 |
The
Gingras Trading Post State Historic Site preserves the 1840s home and trading
post of Métis legislator and businessman Antoine Blanc Gingras, northeast
of Walhalla, Pembina County. Métis, meaning "mixed blood" or
"mixed race," is a term used by people of combined Indian and European
ancestry to describe themselves. Gingras was a prominent fur trader, who in
1861 claimed a net worth of $60,000 and later increased his holdings to include
a chain of trading posts extending across northern Dakota Territory and southern
Manitoba. Gingras's hand-hewn oak log store and home are among the few tangible
remains of the fur trade
in the Red River Valley.
Antoine B. Gingras was significant in the history of the region. In 1851 he was elected to serve in the Minnesota Territorial House of Representatives. He participated in the 1869 rebellion led by Louis Riel against the government of Manitoba to gain a national homeland and self-government for the Métis people. Gingras also took part in chartering the City of Winnepeg.
Both
buildings on Gingras State Historic Site have been restored to their original
appearance. While the logs are exposed on the two-story trading post, clapboard
siding covers the log structure of the house. The siding was added soon after
the house was built. The house has been painted in its original historic colors,
as determined by study of traces of the original paint. The exterior is deep
red with white trim, and the interior reproduces the original color scheme of
blue walls, yellow floors, pink ceilings, an green and brown trim. 
Interpretive
panels and exhibits about Gingras, Métis heritage, and the fur trade are located
in the restored house. Authentic reproductions of fur trade goods are sold in
the Gingras store.
The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is open from May 16 through September 15. Admission is free, and donations are accepted. For more information, contact Site Supervisor at shspembina@nd.gov, or by mail at the Site Supervisor, Gingras State Historic Site, R.R. 1, Box 55, Walhalla, North Dakota, 58202, or call (701) 549-2775.