West Cook in Cook County, Minnesota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Portage Canoe Rest
Photographed by McGhiever, August 19, 2023
1. Portage Canoe Rest Marker
The word "portage" is French for "to carry."
Canoe rests were built between 1933 - 1942 in the Superior Roadless Wilderness Area, now known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC).
Portages are measured in rods
1 rod = 16.5 feet, 5.5 yards or 6.0148 meters (approximately one canoe length).
1 mile = 320 rods.
Can you name the longest portage in the BWCAW? Hint: it is over 1280 rods.
Canoe rests were removed in 1995 by the direction of the USDA Forest Service.
Are you able to lift the canoe?
Erected by United States Forest Service.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.
Location. 48° 10.045′ N, 90° 52.777′ W. Marker is in West Cook, Minnesota, in Cook County. It can be reached from Moose Pond Drive (County Route 81). The marker is on the grounds of the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center, behind the Watercraft Exhibit Building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 28 Moose
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, in the Arrowhead Region, in the Iron Range, and in the North Shore. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, in the Great North Woods, on Lake Superiors North Shore, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, Ruperts Land, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The American Plan Cabin (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); This Log (about 600 feet away); The Trapper Shack (about 600 feet away); Step back in time... (about 600 feet away); History of Saganaga Lake (approx. Ό mile away); a different marker also named History of Saganaga Lake (approx. 0.4 miles away); Gunflint Lake Scenic Overlook (approx. 8.2 miles away);
Photographed by McGhiever, August 19, 2023
2. Portage Canoe Rest Marker at the Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center
Credits. This page was last revised on September 18, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 17, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 330 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 17, 2023, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
