A reconstructed fur trading post in Pine City operated by the Minnesota Historical Society has been significantly affected by recent challenges facing the organization. The Snake River Fur Post (formerly the North West Company Fur Post) will no longer be staffed, and instead only open for self-guided experiences and special events.

The move was part of a larger announcement from the state historical society that also affected the Charles Lindbergh House and Museum in Little Falls and the Historic Forestville site in southeastern Minnesota. Additionally, the Historical Society’s research library in St. Paul will have reduced staffing and open hours.

“This has been a very strategic process. We’ve looked at our finances, our operations, the patrons of today, and how we meet our mission,” said Kent Whitworth, MNHS CEO and Director. “While these measures are difficult, they are necessary for the long-term sustainability of the organization.”

The organization has been struggling to balance revenue and expenses for the past several years. In the current fiscal year, it has an approved $43 million operating budget, including an approximately $500,000 deficit. Leaders say they are making decisions to help achieve a balanced budget by next July.

At the Fur Post, that means laying off three year-round staff and eight seasonal interpreters and reenactors who brought to life the history of fur traders and Native Americans who once lived and did business here. The visitor center will no longer be open and the site will no longer host school groups. MNHS says it will continue to maintain the facilities and protect the historic resources.

“The focus at the Snake River Fur Post has shifted to outdoor interpretive experiences and occasional special programming,” said Ben Leonard, senior director of historic sites network & operations for the Minnesota Historical Society. “MNHS is committed to preserving the site and sharing its history through experiences that enable free, self-guided offerings, including interpretive panels, which have recently been updated as part of a multi-year statewide effort across all MNHS sites.”

It all comes as visitor numbers and revenue have dropped significantly at many of the Historical Society’s two dozen sites around the state. The organization says the number of people visiting the fur post each year has declined by about 40 percent after 2020, when the COVID pandemic disrupted operations. The numbers have not rebounded since then. Before 2020, the site was open five days a week. Since 2021, it has mostly been open only on Friday and Saturday.

The Snake River Fur Post is located on the site of a post constructed and operated in the winter of 1804 to 1805 by John Sayer, a seasoned trader with the North West Company, which was based in Montreal. Sayer had worked around the Lake Superior region for decades before he led a party of voyageurs and other company employees from Upper St. Croix Lake, the source of the river, some 60 miles downstream to the mouth of the Snake River — which he called the Serpent River, a translation of its Ojibwe name, Ginebig-ziibi. They then traveled up the Snake to the stretch of river between what’s now called Cross Lake and Pokegama Lake.

There, Sayer’s crew built the compound between October 9 and November 20. It included wood stockade with a single entrance enclosing a rowhouse with six rooms that included living quarters, a storehouse, and a room where trade was conducted. The group left with a winter’s worth of furs on April 26 and returned to Lake Superior.

A local boy named Joe Neubauer rediscovered the site, guided by an old-timer named Ed Kendall, who had come to the area in the 1880s, and alerted the Minnesota Historical Society in 1963. The organization conducted archaeological work at the site and ultimately was able to rebuild the compound exactly in its original location. The historic site opened to the public in 1970. Combined with the journal of John Sayer, it offers a unique chance to connect directly with the past.

Excerpts from John Sayer’s journal:

Reference

DeCarlo, Peter. “Snake River Fur Post.” MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society. https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/place/snake-river-fur-post