If things had taken a different turn, you may have been reading this article in the Bottineau Prairie Magazine. Before Maple Grove adopted its name, the city’s location and surrounding area was referred to as Bottineau’s Prairie, after one of its early settlers, Pierre Bottineau (1817-1895).
A mixed heritage of French voyageur and Native American gave Bottineau a distinct advantage in the wild years of Minnesota’s early existence. He spoke French, English, Sioux, Chippewa, Cree, Mandan and Winnebago, and was valued as a guide and interpreter. He worked for many years as a chief guide to Gov. Ramsey as well as leading expeditions for General Henry Sibley.
“Bottineau is one of the more overlooked characters in early Minnesota history,” explains Bill Walker, cultural resources program coordinator at the Three Rivers Park District. “Despite being present at many pivotal moments in the history of the state, his name is less widely known than other prominent figures of the era.”
Still, legends abound, including claims that he threw silver dollars in to the Mississippi to watch them skip and lost his Nicollet Island holdings in a poker game. His frequent intervention in disputes between traveling bands of American Indians and white settlers gave him the moniker “The Walking Peace Pipe.”
His skills in hunting and trading, coupled with his business sense in land acquisition led to a colorful life that proved instrumental in the founding of St. Paul and St. Anthony, and in opening up the entire northwest corridor, to settlement.
County Road 81, long called Bottineau Road, was developed along trading route. In 1854 it passed by the area—close to the present-day athletic fields of Osseo Junior High—where Bottineau built the first frame house in what was to become Maple Grove.
Historian, Jane Hallberg, in her booklet The Story of Pierre Bottineau, describes the structure: “The Greek Revival house had walls of a reddish-colored pine, hand-hewn beams, and siding and shingles made with a draw-blade.” The internal structure is “balloon framed,” meaning the wall studs are of continuous pieces of dimensional lumber running all the way from the floor to the roof peak.
Set amongst the scattered log cabins and crude sod huts typical of early settlements, Bottineau instantly establishing himself as a leading citizen. At the housewarming he lived up to his reputation of “Pierre Rich”.
The house sheltered nine children from his first marriage and his second wife, who would eventually bear him an additional 17 children. An assessment roll for 1862 shows Bottineau’s possessions including: horses, cows, sheep, hogs and carriages totaling $388 (and one dog). A real estate tax book of the same year shows Bottineau owning 160 acres; valued at $785, with total tax of $18.21!
In 1908, the house was converted into a granary. In 1919, it was moved out of the path of Hwy. 610 expansion to Zachary Lane, and in 1998 it found its way to the Maple Grove Equipment Storage facility. Finally, in August 2009 it underwent a renovation and was permanently placed at the Elm Creek Park Reserve.
The outdoor resources of the park serve well to highlight various aspects of both Bottineau’s and his house’s story. Interactive exhibit possibilities include encampments of re-enactors portraying the fur-trade era, winter survival courses that draw on accounts of Bottineau’s skills as a scout and guide. “By using the park resources to extend the learning space we hope to connect modern visitors with Bottineau’s adventurous life out-of-doors,” shares Walker.
Maple Grove is often thought of as a relatively new community. It’s interesting to note that new homes that looked and felt like the homes being built in Minneapolis and St. Paul were also being built amongst the maple tree groves of Bottineau’s Prairie.
