Grand Portage National Monument: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Grand Portage National Monument

Regions 3, 4, & 5 Park Cultural Landscapes Program

The cultural landscape of the Grand Portage National Monument is centered on the western shore of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota. Most of its 564 acres are located along the Grand Portage trail corridor that extends northwest from the shore along a long, narrow strip of land. The Grand Portage Site Complex, consisting of the North West Company depot site and the Grand Portage Reservation village site, overlooks Grand Portage Bay. The period of significance for this landscape is identified as 1731 to 1951, associated with areas of exploration, commerce, transportation, politics/government, and archeology. Within this expanse of time, the years 1731-1804 focus on the North American fur trade, currently represented by reconstructions of the Grand Portage Site Complex (largely interpreted from a Euro-American perspective). The site provided an important link between two key water routes during the height of the fur trade. The years 1854-1951 are associated with the Grand Portage (GP) Reservation and village, a significant location for the expression of Ojibwe heritage and cultural traditions which were practiced before, during, and after the arrival of Euro-American settlers. The Ojibwe community at the Grand Portage Reservation possessed strong bonds to the landscape and the sense of historical identity, values still espoused by contemporary Ojibwe. The continuous intermingling of Euro-American and Native American cultures has resulted in a chronologically and culturally layered landscape. For instance, the village site was constructed over earlier voyager settlements, while use of the shore and the portage trail by fur traders was far preceded by the area's association with native peoples. No fur trade-era buildings survive at Grand Portage, and little documentation exists. The reconstructed landscape (1970-1981) currently includes the stockade (palisades) and four buildings. This presents a three-dimensional sense of the scene's historic arrangement, yet represents only a portion of what likely existed here. Historic landscape features such as buildings, streets, and gardens no longer exist in the village, but various above-ground remnants and a wealth of archeological resources continue to provide evidence. The Grand Portage trail extends northwest from the shore. It is approximately 8.5 miles in length, varies in width, and terminates at the site of Fort Charlotte on the Pigeon River at the Canadian border. The trail’s current appearance approximates the historic period only to the extent that it is forested and free of adjacent development. The historic vegetation of the area has doubtlessly been impacted over time by logging, clearing for construction, agriculture, fires, and natural regrowth. The Grand Portage cultural landscape retains integrity as a diverse, culturally complex landscape with a range of resources that together help convey the park’s historic significance. The relative isolation of Grand Portage, sparse local population, limited modern development, and wide-scale ownership of by Native Americans have all contributed to protecting the physical and aesthetic wholeness of the landscape. The 1951 designation as a National Historic Site marked the beginning of permanent government involvement and the end of the village. The presence of the reconstructed stockade illustrates the North West Company’s command of the bay, serving as a symbolic element and as the primary point of contact for most visitors. Despite changes in appearance, the surrounding landscape retains a strong sense of its historic character and continues to provide views to the trade, transportation, and politics that occurred here, as well as how these activities are associated with developments in American history.

Grand Portage National Monument: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Grand Portage National Monument

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