Pierre Bottineau
Encyclopedia
Pierre Bottineau was a Minnesota Frontiersman.
Known as the "Kit Carson
of the Northwest", he was an integral part of the history and development of Minnesota
and North Dakota
. He was an accomplished surveyor and his many settlement parties founded cities all over Minnesota and North Dakota. Those settlements would become cities such as Osseo, MN and Maple Grove, MN northwest of the Twin Cities, as well as Breckenridge, MN and Wahpeton, ND on either side of the Red River. He also took part in the founding of Orono Village, Sherburne County, MN (later absorbed by), Elk River, MN and the booming city of St. Anthony (later absorbed by Minneapolis, Minnesota
). He was also a renowned diplomat and translator, earning him the nickname "The Walking Peace Pipe". He played a part in forging many treaties with Native American tribes. According to his obituary he spoke French, English, Sioux, Chippewa, Cree, Mandan, and Winnebago.
Pierre was born in a hunting camp on the buffalo trail near Grand Forks. His father was a French-Canadian Protestant, and his mother was half Sioux
and half Ojibwe of the Lake of the Woods band. Although technically born in United States territory, control of the Upper Mississippi Valley fell to the British during the War of 1812
. Even after the 1815 Treaty of Ghent
returned the land to the United States, British and Canadian traders and the Native American tribes held all real control in the area. The U.S. government used Pierre and others like him to settle the land and help establish American sovereignty. Most mixed race, or Métis
, lived as outcasts to both White and Native societies, but Pierre would soon use his many talents to become accepted as an American hero. His many invaluable services earned him celebrity status in his time. Upon his retirement, the United States Congress granted him a pension of $50 a month. He died in Red Lake Falls, MN at the age of 78.
Bottineau County, ND, and its county seat Bottineau, ND are named in his honor as well as the Pierre Bottineau branch library in Minneapolis.
Known as the "Kit Carson
Kit Carson
Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson was an American frontiersman and Indian fighter. Carson left home in rural present-day Missouri at age 16 and became a Mountain man and trapper in the West. Carson explored the west to California, and north through the Rocky Mountains. He lived among and married...
of the Northwest", he was an integral part of the history and development of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. He was an accomplished surveyor and his many settlement parties founded cities all over Minnesota and North Dakota. Those settlements would become cities such as Osseo, MN and Maple Grove, MN northwest of the Twin Cities, as well as Breckenridge, MN and Wahpeton, ND on either side of the Red River. He also took part in the founding of Orono Village, Sherburne County, MN (later absorbed by), Elk River, MN and the booming city of St. Anthony (later absorbed by Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
). He was also a renowned diplomat and translator, earning him the nickname "The Walking Peace Pipe". He played a part in forging many treaties with Native American tribes. According to his obituary he spoke French, English, Sioux, Chippewa, Cree, Mandan, and Winnebago.
Pierre was born in a hunting camp on the buffalo trail near Grand Forks. His father was a French-Canadian Protestant, and his mother was half Sioux
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 half Ojibwe of the Lake of the Woods band. Although technically born in United States territory, control of the Upper Mississippi Valley fell to the British during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Even after the 1815 Treaty of Ghent
Treaty of Ghent
The Treaty of Ghent , signed on 24 December 1814, in Ghent , was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
returned the land to the United States, British and Canadian traders and the Native American tribes held all real control in the area. The U.S. government used Pierre and others like him to settle the land and help establish American sovereignty. Most mixed race, or Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
, lived as outcasts to both White and Native societies, but Pierre would soon use his many talents to become accepted as an American hero. His many invaluable services earned him celebrity status in his time. Upon his retirement, the United States Congress granted him a pension of $50 a month. He died in Red Lake Falls, MN at the age of 78.
Bottineau County, ND, and its county seat Bottineau, ND are named in his honor as well as the Pierre Bottineau branch library in Minneapolis.