Notes
Two curators of the St. Joseph Museum, Marilyn Taylor and Jackie Lewin, did a study to find the exact location of the 1827 Joseph Robidoux Fur Trading Post. Various historical writings had it placed inn six different locations in the city. After researching the location marked on this 1843 map, backed up by other maps, documents, city directories, old newspaper accounts, and a drawing by artist Karl Bodmer, Taylor and Lewin, agreed this had to be the correct site. Following a professional survey of the site, the St. Joseph Chapter was asked by the Museum to verify the fact with an archaeological investigation. Since last year 1993 was the 150th Anniversary of the city of St. Joseph and Joseph Robidoux was the city's founder, the chapter agreed to di a dig after the State Highway Department gave permission. As the site is located on their property. The Digging began last may 1993, and continued until November.
1838 platte purchase
1833 K. Bodmer painting trade post and prospect
1843 Smith map
1850 Painting Trade post and Prospect
1861 Lithograph London News
1868 Lithograph Union entrenchment fortification
1881 flood
1888 Photo from Prospect Hill
1902 Railroad
1979 Photo Prospect Hill prior I229
1981 I229
1888 Hoefer
1859 Pinger
1911 Warehouse
1600s Jamestown
1850 Shoe
1885 Anheiser Busch In St. Joe
1876 Carl Conrad and Busch
1879 Penney
1880 Dumke Glietz
1940 Macaurthur
1899 Pinger burned
Four years ago researched by the St. Joe Museum for the upcoming 150th Anniversary of the founding of the city of St. Joseph by Joseph Robidoux, the map above the location of the 1827 Robidoux Fur Trading Post. Our Chapter was asked by the museum if we can verify this location by an archaeological investigation which we started in 1993 after a professional survey team staked out the trading post building as shown on the map.
The following slides show some of the history that accrued on this site between the time of the trading post and the time of our dig. This is an 1833 painting by Karl Bodmer showing the Robidoux Trading Post, Prospect Hill, and area that would become downtown St. Joe. Prince Maximillian study land and inhabitance, and so our last hopes of having artifacts that could be possibly tied to the fur trade just went went down the tubes even though we didn't find conclusive evidence of the trading post, we did find out where it wasn't along with the history that accrued our the years on this relatively small area of our home town. Someday someone else wishing to pinpoint the trading post on this site. There is still a lot more of the digging that could be done, maybe helped by what we have found out.
Robidoux Trading Post
1st square May 1993
1st square July 1993
1st square July and Oct 1993
2nd square Oct 1993
3rd square Oct 1993
3rd Square Nov 1993
Artifacts 1993 through March 1994
Artifacts May and June 1994
August 1994
August 1994
September 1994
October 1994
Oct and Nov 1994
July 1995
August 1995
Trading Post 1996
Artifacts 1996
Pony Express Hollenberg Sta.-Hanover, K.s. June 1991
"prehistoric dig"
