In Vicinity of French Trading Area

In the mid-1700s, Indians of the region met at a trading ground near this site with Frenchmen who brought them manufactured goods, sometimes including guns and ammunition — products denied them by the Spanish who held sovereignty, but could not prevent intrusions from Louisiana. The Spanish explorer Jose Mares on a road-mapping expedition here in 1787 saw evidences of the French. Among noted early-day visitors were Captain R.B. Marcy of the U.S. Army and Indian agent R.S. Neighbors, who camped nearby in 1854 while seeking a good site for an Indian reservation. (1974). 

Submitted by @danbrekke
2023.04.22