Museum of the Fur Trade

The Museum of the Fur Trade outside of Chadron, NE, was truly a 'gem' as designated in the AAA book.  Pictures were pretty impossible, but from the informative video to the displays, the story of fur trading in North America was well documented.

You'll have to go to get the whole story and see all the traded items, but one of my favorite displays was the beautiful beaded clothing.  I finally decided to try a picture with my phone in the low light.

My other favorite was was a collection of  'canoe cups' used by the French Canadian trappers.

Here's the story.

Ron was impressed by the massive collection of flintlocks.

On the grounds was a meticulous reproduction of the trading post originally built on this site in 1837. It was operated by Jim Bordeaux, a Frenchman from Missouri, who was known as 'The Bear' by the local Sioux Indians.  He must have been quite a man.  There was a story that the Sioux saved him and his family from a band of marauding Crows.