FORT ABERCROMBIE, D. T.
TRANSPORTATION ON THE FRONTIER
For many years after the discovery of the Red River of the North, fur-traders were the only occupants, and the transportation of their furs to market the only commerce in the Red River Valley. The first routes of transportation were the chain of lakes and rivers that form the northern boundary of Minnesota, thence by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, or Northward to Lake Winnipeg and the Nelson or Hays River to Hudson’s Bay. It wasn’t long, however, until the advantages of the trails southward along the Red River, and thence to St. Cloud or St. Paul were found to make this more convenient than the many portages by the northern water route. These trails prominently came into use after the establishment of Fort Abercrombie in 1858, for this post soon became the terminal for all western trade, whether by ox-cart on the Red River Trails, army marches, steamboats and the railroad .
The famous Red River Cart was one of the first means of transportation into this country, supplemented of course by the canoes of the Indians and trappers. The métis built these carts entirely of wood, simply and inexpensively. They used two large wheels, wrapping them with buffalo rawhide instead of iron tires. Such wheels would not sink into marshy ground as readily as the ordinary ones. The boxlike body of the cart, resting on the wooden axle, rode high, making the fording of streams easier. A single ox (or horse or mule) could pull a cart load of eight or nine hundred pounds. Except for the ox pulling the first cart, each would be tied, by means of a strap to its horns, to trail the cart ahead.
One métis usually drove from two to six carts. Ten carts constituted a brigade, which was placed under the charge of three men. Five or six brigades were joined in one train, which was led by a guide, vested with great authority. Familiar sounds to the early pioneer were the "haw" and "gee" of the drivers and the crack of their whips.
Though crudely made and noisy because of the wheels’ screeching on the wooden axles, the carts provided effective transportation. They were a means of conquering distance, of overcoming the remoteness of the Red River country. They and the level, treeless plain made it possible to carry freight to St. Paul and Mendota for a fraction of the cost of transporting an equivalent amount by water to Hudson Bay. The métis and their carts found outside markets for the Red River Settlements. Except for fine furs, Selkirk and the Hudson’s Bay Company had failed to do so.
The southern trail or Kittson’s Trail was the earliest of the Red River Ox Cart Trails. It led up the Red River from Pembina through Fort Abercrombie to Lake Traverse and then followed the Minnesota River to Traverse des Sioux. There the métis unloaded the carts, placing the cargo on keel boats or steamers for river shipment to Mendota. They then reloaded the carts with merchandise from the Traverse des Sioux warehouses and turned back toward Pembina. This route came to be known as Kittson’s Trail. It might go either east or west of the Red River, but it passed within twenty miles or so of the river in order to make the crossing of the Red’s tributaries easier.
Other major routes of transportation which affected the operation of Fort Abercrombie were the Red River, the Mississippi River and the military road. The majority of the supplies that were necessary to build and maintain the fort were transported by steamboats on the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Fort Snelling or St. Cloud MN. Those supplies were then transported in freight wagons to Fort Abercrombie by way of the military road.
By the 1860s, there was regular steamboat traffic on the Red River between Fort Abercrombie, and Upper Fort Gary (Winnepeg), except during the winter when the river was closed by ice. The river was very difficult to navigate because it was extremely shallow and the current constantly changed the depth and location of the shipping channel. The use of steamboats as a means of transportation was very practical and economical, but it was also very dangerous. Two of the most common causes of steamboat disasters were the explosion of the vessel's boilers from excessive pressure, and colliding with submerged logs which penetrated the hull of the vessel and caused it to sink.
The primary means of overland transportation in the 1860s was accomplished by the use of domesticated animals (oxen, horses, and mules), wagons, carts and miscellaneous wheeled vehicles. The oxen, draft horses and mules were normally used to pull the heavy freight wagons (Conestoga, Murphy, and Halladay) that transported large quantities of supplies and materials. The smaller vehicles (road wagons, carts, and Dearbon wagons) were pulled by lightweight horses which could also be used for riding.
The blacksmith, wheelwright, farrier, harness maker, and saddler were the principle trades that were necessary to maintain the wagons and animals that were used in overland transportation. In the larger cities, each tradesman normally had his own shop or business, but on the frontier one man was often skilled in many trades (i.e. blacksmith, farrier, and wheelwright). The blacksmith produced tools, nails, hinges, and other necessary items from iron and steel. A farrier was a blacksmith who specialized in shoeing horses, oxen and mules. The wheelwright was a specialist who made wagon wheels of all sizes and could often make an entire wagon. The harness maker and saddler were tradesmen who produced different types of leather saddles, bridles, halters, and harness that were necessary for the proper efficient use of the appropriate animals.
©2005 Bard & Wika, Inc.,
James V. Acker, Pres.