winters, the voyageurs would collect the pelts of beaver
, otter
, muskrat
, deer
, bear
, marten
, and other animals whose hides were useful. Dakota
and Ojibwe men would kill and skin the animals, while the women would prepare the hides by stretching and drying them. The hides were typically regarded as the women's property, so they would arrange the sales with the clerk of the trading post. In return, the clerks would supply the Indians with trade goods, such as firearms, blankets, and cooking utensils. The fur trade turned out to be mutually beneficial, since the Indians received the products of early industrialization. The furs were sold to Europeans who made felt
hats and fur coats.
The site was rediscovered in 1931 by a local Pine City resident, who found artifacts such as musket
flints in the soil. He returned to the site over the next three decades to explore it. In 1958, he found a book, Five Fur traders in the North West, that contained the journal of John Sayer. The Pine City resident contacted the Minnesota Historical Society
and explained what he had found. The Minnesota Historical Society performed some field testing in 1963 to determine the character of the site. In 1965 through 1967, a group of Hamline University
students excavated the site and recovered hundreds of artifacts. The Minnesota Historical Society reconstructed the rowhouse in 1968 and 1969 and opened the site as a historic site in 1970. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972.
Today the post has been reconstructed for the period from the winter of 1804-05. The museum is open in the summer, and costumed guides help interpret the site. The visitor center features exhibits about the post's history, a great room, fireplace and retail store.
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
post on the Snake River
Snake River (St. Croix River)
The Snake River is a tributary of the St. Croix River in east central Minnesota in the United States. It is one of three streams in Minnesota with this name . Its name is a translation from the Ojibwa Ginebigo-ziibi after the Dakota peoples who made their homes along this river...
west of Pine City, Minnesota
Pine City, Minnesota
Pine City is a city in Pine County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,123 at the 2010 census. Pine City is the county seat of, and the largest city in, Pine County...
. The post was established by John Sayer, a partner in the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
, in the fall of 1804, and built by his crew of voyageurs
Coureur des bois
A coureur des bois or coureur de bois was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian woodsman who traveled in New France and the interior of North America. They travelled in the woods to trade various things for fur....
. The site operated for several years, although its exact period of operation is unknown. It was later destroyed by fire.
The North West Company was formed in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in the mid-1780s from a partnership of merchants. The company established a large post at Grand Portage
Grand Portage National Monument
Grand Portage National Monument is a United States National Monument located on the north shore of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota that preserves a vital center of fur trade activity and Anishinaabeg Ojibwe heritage....
and built several other forts to house wintering voyageurs. Besides the Snake River forts, they also established forts at Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac (Duluth)
Fond du Lac is a neighborhood in Duluth, Minnesota, United States.Evergreen Memorial Highway serves as a main arterial route in the community.-History:...
(now part of modern Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
), Big Sandy Lake
Big Sandy Lake
There is another Big Sandy Lake, crossed by U.S. Highway 80 in Big Sandy, Texas.Big Sandy Lake is a lake in Aitkin County, Minnesota, approximately nine miles north of McGregor. The lake is considered fertile walleye ground with several habitat types, including the open main basin, the deep, cold...
, and Leech Lake
Leech Lake
Leech Lake is a lake located in north central Minnesota, United States. It is southeast of Bemidji, located mainly within the Leech Lake Indian Reservation, and completely within the Chippewa National Forest. It is used as a reservoir...
. A typical fort would include a dwelling for the clerk, a storehouse, and a bunkhouse for the ten to twenty voyageurs who spent the winter. During the winters, the voyageurs would collect the pelts of beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
, otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
, muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
, deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, marten
Marten
The martens constitute the genus Martes within the subfamily Mustelinae, in family Mustelidae.-Description:Martens are slender, agile animals, adapted to living in taigas, and are found in coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the northern hemisphere. They have bushy tails, and large...
, and other animals whose hides were useful. Dakota
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
and Ojibwe men would kill and skin the animals, while the women would prepare the hides by stretching and drying them. The hides were typically regarded as the women's property, so they would arrange the sales with the clerk of the trading post. In return, the clerks would supply the Indians with trade goods, such as firearms, blankets, and cooking utensils. The fur trade turned out to be mutually beneficial, since the Indians received the products of early industrialization. The furs were sold to Europeans who made felt
Felt
Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any colour, and made into any shape or size....
hats and fur coats.
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
flints in the soil. He returned to the site over the next three decades to explore it. In 1958, he found a book, Five Fur traders in the North West, that contained the journal of John Sayer. The Pine City resident contacted the Minnesota Historical Society
Minnesota Historical Society
The Minnesota Historical Society is a private, non-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to preserving the history of the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was founded by the territorial legislature in 1849, almost a decade before statehood. The Society is named in the Minnesota...
and explained what he had found. The Minnesota Historical Society performed some field testing in 1963 to determine the character of the site. In 1965 through 1967, a group of Hamline University
Hamline University
-Red Wing location :Hamline was named in honor of Leonidas Lent Hamline, a bishop of the Methodist Church whose interest in the frontier led him to donate $25,000 toward the building of an institution of higher learning in what was then the territory of Minnesota. Today, a statue of Bishop Hamline...
students excavated the site and recovered hundreds of artifacts. The Minnesota Historical Society reconstructed the rowhouse in 1968 and 1969 and opened the site as a historic site in 1970. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972.
Today the post has been reconstructed for the period from the winter of 1804-05. The museum is open in the summer, and costumed guides help interpret the site. The visitor center features exhibits about the post's history, a great room, fireplace and retail store.
External links
- North West Company Fur Post- Minnesota Historical Society