Grand Portage in Cook County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Voyageurs at Grand Portage
Photographed By Connor Olson, September 5, 2019
1. Voyageurs at Grand Portage Marker
Inscription.
Voyageurs at Grand Portage. . Montreal canoemen were hired to paddle to Grand Portage. Once there, each man had to carry several 90-pounds (41-kg) bundles of trade goods and supplies up the Grand Portage to Fort Charlotte, where the bundles were repacked for canoe brigades headed to 120 interior posts. The Northmen were hired to trade for furs. Each summer, they brought them back to Grand Portage, where they received their wages and signed a new contract. Rather than pay Northmen in cash, the North West Company preferred to give them credits to buy things at the company store. While the Montrealers might be at Grand Portage for several weeks, the Northmen stayed only a few days. The rendezvous was the liveliest time of year, full of "gambling, feasting, dancing, drinking and fighting," according to one observer of the time.
Montreal canoemen were hired to paddle to Grand Portage. Once there, each man had to carry several 90-pounds (41-kg) bundles of trade goods and supplies up the Grand Portage to Fort Charlotte, where the bundles were repacked for canoe brigades headed to 120 interior posts. The Northmen were hired to trade for furs. Each summer, they brought them back to Grand Portage, where they received their wages and signed a new contract. Rather than pay Northmen in cash, the North West Company preferred to give them credits to buy things at the company store. While the Montrealers might be at Grand Portage for several weeks, the Northmen stayed only a few days. The rendezvous was the liveliest time of year, full of "gambling, feasting, dancing, drinking & fighting," according to one observer of the time.
Location. 47° 57.705′ N, 89° 41.11′ 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
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is at or near this postal address: 112 Mill Creek Rd, Grand Portage MN 55605, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 18, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 136 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 18, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
