Butte des Morts in Winnebago County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Trading Post

Photographed By Lou Donkle, September 16, 2022

1. Trading Post Marker

Inscription.

First permanent post in Winnebago County
850 feet SSW of this point
Founded 1818 by
Augustin Grignon and Jas. [Jacques] Porlier

Erected 1929 by Winnebago County Archeological and Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Native Americans • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.

Location. 44° 5.817′ N, 88° 37.883′ W. Marker is in Butte des Morts, Wisconsin, in Winnebago County. Marker is on County Trunk S, on the right when traveling east. The marker is about one mile east of Butte des Morts the marker. It is to the right of a private driveway entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5375 County Rd S, Butte des Morts WI 54927, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Butte des Morts (approx. 1.1 miles away); Clemansville (approx. 2.3 miles away); Little House (approx. 4½ miles away); Soldier and Sailor Monument (approx. 4.7 miles away); G.A.R. Memorial (approx. 5 miles away); Knaggs Ferry (approx. 5.1 miles away); Elizabeth Batchelder Davis Children’s Home (approx. 5.2 miles away); Rainbow Memorial Park (approx. 5.2 miles away).

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sectionhead>More about this marker. As noted on the marker, the actual Trading Post location is "850 feet SSW of this point" which is not visible from the marker and is within a private farm field about 300 feet from the edge of the river.

Also see . . . Grignon Trading Post. Website of the Butte des Morts Historical Preservation Society who also published a book in 2020, "Butte des Morts, WI - Its History and Its People" available on the website.

Its promise was such that it lured a young Augustin Grignon to turn his business over to his son Charles and leave his home in Kaukauna to establish what would be known as the first permanent trading post in Winnebago County. In the summer of 1818, thirty-eight year old Grignon and business partner Jacques Porlier built a business around fur trading and the selling of goods to travelers and local native American tribes.

(Submitted on June 26, 2023, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana.)

Trading Post Marker to the right of the private driveway image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Lou Donkle, September 16, 2022

2. Trading Post Marker to the right of the private driveway

Marker on stone tower image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Lou Donkle, September 16, 2022

3. Marker on stone tower

Credits. This page was last revised on June 29, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2023, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana. This page has been viewed 76 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 26, 2023, by Lou Donkle of Valparaiso, Indiana. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.