Cabanne's Trading Post was established in 1822 by the

American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was founded in 1808, by John Jacob Astor, a German immigrant to the United States. During the 18th century, furs had become a major commodity in Europe, and North America became a major supplier. Several British c ...

as Fort Robidoux near present-day Dodge Park in

North Omaha North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the ea ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the so ...

, United States. It was named for the influential

fur trapper Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...

Joseph Robidoux. Soon after it was opened, the post was called the French Company or Cabanné's Post, for the ancestry and name of its operator, Jean Pierre Cabanné, who was born and raised among the French community of St. Louis, Missouri. Located 10 miles north of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County, Nebraska, Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. List of ...

; six miles south of Fort Atkinson, and 2 miles south of Fort Lisa, Cabanné's Post was an important link in relations between the United States and Native American tribes in the Louisiana Purchase. The Cabanné Archaeological Site was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1972.

History

Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (23 September 1782 – 3 February 1867) was a German explorer, ethnologist and naturalist. He led a pioneering expedition to southeast Brazil between 1815–1817, from which the album ''Reise ...

, who toured the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

extensively, visited the Post in 1823 and wrote highly of it, praising Cabanné and the accommodations. Part of the success of Cabanné's Post was that it provisioned the garrison at nearby Fort Atkinson (1819–27) so had a steady business. Cabanné recruited traders and trappers for the American Fur Company, which expanded under

John Jacob Astor John Jacob Astor (born Johann Jakob Astor; July 17, 1763 – March 29, 1848) was a German-American businessman, merchant, real estate mogul, and investor who made his fortune mainly in a fur trade monopoly, by smuggling opium into China, and ...

to monopolize the American fur trade. Among Cabanne's recruits was Joseph Marie La Barge, namesake of

La Barge, Wyoming La Barge is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 551 at the 2010 census. It is approximately 20 miles from Big Piney. The area around La Barge is rich in oil fields, and the town has one bar and four churches. Hi ...

. Cabanné operated the post until 1833. Consisting by then of a row of storehouses, shops, and houses, the post in 1833 was taken over by Joshua Pilcher. He managed it until the American Fur Company folded its operations about 1840 into those at Fontenelle's Post at present-day

Bellevue, Nebraska Bellevue (French for "beautiful view"; previously named Belleview) is a suburban city in Sarpy County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, and had a population of 64,176 as of the 2020 Census, mak ...

, as the fur trade had declined in economic importance. Peter A. Sarpy later took over management of Fontenelle's Post. The site of Cabanné's Trading Post is north of present-day Dodge Park by

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

. Cabanné's Post Archaeological Site is listed on the

and is a featured site on the Lewis and Clark Scenic Byway. A house built on the site and in the style of Cabanné's House in St. Louis is a listed historic site."Cabanne House"
St. Louis Parks Department. Retrieved 8/12/11.

References

Related publications

*''Dictionary of American History'' by

James Truslow Adams James Truslow Adams (October 18, 1878 – May 18, 1949) was an American writer and historian. He was a freelance author who helped to popularize the latest scholarship about American history and his three-volume history of New England is well r ...

, New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940. *Jensen, M. (1999) ''The Fontenelle and Cabanné Trading Posts: The History and Archeology of Two Missouri River Sites, 1822-1838'', Nebraska State Historical Society.

External links

Lewis and Clark Scenic Byway
Community Directory and Travel Guide {{Fur Trade in Nebraska 1822 establishments in Indian Territory Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska Buildings and structures in Omaha, Nebraska Forts in Nebraska History of North Omaha, Nebraska History of United States expansionism Landmarks in North Omaha, Nebraska Missouri River National Register of Historic Places in Omaha, Nebraska Pre-statehood history of Nebraska Trading posts in Nebraska American Fur Company Forts along the Missouri River

History

See also

References

Related publications

External links