b. St. Louis, Missouri, 1796
d. Columbia County, Wisconsin, October, 1836

Pierre Paquette was a trader, scout and interpreter who worked at the portage of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers. Paquette was Half-Indian. He was known for his fluency in French, English and several Indian languages. He often served as an interpreter during treaty negotiations in the 1820s and 1830s.

Trader at Portage

Paquette was born in Missouri and moved to the portage of the Fox and Wisconsin rivers in Portage, Wisconsin, around 1818. For several years, he worked as an agent for Joseph Rolette and the American Fur Company. He conducted a trading post and a transportation service between the two rivers.

Indian Interpreter

Paquette was known for his physical strength and fluency in French, English and several Indian languages. He frequently acted as a Ho-Chunk interpreter at the treaty meetings of the 1820s and 1830s. During the Black Hawk War, he served as a government scout and participated in the Battle of Wisconsin Heights near Sauk City. He later served as translator for Henry Dodge until Paquette was assassinated by an Indian during treaty proceedings in 1836.

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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]