and across the
Pembina River on the right old Fort Pembina built by the
NWC (painted by
Peter Rindisbacher in 1822) The Pembina area was historically at the borders of the territories of the
Lakota, the
Chippewa, and the
Assiniboine,
American Indian tribes, who competed for hegemony. Their conflict increased beginning with the French introduction of firearms in the late 17th century as part of their goods traded for furs. The first known European] visitors to the Pembina region were the French
La Vérendrye family in the early 18th century. Pembina's recorded history of European encounter extended for more than 200 years. Started by the French as a
fur trading post for commerce with Native Americans, it was also tied to trade for
plains bison. European trappers who hunted in the
Red River of the North area frequently married Native women and often lived with local tribes at least part of the year. Their descendants became part of their hunting and trapping culture, and formed the ethnic group recognized in Canada as
Métis people. The settlement was associated with the histories of
French Canada, the
North West Company (NWC), the
Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), the
Red River Colony,
Battle of Seven Oaks, the
Red River Rebellion,
Assiniboia, and
Manitoba. Through much of the nineteenth century, Métis families used the two-wheeled
Red River ox cart trains to travel into the Great Plains, where the men would hunt bison and women would process the meat, skins, and bones. All parts were used for clothing, tepees, etc. Their regular trade routes became known as the
Red River Trails. This area was part of the United States'
Dakota and
Minnesota territories; and
Canada–US border politics.
Fort Pembina trading posts • Peter Grant of the North West Company, between 1784 and 1789, built a post on the east side of the Red River. It had disappeared by 1801. • In 1797, Jean Baptiste Chaboillez of the
North West Company built a post on the south bank of the Pembina in what is now Pembina State Park. • From 1800 to 1805, the
XY Company had a post within sight of the two following posts. It was absorbed by the North West Company. • In 1801,
Alexander Henry the younger, also of the North West Company, built a post on the north bank across from Chaboillez's post. He remained in charge until 1808. It was absorbed by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821. • By 1793, the Hudson's Bay Company had a small post (seemingly called Fort Skene) on the east side on the Red River. It was rebuilt in 1801. By 1805, most of the local beaver had been exterminated. Pembina was the traditional rendezvous for the
Métis buffalo hunt. • In September 1872, a joint Canadian and American
boundary survey commission met in Pembina where they over-wintered before setting off in the spring of 1873 to survey and mark the Canada-U.S. border along the 49th parallel. , Minnesota
Fort Pembina s, c. 1870 Due to the unrest among Native Americans of the
Red River Valley after the
American Civil War, the
Minnesota Legislature petitioned
Congress to build a fort, especially to defend against incursions by the Lakota (Sioux), some of whom had migrated to
Rupert's Land to evade the US Army. As a result, Major General
Winfield Scott Hancock recommended the establishment of the post on December 8, 1869; Fort Pembina was completed on July 8, 1870. Located south of the settlement, it was just above the mouth of the Pembina River. It was originally called Fort Thomas, for Major General
George Henry Thomas, who died on March 28, 1870. The post was designated as Fort Pembina on September 6, 1870. Seriously damaged by fire on May 27, 1895, it was abandoned on August 16, 1895. It was later sold at public auction.
Métis in Pembina The Métis had a very strong connection with Pembina during the 19th century. Individual and groups of bison hunters and goods traders were based in Pembina. In 1818, with the help of Father Dumoulin, the Roman Catholic Church created a mission in Pembina with the goal of converting buffalo hunters and other Native Americans to Catholicism. The records show a clear engagement among the Métis with Catholicism; Father Dumoulin baptised 394 people before the closure of the mission in 1823, and Assomption Catholic Church recorded 166 burials between 1848 and 1892 (with 147 being either French or English/Scottish Métis.)
Recent history In 1962,
Winnipeg based coach bus manufacturer
Motor Coach Industries opened its U.S. assembly line in Pembina. Pembina was officially designated as a city in 1967. but reversed their decision in November 2023. ==Geography==