Bordeaux Trading Post (Chadron, Nebraska)
Chadron · Nebraska · Indian Wars
History & Significance
Established in fall 1837 on orders of Frederick Laboue of the American Fur Company (known to the Sioux as 'Grey Eyes'), the Bordeaux Trading Post was one of several satellite posts established to maximize trade in prime buffalo robes by operating in the protected valleys where Indians wintered. James Bordeaux, a Missouri Frenchman called 'The Bear' by the Indians, was selected as the post manager.
The post served Sioux Indians of northwestern Nebraska who brought buffalo robes, furs, and ponies to trade for beads, blankets, guns, and whiskey. A memorable incident occurred in 1849 when a Crow war party attacked and raided Bordeaux's horse herd; pursuing Sioux intercepted the Crow raiders and engaged in a major battle near a natural landmark now named Crow Butte.
After the Civil War, conditions on the Northern Plains became unsettled and trade often degenerated into supplying contraband arms to Indians resisting government removal efforts. Following Bordeaux's departure in 1872, Francis Boucher, son-in-law of Brulé Sioux chief Spotted Tail, occupied the post.
In August 1876, army troopers caught Boucher with 40,000 rounds of ammunition and ended his operations. The post had fallen into ruins by the time the railroad and first homesteaders reached the Pine Ridge in 1885. The trading post was reconstructed in 1956 on its original foundation stones based upon extensive archaeological investigations and eyewitness descriptions.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Reconstructed 1837 fur trading post on original foundation
- Period artifacts and buffalo robe trade exhibits
- Frontier-era structure using 1950s-period-appropriate restoration
- Northern Plains fur trade and Native American interaction history
- Chadron location near historic Great Plains trading routes
Sources
- https://www.furtrade.org/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bordeaux_Trading_Post
- https://history.nebraska.gov/the-nebraska-fur-trade/
- https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/NE-01-045-0097
- https://walk2unlock.ne.gov/markers/bordeaux-trading-post/
- https://mynehistory.com/items/show/112