Guard the Gate
The Gates are shut always after sunset and... there are two Sentries keeping a look out all night chiefly for fear of accident by fire.
John Macdonell, Grand Portage, 1793
This gatehouse was not intended to prevent—attack-relations with Ojibwe and other Native Americans were friendly, based on mutual trade—but rather to protect the depot from theft and fire.
If you were on guard duty for the North West Company, you would see voyageurs like these coming down the portage, past hayfields and grazing sheep and cattle. Between forest and lake, there would be smoke from cooking fires, canoes being built, and children running through the Ojibwe village, as well as the campsites of canoemen.
Sentries kept a sharp eye out for signs of wild fire, the activities of rival fur companies, and arriving canoe brigades and ships in Grand Portage bay.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Native Americans • Parks & Recreational Areas.
Location.
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Grand Portage (within shouting distance of this marker); North West Company Fur Press (within shouting distance of this marker); The North West Company (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); North West Company Depot (about 300 feet away); The Birchbark Canoe (about 300 feet away); Voyageurs at Grand Portage (about 300 feet away); A Warehouse for Furs, Trade Goods, and Now—Canoes (about 300 feet away); Naming This Place (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Portage.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 127 times since then and 20 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.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker and its surroundings • Can you help?
