Supporting Question 1: The Beginning of the Fur Trade

The first supporting question, “Who were the first western explorers and traders to visit the Northern Great Plains?” helps students use sources to unwrap the context of the time and topic being examined. By the early 1700s, land on the northern Great Plains was being claimed by European countries even though they did not really know much about the territory and several Native American tribes already lived there. Some explorers and traders came across land, but many used waterways and existing trade networks already established by Native American tribes. Complete the following task using the sources provided to build a context of the time period and topic being examined.

Formative Performance Task 1

Create a chart of the explorers and traders of the northern Great Plains the dates of exploration, and the tribes they visited. Read the featured source A, “An Introduction to the History of the Fur Trade on the Northern Plains” by W. Raymond Wood. What is author’s historical argument or thesis statement? What does the source tell us about the fur trade? What else can you find? Create a chart of the explorers and traders of the northern Great Plains the dates of exploration, and the tribes they visited.

Featured Sources 1

The sources featured below are a combination of primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are the raw materials of history—original documents, personal records, photographs, maps, and other materials. Primary sources are the first evidence of what happened, what was thought, and what was said by people living through a moment in time. These sources are the evidence by which historians and other researchers build and defend their historical arguments, or thesis statements. When using primary sources in your lessons, invite students to use all their senses to observe, describe, and analyze the materials. What can they see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste? Draw on students’ knowledge to classify the sources into groups, to make connections between what they observe and what they already know, and to help them make logical claims about the materials that can be supported by evidence. Further research of materials and sources can either prove or disprove the students’ argument.

Secondary sources are accounts or interpretations of historical events, people, places, and ideas by someone who does not necessarily have firsthand experience of the subject. This is the material that historians and other researchers have written about primary sources and the events, ideas, and people of history. These are the products of historical work including exhibits, websites, documentaries, performances, books, and other publications. When students read or view secondary sources, they should pay careful attention to the bibliography. What sources did the author use? Are they reliable evidence to support their claims? When students read or view secondary sources, they should also explore additional sources, including primary sources, to get an accurate understanding of the context and if the author wrote a valid, accurate, and thoughtful interpretation. What is the author’s historical argument, or thesis statement? Are their claims logical and supported by evidence? Further research of materials and sources can either prove or disprove the students’ argument.

Study featured sources A-C. In a group or as a class, answer the following questions: What type of sources are they (letters, photos, maps, diaries, etc.)? What kind of information do they contain? Who created each of these sources? Who was the intended audience for each source? Why were these sources created? When were the sources created? What do the sources tell us about Dakota Territory during that time? How do we know? What else can you find?

Learn more about the history of the fur trade in North Dakota by visiting the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum, the David Thompson State Historic Site, or Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site.