At Pembina in the north, the Métis people forged a distinct culture of the buffalo hunt and the trade trail, their squealing wooden carts once a familiar sight across the plains.
In the far north, where the Red River crosses into the plains, a distinct people took shape: the Métis, of mixed Indigenous and European descent, who built a culture all their own around the buffalo hunt and the fur trade. Pembina, one of the oldest settlements in the region, was among their gathering places, and from it the great organized buffalo hunts set out onto the plains.
The Cart Trains of the North
Their most famous invention was the Red River cart — a simple, sturdy, all-wood two-wheeled cart, built without a scrap of metal so it could be repaired anywhere on the treeless plains. Trains of hundreds of these carts, their ungreased axles shrieking for miles, hauled robes and goods along the trails that laced the north country.
From the almanac's reckoning:
- The Métis built a distinct culture around the buffalo hunt and fur trade.
- The all-wood Red River cart could be repaired anywhere on the plains.
- Pembina was among the oldest settlements and a Métis gathering place.
The Métis fiddle, sash and Michif language survive as marks of a proud and distinct heritage. The almanac counts the Métis of Pembina among the plains' most colorful and enterprising peoples, and their squealing carts among its most unforgettable sounds.
Elsewhere in the Almanac
Statehood at Last: North Dakota Joins the Union in 1889
After decades as a territory, the northern half of Dakota entered the Union as a state in 1889, its admission so entwined with its southern twin that the order was deliberately obscured.
The Powwow and the Living Culture of the Plains Nations
Far from a relic, the powwow endures as a vibrant celebration of song, dance and community among the plains nations, drawing dancers and drums from across the continent.
Ghost Towns: The Prairie Reclaims Its Own
Across the plains stand the remnants of towns that time and the timetable passed by — a leaning elevator, an empty church, a main street returning quietly to grass.