Another unique exhibit here at the Musuem of the Great Plains is the Red River Trading Post. Located on the museum grounds, the trading post is a historically accurate replica of a fur trading post that operated near Cache creek in the 1830’s and 40s. Tim Poteete, the museum’s Lead Historical Interpreter, is in charge of running the Red River Trading Post and educating visitors about the history of the fur trade in Oklahoma. Last Friday, I spent the morning at the trading post, talking with Tim and three volunteers, Al Hobbs, Steve Strickire and Len McCue, to learn more about the fur trade and to observe how the trading post serves as a tool to teach visitors about local history.

History of the Trading Post

The Red River Trading Post is one of the few places west of the Mississippi that showcases the history of the Western fur trade. Established in 1836, the post served as a meeting place, dry goods store and as a hub for the fur trade in Indian Territory. Two men named Coffee and Coville owned the post; goods such as tea, guns and beads were shipped up river to Ft. Smith, Arkansas and then loaded onto a mule for the last stretch to the trading post. During the 1830’s and 40’s beaver was the most prized fur, with Buffalo hide coming in second. This dynamic began to change with the introduction of silk worms from China around 1834. Now hats and other fine clothing were made with silk, not beaver fur, and buffalo hide became the most important fur for the Great Plains. I asked each of the historical interpreters how they came to be interested in the fur trade in general and in the history of the Red River Trading Post in particular. Tim recalls that he has always been interested in history. He grew up in eastern Oklahoma and at 35 years old went to school to get a Master’s degree in history. A friend introduced Tim to someone working at the Museum of the Great Plains and for the next few years Tim volunteered at the trading post in his spare time. When the position of Lead Historical Interpreter opened up in 1999, Tim applied and has been working at the museum ever since. Len McCue grew up in New England and has also been interested in history most of his life. When he moved out to Oklahoma, he became more interested in Western history, particularly pre-Civil War Western history. Leo says that what he finds most interesting about the pre-Civil War era is that it was a period when settlers and Indians mostly got along and both benefited from the lucrative fur trade.

The Red River Trading Post is a valuable educational tool for teaching people about the Oklahoma fur trade. Touching real furs, witnessing a black-powder rifle demonstration and talking with the living history interpreters immerses visitors in the Old West. I was surprised to discover that even in the 105 degree heat, the cabin was relatively cool and comfortable. Len McCue explained that this is because of the cabin’s design; small gaps between the slats help air circulate and the wooden logs are good insulators.

I asked Tim; what are museum visitors most surprised to learn about Oklahoma history? He says Oklahoma history is much more diverse than most people realize. We have one of the most unique settlement patterns in the United States; only Oklahoma and Iowa had land runs, and Iowa’s was much smaller. Some of Oklahoma’s land was also dispersed through a lottery; the land comprising Lawton was auctioned off one lot at a time. Tim also shares that relations between settlers and Indians was more complicated than most people realize. Both parties benefited from the Oklahoma fur trade and lived mostly peacefully until about the 1840’s, but the relationship never recovered from the Great Buffalo Slaughter of the 19^th century.