Cuthbert DuCharme’s Trading Post Ledger: 1869-1872

First started by fur traders, Dakota Territory trading posts provided places for patrons to meet, have a drink of whiskey or two, purchase items needed for everyday living or work, obtain jobs, get a room for the night, or obtain a ride to another town. Cuthbert DuCharme (“Old Pap”), a French-Canadian fur trader, arrived in Dakota Territory in 1857 and set up a notorious trading post that lasted for three decades. Digitalization of Cuthbert DuCharme’s Trading Post Ledger in the Chilson Collection (https://explore.digitalsd.org/digital/collection/chilson/id/1525/rec/5) allows the public to view a record of when and who purchased clothing, material, merchandise for work, and even livestock at the DuCharme trading post over a four year period. Entries indicate that patrons bought substantial amounts of whiskey as drinks, by the bottle, or by the gallon. Rare entries indicate purchases of brandy, wine, or even champagne. From the change in handwriting the ledger showed that different people made entries into the ledger over the three-year period. Entry legibility differed. Moreover, the ledger contained several pages written in French. In addition, the ledger records rents of livestock and wagons as well as employment of workers. On November 19, 1870, entries denote the transportation of individuals for voting purposes. Certain entries reflect limited number purchases, while others indicate that the buyer was acquiring goods for a household or a larger group. Importantly, the price of goods was steep. One dollar in 1870 equates to over $24.00 today (https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1870). Page 478 of the ledger (see below) indicates that in 1857 DuCharme claimed land near the Fort Randall Military Reservation. By 1872 DuCharme’s estate consisted of the trading post, a chicken house, a home, corals, livestock, two corn cribs, rails, cedar posts, and 850 acres of land for cultivation. The trading post sold crops grown on the estate. Thus, this ledger illustrates DuCharme’s entrepreneurship. Importantly, the ledger documents who purchased items, when and what they purchased, and the cost of each item. This ledger adds to the studies of trading post economics in Dakota Territory. Page 478 of the ledger showing the contents of DuCharme’s estate. Cuthbert ‘Old Papineau’ DuCharme’s trading post. The renovated building, originally located near Fort Randall, is in the Geddes Historic Village. Bernie Hunhoff gave permission to publish the photograph. References: Doris Peterson’s blog about DuCharme’s Trading Post Ledger, March 31, 2015 Dan Daily. Papers of the Forty-Third Annual Dakota Conference, compiled by Kristi Thomas and Harry F. Thompson, Sioux Falls, SD: The Center for Western Studies, Augustana College, 2011, pages 50-61. A description of Cuthbert DuCharme (also known as Old Papineau) and his renovated trading post moved to Geddes, South Dakota is in the South Dakota Magazine. https://www.southdakotamagazine.com/geddes-historic-village Library of Congress 1878 Dakota Territory map: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g4170.cws00194 Chris B. Nelson. Storied Structures: Log Cabins in South Dakota. South Dakota History, 50(4), pages 296-267.