Green Bay - Fur Trade History

I thought some of you would enjoy this. Many people know Green Bay is Titletown but not everyone knows that it was a critical stop in the Fur Trade. Starting in 1634, with the exploration of Jean Nicolet, Green Bay has been a center and highway for trade. The French and Natives engaged in trading at Nicolas Perrot's string of trading posts which went from Green Bay to Trempeleau to Lake Pepin.

After the War of 1812, the area firmly came under the control of the Americans although the British didn't leave for several years. John Jacob Astor established a major post right off the Fox River. I had a nice reminder of this while out walking this morning.




Carrying on the tradition here in Titletown.

Brian

Nice bit of history.Always nice to see.Thanks for sharing.

Thanks!! And Go Pack!!

Heard they was moving title town to KC.

Interesting history.

There is a ton of Wisconsin fur trade history that is barley known. Most people believe WI history starts with the German immigration to Milwaukee in the 1840s.

Over on this side there is also a ton of fur trade history along the Mississippi and Black Rivers. Perrot Park is on the site of Perrot's trading post and there was another one a couple miles upstream from me. Used to know a lot about it but you know how that goes...

In the meantime....GO, PACK, GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Moosetrot

I love the early WI history. Also until the 1830s most of Greenbay's population where either native or metis. What is my father's backyard now in Franksville, WI was a trading post called Skunks Grove established by Jambeau (Jacque Vieux).

Vieux also established the first posts along the western Lake Michigan shoreline. Two Rivers, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Port Washington.

Yup! All "jackknife" posts is what I believed they called them.

The sons and grandchildren of Jambeau chose to stay with the Pottawatomie families that they married into and were relocated to rez's west of the Mississippi after the blackhawk war.

Dont know if this person ran the Astors fur post or another but the person was first black fur buyer, trader in the area.

Very interesting. Thanks

Moosetrot - I did some archaeology at Trempeleau (Perrot State Park) about 20 years ago. There is a little turn off when going into the park. That is the location of the post. We found trade beads. The Native American village was close to the Historical center at the park. Lots of pottery found down there. Some cool effigy mounds in the area too.

Superbowl I, the Pack 35, the Chiefs 10.

We just let you win to give you guys hope.

Cool! My wife worked for a newspaper locally a while ago and was doing an article about the history of Brice Prairie, where we live just north of Onalaska. She was interviewing one of the really old guys out here. He said he "...used to go over to the Indian encampment on the Prairie and play with the Indian kids." When she asked him where that was, he pointed across the field and said "Right where that yellow house is." She replied "That's our house!" I have found a few things but nothing major.

There was another post just north of me about a mile or so on Hammond Chute where the Black joined the Mississippi. Can't remember who ran it but found it in the archeological records.

When our son was around 8 we sent him to an Archeology Camp at UW-L. He came home and was pumped up about doing a dig in our yard. Being a good Dad I went out with him and dug up a square meter of sod and told him to have at it but don't be disappointed if you don't find anything. Not 15 minutes later he was back in the house with a handful of flint chips.

In 1981 I was in a dig by the University of Alaska-Fairbanks up on Chugachik Island in Kachemak Bay in Alaska. It was a 2,000 year old Aleut hunting site which yielded some spectacular finds. Really great site full of stuff to find and record.

Fun stuff!

Moosetrot

Which person? Got a name, date or location?

Any good books y'all can recommend on Wisconsin history, especially about early fur trading?

The Wisconsin Frontier by Mark Wyman.

Thanks, just found a used, like new copy online for $6 plus free shipping. Who knew Amazon still sold books!

I have heard that book is very good!

Moosetrot