Northern Minnesota

Last Update: 03/MAY/2008

French Trading Post
(Interstate State Park)
(1802 ?), Taylor's Falls
A Canadian trading post, presumably from the North West Co.

Maurice Samuels' Post
(1846), Sunrise
A fur trading post established by Maurice Samuels, located near Sunrise Island in the St. Croix River. Also known as Sunrise River Post. Consisted mainly of a single house and barn. Site excavated by the National Park Service.

North West Co. Fur Post (State Historic Site)
(1804 - 1805), Pine City
A reconstruction of a trading post and Ojibwe dwellings.

Pokegama Lake Post
(1804 - unknown), Pokegama Lake
A North West Co. post. The American Fur Co. had a post here several years later.

Watab Post
(1844 - 1855), Watab
A fur trade post located two and one-half miles north of the mouth of the Watab River.

Hazen Mooers' Post (2)
(1830's - 1835), near Bowlus
An independent trading post located across the Mississippi River opposite Royalton.

Little Rock Post
(1832 - unknown), Little Rock
An American Fur Co. post. Hazen Mooers relocated here in 1835.

William Aitken's Post
(1850 - unknown), Gregory
An independent trading post in Morrison County.

Pike's Fort (1)
(1805 - 1806), near Little Falls
A small 36-foot square stockaded fort and winter camp for 21 men built during Lt. Zebulon Pike's Expedition, located near the mouth of the Swan River. Also referred to as Pike's Stockade in some sources. It burned down 10 years later. The site was marked by a stone cairn in 1919, however the site became flooded by the Blanchard Dam in 1925. Excavations were done in 1984 while the dam was being repaired.

Fort Duquesne
(1752 - 1754), Little Falls
A French fur trade post located two miles north of town along the Mississippi River. The 80 by 120-foot ruins were discovered in 1983.

Fort Ripley
(1849 - 1877), Fort Ripley
Located within Camp Ripley (1929), a modern MN National Guard training camp, directly opposite the town of the same name. Built to control and protect the Winnebago Indians after they resettled in the area. It was originally named Fort Gaines until 1850. Abandoned in 1877 after a fire destroyed many buildings. Only ruins of a brick powder magazine remain.

Benjamin Baker's Post (2)
(1832), near Crow Wing
A fur trade post located two miles below the mouth of the Crow Wing River, on the east-side of the Mississippi River.
Other trading posts were located nearby: Allen Morrison's Post (1823), Clement Beaulieu's Post (1837), and Henry Rice's Post (date ?), among others.

Fort Biddle
(1826 - unknown), Crow Wing
An American Fur Co. post located on Crow Island.

Crow Wing River Post
(1771, 1790), near Pillager
A wintering post of North West Co. traders in 1771 and 1790.

Mille Lacs Lake Post
(1820), near Malmo
An American Fur Co. post.

Wadena Post
(1850's), Wadena County
A trading post located on the west-side of the Crow Wing River between the Leaf and Partridge Rivers.

Other trading posts were located in the general area at various times: Jean Baptiste Cadotte's Post (1790's), Prescott's Post, and Reaume's Post (undetermined dates and locations).

Fort Bolivar
(1826 - unknown), Leaf Lake
A Columbia Fur Co. trading post located in Otter Tail County.

Otter Tail Lake Posts
(1830's - 1860), Ottertail
Several trading posts were once located here. An American Fur Co. post was here until 1836. Another post was here in 1850 - 1860.

Fort Juelson (park)
(1876), near Underwood
A 120 by 100-foot sod fort built by local settlers in response to the news of General George Custer's defeat at Little Big Horn, Montana (June 1876). There was never any real threat here. Site located in a small park with flagpole, one mile east of town on MN 210. Read June 2007 Fergus Falls Daily Journal newspaper article.
(thanks to Blair Olsen for info)

Leech Lake Posts
(1785 - 1818 ?), Leech Lake area
A North West Co. post was located on Otter Tail Point in 1785. Another North West Co. post was located further west about 1805. The second post was the scene of Lt. Zebulon Pike's expedition in 1806 to find the source of the Mississippi River (actually at Lake Itasca further west), where the British flag was ordered taken down and temporarily replaced by the American flag (Pike's Fort (2)). The international boundary here was not finally settled until 1818.

Camp at Leech Lake
(1856), near Walker
A temporary Federal camp.

Camp J. M. Bacon
(1898 - 1900), Walker
A Federal post built as a result of the "Leech Lake Affair", the so-called "last" battle between U.S. troops and Native Americans (Chippewa / Ojibway).

Camp Wilkinson
(1898), near Onigum
A temporary MN National Guard camp located on Sugar Point, four miles northeast of Walker. Built during the "Leech Lake Affair".

Cass Lake Posts
(1794, 1820), Cass Lake
North West Co. fur-trade posts were located at the entrances of the Red Cedar River and the Mississippi River at Cass Lake (formerly Upper Red Cedar Lake), established by James Grant. An American Fur Co. post was later located between these two sites and west of the Tongue River.

Winnibigoshish House
(1834), Lake Winnibigoshish
An American trading post located on Bowen's Point near Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake. A marker here mistakenly identifies the post to the Hudson's Bay Co.. The American Fur Co. had a post (1820's - 1830's) at the mouth of the Pigeon River. Another trading post (date ?) was located between the Mississippi River inlet and Sugar Lake.

Patchatchanban Post
(1785), Bowstring Lake
A trading post, presumably of the North West Co..

Sandy Lake House
(1794 - 1796), near Libby
A North West Co. stockaded post located near the lake's outlet to the Mississippi River. It was 100-feet square, with two blockhouses, barracks, post factor's quarters, storehouse, and trading house.

Fond du Lac Post
(1811 - 1847), Duluth
An American Fur Co. trading post once located in Fond du Lac Park, across the St. Louis River from Nekuk Island. (see also Fort St. Louis, WISCONSIN)
(thanks to Paul Gaboriault for additional info)

Fort Charlotte
(Grand Portage National Monument)
(Grand Portage State Park)
(1778 - 1803), Grand Portage
The stockaded fort was located near Pigeon River, and the stockaded depot of the North West Co. was located on Lake Superior at Grand Portage. A 1938 reconstruction of the trading post is now located in Grand Portage. The American Fur Co. later built a post here (1816 ? - 1840's), but was abandoned. The area is now part of the Grand Portage Indian Reservation.

Moose Lake Post
(1844), Moose Lake
A fur trade post by a Cleveland, OH firm. The Hudson's Bay Co. later had a post on this lake.

Roussain's Post
(1793 - 1866), Crane Lake
A North West Co. post, later a Hudson's Bay Co. post. Crane Lake was originally named Vermilion Lake.

Bouys Post
(1816 - unknown), Koochiching County
An American Fur Co. trading post located near Rainy Lake. Also known as Isle House.

Red Lake House
(1790, 1826), Beltrami County
A North West Co. post located on the east-side of Red Lake (Upper or Lower ?). Later the site of an American Fur Co. post.

Fort St. Charles
(1732 - 1754), Magnusson Island
Located near Angle Inlet, it was a 100 feet by 60 feet stockaded fort with bastions, with a chapel, commandant's house, missionary, enlisted barracks, warehouse, and a powder magazine. Excavated in 1908. Restored in 1960.

Warroad Post
(1820), Warroad
An American Fur Co. post.

Jerome Semat's Post
(1821 - 1840), Roseau County
An American Fur Co. post located on the Roseau River two miles above Roseau Lake.

Alex Groundmaster's Post
(1825 - 1851), Roseau County
A Hudson's Bay Co. trading post located on Roseau Lake.

Peter Grant's House (Fort)
(1780's), St. Vincent
A North West Co. trading post located on the Red River, opposite the mouth of the Pembina River. Shown on a 1791 British map, and said to have been the first North West Co. post on the Red River. Abandoned before 1800.

John Cameron's Post
(1803 - unknown), near Big Woods
A fur post located on the Snake River at "Rivière aux Marais".

Vincent Roy's Post
(1794), Thief River Falls
A trading post located at the junction of the Thief and Red Lake Rivers, presumably of the North West Co..

Red Lake River Post
(1798), Red Lake Falls
A North West Co. post.

Fort Sanborn
(1862 - 1863), Georgetown
A palisaded barracks originally built by the Minnesota Stage Company, taken over by the MN state miltia during the Sioux Uprising.

NEED MORE INFO: Great Oasis Post (1830's), an American Fur Co. post at the "Grande Lisière" (location ?).
Towns: Garrison on Mille Lacs Lake; Palisade in Aitken County

Southern Minnesota - page 1