Work continues on the new Cache Creek Trading Post at the Museum of the Great Plains, 601 NW Ferris, with workers on Thursday preparing a foundation for the wooden stockade wall that will enclose the post.
The old trading post, built in the 1980s, needed so much work that it was decided to demolish it and build a new one. The project has been going on since 2022 and is expected to be finished by summer 2024.
On Thursday, workers put rebars into a trench, which will stabilize and strengthen the foundation of the wall. The wall will be 12 feet tall and enclose the trading post in a rectangular shape, just like the original wall, whose last parts were demolished in June.
A total of 41 steel posts will be placed within cages that are part of the rebars, with another steel post being welded on to raise the height to 12 feet. Concrete will then be poured into the trench to engulf the rebars, cages and the bottom part of the steel posts. Finally, wooden posts will be placed around and between the steel posts to complete the wooden stockade wall.
However, this is not the only type of work going on. In one of the buildings, volunteer Al Hobbs was working on a new wooden counter on Thursday morning, using his planer to smoothen out the wood.
The demolished old post was built as a replica of “Coffee’s Station,” a trading post in the 1830s about 32 miles south of the Museum of the Great Plains, just north of the Red River. Back then, this area marked the border to Mexico, prior to Texas’ independence. The post was used for trade with the Comanche, Kiowa and Wichita tribes. In 1846, the post closed.
The goal for the new trading post is to make it as historically accurate as possible.
“We want to get a facility that educates visitors and the next generation,” Bill Bailey, historical restoration contractor and mastermind behind the project, said. “It’s a fabulous opportunity to get it more historically correct for the time and region. We have an obligation to make it as accurate as we can.”
Want to reach a local audience and grow your business?
Our website is the perfect platform to connect with engaged readers in your local area.
Whether you're looking for banner ads, sponsored content, or custom promotions, we can tailor a package to meet your needs.
Contact us today to learn more about advertising opportunities!
CONTACT US NOW
