In the summer of 1800, Northwest Fur Company trader Alexander Henry established a post near Pembina. Henry kept a journal and wrote the earliest descriptions of the southern Red River Valley.

That fall – four years before the arrival of Lewis & Clark – Henry encountered large herds of buffalo that “only turned to stare at us.” He also observed numerous elk and bear crossing the river; and lakes “covered with swans, geese, and ducks…”

Then in winter, after waking to buffalo sounds, Henry wrote, "I dressed and climbed my oak for a better view. I had seen almost incredible numbers of buffalo in the fall, but nothing in comparison to what I now beheld. The ground was covered at every point of the compass, as far as the eye could reach, and every animal was in motion." The date of this entry…January 14th…1801.

Source:
Robinson, Elwyn B. History of North Dakota. University of Nebraska Press: 1966 p 15.

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