Oxcarts

Oxcarts. . From the 1820s to the 1860s, oxcarts were used to carry trade goods between St. Paul and Fort Garry (present-day Winnipeg). The goods were carried from St. Paul, northwest through Minnesota then north through the Red River Valley to Fort Garry. , Returning south, the carts carried furs and pemmican to be sold or traded in St. Paul. , The oxcarts were organized into trains of nearly 100 carts driven by Metis; people of Native American and European descent. Starting at dawn, the carts would travel about fifteen miles per day. , The Trails , Several trails connected St. Paul with Ft. Garry: The Minnesota Valley Trail, The Middle Trail, The Stage Road, The Woods Trail and North Dakota Trail , The Red River Trail followed the western bank of the Red River, passing through present-day Grand Forks. After the valley was opened to settlement, pioneers followed the visible oxcart trails with teams of horses and later, with automobiles. Eventually the trail became the primary route of U.S. Highway 81, and continues to be an important corridor of traffic near the Red River., Maps by Amber Boll, UND Geography Department