Pierre Bottineau was a Minnesota Frontiersman. He was the famous Metis guide and interpreter based in Minnesota.
Background
Pierre Bottineau, called the Kit Carson of the Northwest, was born about 1817 in the Red River country near Bear Point at the mouth of the Turtle River. He was the son of Joseph Bottineau, a furtrader of French ancestry, and Clear Sky, a Chippewa woman.
Career
Bottineau early gained experience as a guide on overland expeditions in the north country. In the winter of 1837, he conducted three members of the abortive James Dickson filibuster from the Selkirk settlement to Fort Snelling, a hazardous trip in the course of which two members of the party perished in a blizzard.
At Fort Snelling Bottineau was employed by Henry H. Sibley, agent of the American Fur Company. In 1841, he settled on a claim in what is now the heart of St. Paul; five years later, he bought a tract of land near the Falls of St. Anthony, later a part of Minneapolis.
From 1850 to 1870, Bottineau guided many civil and military expeditions into the West. These trips took him to the Red River Valley, to the mining country of Montana, to the Frazer River in British Columbia, and to other regions. In 1853, he served as guide for the Pacific Railroad expedition of Governor Stevens, leading the party across the prairies, then swarming with buffaloes, as far as Fort Benton; and sixteen years later, he led the directors of the Northern Pacific on a re-survey of this route.
In 1862, he guided the James L. Fisk expedition to the Montana mining country; and the next year, he was a trusted scout on General Sibley's military expedition to the Missouri River in pursuit of hostile Sioux. During an attack on Fort Abercrombie, he slipped out through the Sioux lines as a messenger to secure aid for the fort. Upon his retirement, the United States Congress granted him a pension of $50 a month.
Bottineau lived until 1895, a quarter of a century after he retired from the active life of the frontier, most of this time at Red Lake in northwestern Minnesota.
Achievements
Views
In addition to French and English, Bottineau spoke Chippewa and Sioux and is said to have had some knowledge of Mandan, Winnebago, Cree, and other dialects. He knew the wilderness, was a straight shooter and skilled hunter, and won wide fame for his daring exploits.
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
Governor Stevens said: "Pierre Bottineau surpassed all his class in truthfulness and great intelligence, " had the "broadness of view of an engineer, and was the great guide and voyageur of Minnesota".
Connections
Bottineau was married twice. His second marriage was to Martha Gervais, and of this wife he had fourteen children, two of whom died as infants.