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North West Company Fur Post

Step back to a time when French-Canadian Voyageurs traveled on foot and in canoes, when beaver was their quarry. You’ve arrived in central Minnesota between the late 1600s and the mid 1800s, and you’re about to enter the North West Company Fur Post.

The post, which is just west of Pine City, is a great place for children. Inside the visitor center, your grandchild can walk through the exhibit halls that feature interactive displays. He’s welcome to touch some of the furs that were such an important commodity for Voyageurs and traders, and he can watch videos that describe the amazing people who struggled to survive in the wilderness. It might even be possible to play a favorite, old-time game like cat-and-mouse or ball-and-hoop.

A costumed guide leads you out of the visitor center and along a path to the old stockade post. All the while, he shares with you his knowledge of day-to-day life back then. A birchbark wigwam is the first stop, where there is almost always a smoldering fire burning. Farther up the path, you come to the post itself. In summer, a vegetable garden is planted just outside, looking much as it would have hundreds of years ago. As for the post itself, long logs create a large building that was the home and store for the Voyageurs and for the North West Company’s employees.

Drift from room to room with your guide interpreting the artifacts, the tools on the walls, the bedding on the bunks, the table settings and even the toys in a basket. The really nice thing about this “museum” is that it’s hands-on. You can touch the items around you and get a sense of how people lived long ago—a big plus when you have a grandchild along.

After you’ve toured the exhibits, wander along the 1.5 miles of trails through the woods and along the Snake River. It’s the perfect way to end an afternoon of exploring this Minnesota landmark. Seeing how the Voyageurs lived, trekking around the outdoors as they would have done, that’s the way to make these memories last.

Bonding and bridging:

Grandchildren are too often told to keep their hands off. Don’t touch that. Stay away from there. It can squash their curiosity. But it’s nice to know that places such as the North West Company Fur Post are still around. The hands-on approach, allowing your grandchild to wonder, to touch and to feel, is how to keep a young mind alive.

Curiosity is a healthy part of development. It should be fostered and developed. After all, where would we be without curiosity? Still living in caves? Encourage your grandchild to be curious, to ask questions and to seek new answers. Do this well, and he might just invent the next “big thing”—which could make all the difference in the world.

A word to the wise:

Come for the North West Company Fall Gathering, held each September at the post. This event features reenactors, who live the lives of early settlers and explorers. They set up tents and traditional shelters, cook over open fires, and make and sell goods—all the while competing for the title of best all-around Voyageur. Enjoy the traditional music and participate in hands-on activities. It’s fun to wander among them and eavesdrop on the conversations. Ask questions, and be sure to stick around for the festive dance on Saturday night.

Age of grandchild: 5 and up

Best season: Early autumn (it’s cool and there are no bugs)

Contact: North West Company Fur Post, 12551 Voyageur Lane, Pine City, MN 55063 • (320) 629-6356 • nwcfurpost@mnhs.org • www.mnhs.org/places/sites/nwcfp

Also check out:

Grand Portage National Monument, Grand Portage; (218) 475-0123; www.nps.gov/grpo

The Landing, Shakopee; (763) 694-7784; www.threeriversparks.org/parks/the-landing.aspx

Oliver H. Kelley Farm, Elk River; (763) 441-6896; http://sites.mnhs.org/historic-sites/oliver-h-kelley-farm

If nothing is going well, call your grandmother. ITALIAN PROVERB