Near Gering in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Pierre Papin Grave
Photographed By Gary McClenahan, May 3, 2009
1. Pierre Papin grave Marker
Inscription.
Pierre Papin Grave. . Pierre Didier Papin
P. D. Papin was a trusted and valued employee of the American Fur Company and its successors for over thirty years. He was born March 7, 1798, In St. Louis. The Papins were a prominent French merchant family in that city.
Papin joined "the Company" in the early 1820s and worked with its Upper Missouri Outfit headquartered in present-day South Dakota. Papin established his own trading company in 1829 but was soon bought out by the American Fur Company, which then rehired him. By 1842 Papin had moved to Fort John (popularly known as Fort Laramie) on the Laramie River and in 1845 became chief agent at that post. Meanwhile, the company had reorganized as Pierre Chouteau Jr. and Co., but operations remained essentially unchanged.
On June 15, 1846, Papin was met by Francis Parkman on the Platte River in Nebraska while enroute to St. Louis with a load of fur.
"The boats, eleven in number, deep-laden with the skins, hugged close to the shore....Papin sat in the middle of one of the boats, upon the canvas that protected the cargo. He was a stout robust fellow, with a little gray eye, that had a pecularly sly twinkle....I shook hands with the bourgeois, and delivered the letter then the boats swung around into the stream and floated away."
Upon arrival in St. Louis the company granted Papin a partnership. In 1848 while in St. Louis he refused to return to Laramie and was succeeded at that post by Andrew Drips. However by 1851 Papin was back on the frontier and still with "the Company".
In 1849 Fort Laramie was purchased by the U.S. Army and Drips established a company trading post here in Helvas Canyon. Papin was at this post with the company's Fort John Outfit when he died in May 1853. He was buried here, his grave marked by a large cedar cross. Papin was survived by his wife, Catherine, and four children. There were twenty-six grandchildren.
Research by William A. Goff, Kansas City, Mo. , Signing and Funding by Oregon-California Trails Association , This is a part of your American heritage. Honor it, protect it, preserve it for your children.
Pierre Didier Papin
P. D. Papin was a trusted and valued employee of the American Fur Company and its successors for over thirty years. He was born March 7, 1798, In St. Louis. The Papins were a prominent French merchant family in that city.
Papin joined "the Company" in the early 1820s and worked with its Upper Missouri Outfit
headquartered in present-day South Dakota. Papin established his own trading company in 1829
but was soon bought out by the American Fur Company, which then rehired him. By 1842 Papin
had moved to Fort John (popularly known as Fort Laramie) on the Laramie River and in 1845
became chief agent at that post. Meanwhile, the company had reorganized as Pierre Chouteau
Jr. & Co., but operations remained essentially unchanged.
On June 15, 1846, Papin was met by Francis Parkman on the Platte River in Nebraska while
enroute to St. Louis with a load of fur.
"The boats, eleven in number, deep-laden with the skins, hugged close to the shore....Papin
sat in the middle of one of the boats, upon the canvas that protected the cargo. He was a stout
robust fellow, with a little gray eye, that had a pecularly sly twinkle....I shook hands with the
bourgeois, and delivered the letter then the boats swung around into the stream and floated away."
Upon arrival in St. Louis the company granted
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Papin a partnership. In 1848 while in St. Louis
he refused to return to Laramie and was succeeded at that post by Andrew Drips. However
by 1851 Papin was back on the frontier and still with "the Company".
In 1849 Fort Laramie was purchased by the U.S. Army and Drips established a company trading
post here in Helvas Canyon. Papin was at this post with the company's Fort John Outfit when
he died in May 1853. He was buried here, his grave marked by a large cedar cross.
Papin was survived by his wife, Catherine, and four children. There were twenty-six
grandchildren.
Research by William A. Goff, Kansas City, Mo.
Signing and Funding by Oregon-California Trails Association
This is a part of your American heritage. Honor it, protect it, preserve it for your children.
Erected 1991 by Oregon-California Trails Association.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1853.
Location. 41° 44.12′ N, 103° 41.881′ W. Marker is near Gering, Nebraska, in Scotts Bluff County. Marker is at the intersection of County Road 20 and Peaceful Valley Road & County road 20, on the left when traveling south on County Road 20. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gering NE 69341, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of
Credits. This page was last revised on May 20, 2019. It was originally submitted on May 17, 2019, by Gary McClenahan of Gering, Nebraska. This page has been viewed 411 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on May 17, 2019, by Gary McClenahan of Gering, Nebraska. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
