The Snake River Fur Post is a reconstructed fur trade post on the Snake River west of Pine City, Minnesota. The post was established in the fall of 1804 by John Sayer, a partner in the North West Company, and built by his crew of voyageurs.
Sayer had been working for British fur trade companies since the 1770s in the Fond du Lac District, southwest of Lake Superior. When Sayer and his party arrived in the area they were welcomed by the local Ojibwe. The Ojibwe recommended Sayer’s party build a post on the banks of Ginebig-ziibi. The post included a rowhouse with six rooms that included living quarters, a storehouse, and a room where trade was conducted. The rowhouse was enclosed by a stockade with a single entrance. On April 26, 1805, the North West Company party left the Snake River Fur Post and returned to Fort St. Louis at Fond du Lac. It is unknown if the Snake River Fur Post was used after Sayer’s party departed. Eventually the buildings fell into ruin and burned.
In 1963, the Minnesota Historical Society conducted field testing at the site on the advice of a local who believed the area to be the former location of the Snake River Fur Post. The tests were positive and archaeology continued over the next three summers. The Minnesota Historical Society purchased the land and in 1966 the Minnesota Legislature funded the reconstruction of the post. The historic site opened to the public in 1970.
The post has been reconstructed and furnished to represent 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.
Text source: mnhs.org & wikipedia
