Fort Ouiatenon and the Indian and French Fur Trade on the Wabash River

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Fort Ouiatenon was established by the French in 1717 in response to Indigenous demands for a fur trade post in the Wabash River valley. For over four decades Ouiatenon was the site of interaction between French, Indigenous, and Metis people. Following an attack by Kentucky militia in 1791, most of the Indigenous residents left the area, before then being forcibly removed in the early 19th century. After several years of searching, the location of the fort was finally confirmed in the late 1960s. Field research has occurred frequently though at irregular intervals since. This site has also been the inspiration for the Feast of the Hunters’ Moon, a historical reenactment that has been occurring annually for 50 years. With the recent establishment of the Ouiatenon Preserve to better protect this National Heritage Landmark, a new phase of field and collections research has begun investigating French, English, Indigenous, and Metis livelihoods.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow