Joseph Renville
Joseph Renville was a significant figure in early 19th-century Minnesota, known for his diverse heritage as the son of a French trader and a Sioux woman. Raised in an Indian village, Renville received a Catholic education in Montreal before returning to Minnesota, where he became involved in trade and exploration. At the age of nineteen, he began working with the Hudson's Bay Company and later served as a guide and interpreter for Zebulon Pike, assisting in treaty negotiations with the Sioux. During the War of 1812, Renville served as a captain in the British army and subsequently worked as an interpreter for the British government. Upon returning to Minnesota, he co-founded the Columbia Fur Company and established a trading post at Lac Qui Parle, where he also trained Sioux warriors for protection against rival tribes. In addition to his trading endeavors, Renville was instrumental in founding a Presbyterian mission and contributed to translating the Bible into Sioux, reflecting his commitment to cultural and religious exchange. His legacy continued through his descendants, who upheld his tradition of cooperation between different cultures.
Joseph Renville
- Born: c. 1779
- Birthplace: Near present-day St. Paul, Minnesota
- Died: c. 1846
- Place of death: Lac Qui Parle, Minnesota
Category: Interpreter, guide, trader
Tribal affiliation: Sioux
Significance: Renville was an influential white sympathizer among the Minnesota Sioux
Born and reared until age ten in an Indian village south of present-day St. Paul, Minnesota, Renville was the son of a French trader and a Sioux woman. After being sent to Montreal at age ten to receive a Catholic education, he returned to Minnesota a few years later to become a trader. At age nineteen he was employed by the Hudson’s Bay Company.
During his young adulthood, Renville was a guide and interpreter for Zebulon Pike, traveling with him as he sought the headwaters of the Mississippi River and aiding him in establishing peace treaties with the Sioux.
Renville served as a captain for the British army during the War of 1812. While living in Canada, both during and after the war, he was an interpreter for the British government.
After returning to Minnesota shortly after the war, he helped found the Columbia Fur Company. At his trading post at Lac Qui Parle, Renville trained an armed company of Sioux to guard against attacks by the hostile Ojibwas. In 1834, he helped found a Presbyterian mission at Lac Qui Parle, and in 1837 he aided missionaries in translating the Bible into Sioux. Many of Renville’s descendants, including his nephew, Gabriel Renville, continued his tradition of support for whites.