Sibley Historic Site

Visitors are allowed a glimpse of the prosperous Minnesota fur trading industry by visiting this historic site. Henry Sibley, a regional manager for the American Fur Company and later Minnesota's first governor, built one of two limestone houses on the site in the mid-1830s. Jean Faribault, who had a trading post in the area, built the other limestone house to replace his original log house a couple years later. The buildings offer a fascinating observation of Minnesota pioneer history. Both men played an active role in both the fur trade and the subsequent growth of Minnesota as a territory and state.The tour includes the 1843 cold storage building, complete with furs, trading post items, tools and weapons, furniture and a price list (muskrat pelts were 8 cents in 1843). Members of the Dakota Indian tribe, who occupied the area prior to it being settled by white immigrants, perform special programs including singing and drumming.Sibley Historic Site is closed on Monday and holidays.