Grand Portage in Cook County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
The North West Company
Photographed By Connor Olson, September 5, 2019
1. The North West Company Marker
Inscription.
The North West Company. . Inside the Historic Depot in front of you are three of the sixteen buildings that once comprised the summertime headquarters of the North West Company. The depot was not a fort but instead a secure transshipment point for valuable furs and trade goods. The North West Company was dominant, but other companies also were based here. From Grand Portage, goods from Europe and the Far East were sent to interior posts where they were traded for beaver and other furs trapped by Native Americans. Indians also traded food, pitch, canoes, and birch bark, all essential to company operations in the Northwest. The Indians traded for things that made their lives easier or gave them advantages with rivals, such as wool blankets, tools, kettles, and guns.
Inside the Historic Depot in front of you are three of the sixteen buildings that once comprised the summertime headquarters of the North West Company. The depot was not a fort but instead a secure transshipment point for valuable furs and trade goods. The North West Company was dominant, but other companies also were based here. From Grand Portage, goods from Europe and the Far East were sent to interior posts where they were traded for beaver and other furs trapped by Native Americans. Indians also traded food, pitch, canoes, and birch bark, all essential to company operations in the Northwest. The Indians traded for things that made their lives easier or gave them advantages with rivals, such as wool blankets, tools, kettles, and guns.
Location. 47° 57.725′ N, 89° 41.128′ W. Marker is in Grand Portage, Minnesota, in Cook County. Marker can be reached from Mill Creek Road, 0.2 miles south of Store Road. Located at the Grand Portage National Monument. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 112 Mill Creek Rd, Grand Portage MN 55605, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are
Credits. This page was last revised on July 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 113 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on July 17, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. 2. submitted on July 19, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
