Main content starts here, tab to start navigating

In the Northern Plains, before the building of the railroads and the arrival of homesteaders, trappers had the greatest influence on taming the wilderness.
Trappers and the Canadian fur traders were the first to connect the plains to the world economy.

They made their livelihood from the land. Land where the valuable pelts of beavers, mink and other fur-bearers were found in abundance.
A glimpse of the fur trade and hunting legacy lives on at Trapper's Kettle Restaurants in Belfield North Dakota. The cedar-lined walls and petrified wood reflect the owner's love of the scenic, North Dakota Badlands. Rustic artifacts of the trapping era and trophy animal mounts take visitors back to a time when the frontier was young and wild.