Grand Portage National Monument

Series: Grand Portage (Part 3 of 3)

Just 5½ miles south of the border with Canada in far northeast Minnesota is the community of Grand Portage, a place that provides a fascinating (and easily accessible) glimpse into the history of native Americans and the Europeans who ventured among them.

Map of the Grand Portage area up to Canada — *Map from National Park Service: www.nps.gov/grpo/planyourvisit/maps.htm*

The village serves as the homeplace and center of tribal government for the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe) Tribe, which occupies the Grand Portage Indian Reservation along Lake Superior on land used by Indigenous people for thousands of years.

In the 1730s, when European explorers and traders arrived and wanted to access the interior of western Canada, they availed themselves of local trails and local knowledge, particularly the 8½-mile Grand Portage route. This trail allowed traders and trappers (first French, then British) to avoid a long unnavigable stretch of the Pigeon River and reach Fort Charlotte (an interior fur trading depot) from Lake Superior. From there, they continued on to fur-rich northern Minnesota and interior sections of Canada via the Pigeon River and the Boundary Waters.

Two stuffed beavers in an exhibit next to a chewed-through tree trunk — *Beaver pelts fueled much of the fur trade in the 1700s and early 1800s. Beaver fur or felt hats were water-repellent, soft, and flexible.*

The British North West Company established a fur trading post at Grand Portage in the 1780s, continuing a close association with the local tribe. In 1803, the company moved its headquarters to Fort William, Canada (now Thunder Bay).

Drawing of log buildings in a stockade along a lakeshore with large canoes approaching a dock and tents outside the walls — *Drawing of the Grand Portage summer headquarters of the North West fur-trading company*

Today the Grand Portage National Heritage site revisits the history of the fur trading post and the Ojibwe tribe. A Heritage Center provides an introduction and overview of the area’s history, including interactive exhibits and an orientation film.

A tepee with an open door flap stands behind a computer screen and information console — *Interactive exhibit in the Heritage Center showing a winter lodge*

The interior of the tepee shows the remains of a fire on the floor and various tools and supplies around the edges — *Inside the winter lodge*

A paved/hard gravel path leads to the historic depot, where visitors can wander through a reconstructed fur trading fort from the 1700s, as well as a reconstructed Ojibwe village and an encampment for voyageurs (Canadian boatmen for the fur company). The reconstructed stockade houses the Great Hall and the kitchen building, and nearby are the dock and the canoe warehouse.

People walk on a gravel path through an open gate in a wooden stockade wall — *Gravel path into the stockade*

People walk on a gravel path toward log buildings — *Gravel path leads to the kitchen building and the Great Hall*

A man dressed in 1700 voyageur clothing stands under a large canoe in a large wood workshop — *Volunteer in the canoe warehouse explains how birch bark canoes were made*

Wooden barrels and fabric bags and packages are stacked up in a corner, many marked with NW 1797 — *Sample supplies that would have been hauled in canoes and carried over portages in the 1700s*

Wide wooden dock extends into the lake — *Reconstructed dock, where large voyageur canoes from Montreal would tie up after their long journey through the Great Lakes*

Large open room with a large fireplace on one end and several long tables set out — *The Great Hall, where meetings and meals were held*

Summer weekends often find volunteers explaining and reenacting parts of depot life from the 1700s. The best time to visit, though, is the second weekend of August, when the annual Rendezvous Days reenactment coincides with the Rendezvous Days Pow Wow, sponsored by the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (Ojibwe). It’s a time of great celebration, in honor of a rich combined history and long-standing native traditions.

Men in traditional costumes with beads and feathers dance with large drums in the background — *Ojibwe men dance during the Grand Portage pow wow*

Line of women wearing colorful dresses with rows of small metal cones hanging off them — *Jingle dress dancers at the Grand Portage pow wow. Jingle dresses, with rows of metal cones, were originally developed as healing dresses in response to the Spanish flu. (Source: Brenda Child)*

Men, women and children dressed in old clothing stand around tents and a fire ring — *Reenacters during the annual Grand Portage Rendezvous*

A man and woman dressed in old clothing stand behind a table covered in old medical equipment — *A doctor and nurse describe the primitive medical treatments available in the 1700s*

Simple tents stand among trees — *The voyageur encampment shows what shelter would have been like for workers in the fur-trading days*

Cost and hours: The entire Grand Portage National Monument is free to visit. The Heritage Center (Visitors’ Center) is normally open daily 8:30-5 except for some holidays. (Restricted during the pandemic.) The stockade historic site is normally open Memorial Day-Columbus day 9-5. Grounds and trails are normally open daily sunrise to sunset. (Check times before visiting because of COVID restrictions.)

Directions: To get to the National Monument, take Highway 61 to the Grand Portage National Monument sign, turn onto Casino Road (where the Spur gas station and Trading Post are). At the stop sign, turn left onto Mile Creek Road. Drive approximately ¾ mile to the large Heritage Center sign and turn left into the parking lot. The address is 170 Mile Creek Road.

Accessibility: The Grand Portage National Monument takes accessibility seriously, even offering free wheelchair use or golf cart rides between the Heritage Center and the historic stockade. Details are available here.

Trails: For those looking to stretch their legs further while in Grand Portage, the Rose Trail is a 1-mile loop trail to Mount Rose, leading to a stunning view over the reconstructed depot and Grand Portage Bay. Details are here.

Isle Royale National Park: In addition to the original Grand Portage Trail, the Rose Trail, and the historic sites, Grand Portage is the jumping off point for day trips to Isle Royale National Park. (Ferry information here.) Information about the Isle Royale wilderness park is here.

Accommodation: Lodging is available in and near Grand Portage at Grand Portage Lodge and Casino and historic Naniboujou Lodge or 35 miles southwest in the town of Grand Marais.

Grand Portage National Monument Overview

Grand Portage National Monument Films

Virtual Tour

Part 1: Grand Portage State Park

Part 2: Mount Josephine Rest Area

Learn more about visiting Minnesota’s North Shore of Lake Superior with Easy-Walking North Shore (Lake Superior).