Réaume's Trading Post facts for kids

Réaume's Trading Post was a special place where people traded goods long ago. It was built in 1792 on the Leaf River in what is now Wing River Township, Minnesota.

Today, you can't see any buildings there. The land is private property. But scientists who study old things, called archaeologists, have found clues about the post. This site is important because it helps us learn about the early fur trade in Minnesota. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

What Was Réaume's Trading Post?

Réaume's Trading Post was a place where European traders and Native American people met to exchange goods. This was part of the "fur trade." Native Americans traded animal furs, like beaver, for things like tools, blankets, and beads from the Europeans.

Joseph Réaume was a fur trader. He traveled and traded with the Ojibwe people as early as 1785. In 1792, he set up his own trading post on the Leaf River. This river was an important water path for travel between Lake Superior and the Red River of the North.

The trading post was used for a while, but then it was left empty. Later, it burned down. Joseph Réaume himself didn't stay at this specific post for very long. He continued to work as a fur trader in other areas.

Finding the Old Trading Post

For many years, people didn't know exactly where Réaume's Trading Post was. In 1869 and 1901, surveys of the land noted some strange ditches and piles of rocks. People thought these might be old Native American forts.

But in 1972, new studies and old stories helped scientists figure out that these were actually the remains of Réaume's trading post.

What Archaeologists Found

Archaeologists are like detectives who dig up clues from the past. At Réaume's Trading Post, they found signs of a stockade. A stockade was a fence made of tall, strong wooden posts to protect the trading post. They also found places where buildings might have stood, and piles of rocks that were probably old chimneys.

Near the river, they found two spots where canoes would have landed. When they dug, they found a few old things, like small pieces of bone and an old nail.

Since 2011, a new team of archaeologists from the University of Minnesota has been studying the site. The exact spot of the trading post is kept secret to protect it.