Browsing by Subject "Grand Portage National Monument"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Economic Impacts of Federal Closure of NPA Sites in Minnesota
    (University of Minnesota Crooston - EDA Center, 2014) Walker, E.G.; Tuck, Brigid; Cooper, K.
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    Feasibility of a Geographic Information System Approach for Monitoring Toxic Compounds in Western Lake Superior: Final Report
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 1990) Mladenoff, David J; Mires, Peter B.
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    Grand Portage National Monument/Minnesota: Final General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement
    (2003) National Park Service, Department of the Interior
    This is a planning document presenting four development alternatives to enhancing visitor experience at the Grand Portage National Monument. The alternatives range from doing nothing, to different degrees of reconstructed historic buildings and major interpretive programs, to a hybrid model. A brief history and background of the site is provided. The report summarizes potential environmental impacts to land and water resources for each alternative option.
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    Late Prehistoric Cultural Affiliation Study, Grand Portage National Monument, Minnesota
    (1999) Clark, Caven
    This is a desk study of indigenous history of the Grand Portage tribal lands over the past 10,000 years. Notes that fisheries were a major resource until the Terminal Woodland sub stage (approx. 700 AD) when subsistence practices became highly specialized and centered on wild rice and pottery making. Discussion centers primarily on previous literature documenting pottery types and burial practices, although there is some mention of use of water and water routes (e.g. cultural exchange through pottery traded along water routes). "Other factors influencing the formation of the archeological record include issues of settlement and seasonality that undoubtedly conditioned the best time of year to visit a site, and the number of people that could reasonably camp there. In a "good place to camp," such as a logistically important river mouth or sheltered bay, at a place of resource abundance, or at a place of spiritual significance, the likelihood of many visits over a long period of time is high...In this regard, Grand Portage, which lacks any significant evidence of a terminal Woodland occupation, was likely not the primary point of departure for groups traveling to and from Isle Royale, nor the destination of groups coming from the east or west. Although Grand Portage is one of the best sheltered bays south of the Canadian border, the mouth of the Pigeon River/Pigeon Bay, Pigeon Point and Waswagoning Bay probably were the focus of occupation prior to the advent of the fur trade as the only nearby locations for spawning whitefish and lake sturgeon. Unfortunately we have no archeological evidence to support this. Mobility and food security depended on large part to water resources. The basic pattern of subsistence followed the seasonal round of resource availability. Spring was a time of coming together for the spawning runs of suckers and sturgeon at river mouths on Lake Superior and the larger inland lakes. It was also a time for harvesting the incoming flight of passenger pigeons arriving from the south. Summer was a period of resource abundance with many options, including beaver, moose, caribou and deer hunting. Group size could vary widely and mobility was at its peak as canoe travel made all the islands, rivers, and lakes the highway of the people. Another major fish run occurred in fall as trout and whitefish sought out their spawning groups and large numbers of people gathered at the river mouths on Lake Superior for the last time of the year for this harvest. Fall brought the harvest of wild rice for those with access to this important crop. The western portion of the Grand Portage Band territory touches upon the "rice district" and provided a storable resource that would, along with preserved fish, meat and berries, provide a savings account for winter survival when the availability of food was least secure. As game fattened and coats thickened in anticipation of winter, attention returned to hunting, and the hunters and their families dispersed to their interior camps. Winter was a period of relative isolation and limited mobility, occasionally ending in a lean period..." Provides an interesting narrative of the fur trade and interactions between French traders and Native communities, noting that Grand Portage was the deport where the great cargo canoes and bateau of the Great Lakes exchanged their westbound loads of trade goods for eastbound bales of castor gras, arriving in the lighter and smaller canoes of the inland waterways of the west. A substantial post was built on the shores of Grand Portage Bay. In the 1790s the depot consisted of 16 buildings surrounded by a log stockade. The waterfront included wharves and a dock capable of accommodating the 75 ton schooner Otter. In 1834 the American Fur Company hired about twenty Grand Portage resident to fish between Grand Portage and Grand Marais, but the fishery closed in 1842 due to lack of markets. In 1836 the American Fur Company expanded its operations to include commercial fishing. Grand Portage Ojibwe were sought after for their knowledge and expertise in the local fishery. Ojibwe men and women were employed by the company at Grand Portage and on Isle Royale. The men were engaged in fishing and the women in processing the catch. Noted is an important spirit associated with water by The Grand Portage and other regional Ojibwe, 'variously called the Underwater Manitou, Underwater Panther, Long-Tailed Underwater Panther, Mishebeshu, or Michi-Pichoux, the Great Lynx. This spirit reflected the abundance and availability of land and sea animals. With its numerous underwater allies it controlled all game, withholding animals and fish from its enemies. The early Lake Superior Ojibwe offered it sacrifices to obtain good fishing, and in the Creation Myth Nanbezho fought it to secure the right to hunt for future Indians. The Underwater Manitou possessed great and dangerous powers. It could cause rapids and stormy waters, and often sank canoes and drowned Indians, especially children. The Ojibwe associated it with the sudden squall waters of the Great Lakes which prevented fishing...' "
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    Long Range Interpretive Plan: Grand Portage National Monument, 2005
    (2005) National Park Service, Department of the Interior
    This report summarizes the Park mission and goals and primary interpretive themes. It provides detail on visitor experiences, visitor experience goals, and existing conditions assessment, information about the Park website, and on-site visitor services and information. It lists interpretive programs, informal programs, facilities and wayside exhibits. A number of private and public partnerships are listed, as well as community events, curatorial and library services, and disability information. There are numerous recommendations to make the Park more amenable to visitors as a tourist destination. The report does not generally focus on water resources except for the introductory and background information at the beginning of the report. Key passages are extracted and reproduced below. Summary: "The Grand Portage or Gitchi Onigaming (Great Carrying Place) is an 8.4-mile trail on the northwestern periphery of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River drainage in the middle of North America. It connected the lakeshore with Pigeon River, an embarkation point for Native peoples, explorers, and voyageurs heading west and a gathering point for furs going east. The portage was the most direct route from the Great Lakes into the Canadian interior. Several falls and cataracts blocked human travelers’ use of the Pigeon River so that a portage was needed, hence the name “Grand Portage.” French and later British traders entered the Great Lakes-Northwest trade by traveling west from Montreal. Having learned to use birch bark canoes, they moved into the mid-continent along an established inland network of Indian canoe routes. Building on entrenched Indian exchange practices and catering to Indian preferences, traders bartered imported European goods and commodities for Indian furs, provisions, and services. This ultimately led to an intercultural exchange of languages, ideas, technologies, diseases, and genes. It also promoted commercial, political, and marital alliances. PLAN “When the North West Company and the XY Company moved their operations north to Kaministikwia (later Fort William, Ontario) at the beginning of the 19th century, Grand Portage became remote to the main channels of trade and communication and less important to the outside world. The boundary between Canada and the United States between Lake Superior and Lake of the Woods was not firmly established until the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. Under the terms of that treaty, the Grand Portage clearly became United States property; however, the use of the trail was to remain free and open to citizens of both the United States and Great Britain. The historic portage represents the essential resources of Grand Portage National Monument, which is bordered on the north and south by the Grand Portage Indian Reservation, on the east by Lake Superior, and on the west by the Pigeon River and Canada. It lies within both the Grand Portage Indian Reservation and the unincorporated community of Grand Portage. The community is the homeplace and tribal government center of the Grand Portage Band of Minnesota Chippewa (Ojibwe)."
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    The North West Voyageurs Brigade Historic Trails Award
    (2003) Boy Scouts of America
    This short but interesting pdf describes an award given by the Boy Scouts of America to scouts accomplishing a route in the Voyageur's National Park. It contains a brief history and images of Native American and early European canoe routes. The pdf notes the importance of historic water routes to transportation and commerce.