History of Bellevue as seen at Durham History Museum

 This information is provided at the museum with regards to Bellevue.

The original trading post that was on the river then but not now

County is named for Peter Sarpy

Standing Bear, Ponca Chief

Fort Lisa in North Omaha

Fort Lisa was located where Ponca Creek meets the Missouri River.  It was established by Manuel Lisa as president of the Missouri Fur Company.  There is a plaque off of John Pershing Drive at Hummel Park which commemorates this.  It was built in 1807 and was more a trading post than a fort.  Manuel Lisa was instrumental in keeping the local Native Americans loyal to the United Sates during the war of 1812.  The fort was located within a mile of Cabanné's post of the American Fur Company, which was built in 1820.  Manuel Lisa ran the fort until 1820 when he passed away.   Then Joshua Pilcher ran the fort, but moved south to the Bellevue area in 1823 and the fort was abandoned.  Although the plaque is a ways from the river, the river could have had a different route 200 years ago.  However the exact location is not known.

The fort has several distinctions.  First crops grown by a white man in Nebraska, first white woman to visit Nebraska, the wife of Manuel Lisa.  And the first steam powered ship to come up the Missouri stopped at Fort Lisa.  

Manuel Lisa

Cabanné's Trading Post

 North of Omaha and close to the Missouri River, Joseph Robidoux established a trading post, originally called Fort Robidoux but then called Cabanné's Trading Post based on the person, Jean Pierre Cabanné, who ran the post.  It was part of the American Fur Company.  In a corner of Hummel Park is a plaque commemorating this.  The trading post was significant in that it help supply Fort Atkinson which was a few miles farther north on the Missouri River.  Cabanné ran the post from 1822 until 1933.  Then Joshua Pilcher took over until 1840 at which time the American Fur Company folded their operations north of Omaha into Fantenelle Trading Post in Bellevue.  Peter Sarpy ran the post at that time.

Looking towards where the trading post was located