DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — An Indigenous store in Egg Harbor operates on the very site where Menominee Chief Roy Oshkosh once built his trading post, honoring Indigenous history and culture.
What’s now known as Chief Oshkosh’s Native American Arts, a shop selling Indigenous crafts, wasn’t always a store. It began as a trading post.
"The room we're standing in is the original room," Coleen Bins, the owner of Chief Oshkosh’s Native American Arts store, said.
Menominee Chief Roy Oshkosh founded this historic building.
"During, I think, the 1940s or '50s, he lived across the street in that little bitty cabin while he was building [the trading post]," Bins said.
Bins, a member of the Turtle Clan, sees the store as a meaningful way to connect people with authentic Indigenous art and culture.
"We're still here, and there's still children and future generations that are learning our traditions and are willing to share them with those who are willing to listen," Bins said.
She says keeping Indigenous history and culture alive is especially important when it means teaching visitors like Jean Preston.
"We always come here. I know for the past two years, on Indigenous Peoples' Day," Jean Preston said.
Preston visits Door County every year with her friend Barb Short, and they make a point to stop at this historic site.
"You learn something when you come here," Preston said.
And it's not just this store — their interest in Indigenous history and culture continues beyond Egg Harbor.
"Last time we came, we went down to the Oneida Reservation near Green Bay. We went through the museum there and learned more about the Oneida culture," Barb Short said.
Bins says she’s preparing her kids and grandkids to take over the store and carry on the history for future generations.
