| About
200 years ago, several years before Lewis and Clarke explored the area,
Alexander Henry, constructed a trading post a few miles south of
Drayton. Henry was a fur trader for the Hudson Bay Companyand made the
Drayton area home for about a year. Henry often described herds of
buffalo extending as far as the eye could see and many times he and his
men chased buffalo, literally through our back yards. As a matter of
fact, Henry lost a riding spur one afternoon chasing buffalo, in or
very close to where the town now lies. Henry's journal also talk about
fishing on the Red River. Catfish and sturgeon appeared to top the
menu. READ ALEXANDER HENRY'S JOURNALS ONLINE |
Between
1820 and 1870, Ox Cart trails from Fort Garry Manitoba and Pembina,
North Dakota to Fort Snelling and St. Paul, Minnesota were quite
active. Much due to Henry's fur trading expeditions in the area. Steam
boats began running the Red River in 1859 and ran until 1909. Drayton
was settled in 1879 by a group of individuals who came from Drayton,
Ontario. The town started with three cabins with the local industry
being agriculture. Drayton was an important river boat landing for many
years, because it was the highest geographical point between Grand
Forks, North Dakota and Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Northern Pacific
Railroad reached Drayton in 1887. VISIT DRAYTON WEBSITE
FOR MORE INFO |
