“Hartford Beach State Park Mooer’s Trading Post”

Here in 1819 Hazen P. Mooers, an American, set up a fur trading post which lasted several decades. It was the first such post in South Dakota. Major Stephen H. Long and an expedition of two dozen men camped here on July 22nd, 1823. J.C. Beltrami, a member, wrote is his journal that day, ‘In the evening we stopped at the middle of the lake, just where it takes a northerly direction, where a magnificent wood and a little traders’ settlement were crossed by the River of the White Herons or Ho-ka-San-be-Wa-kpa which falls into the lake on the southern side.' In

1845 James Hayes then in charge of the post shows by invoice the following furs on hand: 795 buffalo robes, 10,307 muskrat, 117 mink, 77 raccoon, 12 otter, 2 bear, 2 beaver, and 21 fisher. Later, in 1852 Levi Bird in charge of the post shows an invoice of : 11 packs of rats, 100 fox, 60 wolf, 100 mink, 6 fisher, 9 elk, 12 beaver and 30 badger.”

Hartford Beach State Park Indians

“Near the entrance to this park, at the first bend of the road on the very top of the hill, some 1,000 feet directly west on the crest of the bluff is a large Indian mound. Some of the skeletons have been removed to the Museum at Vermillion. Directly across this valley west on the top of the hill you can see the tunnels that were used by the so called Cave Dwelling Indians.”

Buffalo Hunt

“In 1808, Thomas Anderson, then 20 years old wrote of a buffalo hunt near Big Stone Lake with a party of Indians, ‘We went up in canoes, but long before a buffalo could be seen on the plains, attention was directed to a rumbling noise, like rolling thunder, at a distance, causing the whole country to quiver and shake. Drawing nearer the awful bellowing of ten thousand enraged bulls was truly frightful. A short distance above this was a bay, which was crowded with buffalo swimming in all directions. As far as the eye could see, the prairie was black with these animals.' Numerous animals were shot, but only such parts of meat taken as was desired.”

Roberts County, south shore of Big Stone Lake at Hartford State Park (1988)