Turning Points
in Wisconsin History
A Boy's-Eye View of the Fur Trade
Recollections of Antoine Grignon
Antoine Grignon was born in 1826 at Prairie du Chien and was the last of that family to work primarily as a trader among the Wisconsin tribes. He recalls here his boyhood in Prairie du Chien, and the arrival of canoe-loads of Indians with furs, the seasonal cycle of the traders, the goods that were exchanged, and the personalities and habits of both French-Canadian settlers and their Indian partners. He was particularly loved and respected by the Ho-Chunk and the Sioux, among whom he spent many years, as related here, in the upper Mississippi Valley. Grignon was one of the earliest residents of Trempealeau, and he describes in the memoir the founding and early history of western Wisconsin. Of more interest, however, are his many descriptions of Ho-Chunk and Sioux life and customs, and his reflections on their cultures as he lived with them during the mid-19th century.
| Related Topics: |
Explorers, Traders, and Settlers The French Fur Trade |
| Creator: | Grignon, Antoine |
| Pub Data: | Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at its 61st annual meeting held Oct. 22 and Dec. 19, 1913. (Madison, 1914): 110-136 |
| Citation: | Grignon, Antoine. "Recollections of Antoine Grignon." Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at its 61st annual meeting held Oct. 22 and Dec. 19, 1913. (Madison, 1914): 110-136 Online facsimile at: http://wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/search.asp?id=1614; Visited on: 4/20/2024 |