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| accessdate = 2007-02-26 }}</ref> Located in [[La Verendrye Provincial Park]] and the [[Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness]] in the unspoiled country along the international boundary, the portage retains its traditional use, but for |
| accessdate = 2007-02-26 }}</ref> Located in [[La Verendrye Provincial Park]] and the [[Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness]] in the unspoiled country along the international boundary, the portage retains its traditional use, but for recreational canoe trips rather than commerce. |
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== Geography == |
== Geography == |
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Revision as of 02:58, 28 February 2007
- There is another Height of Land Portage in Embarrass, Minnesota.
Height of Land Portage | |
| Nearest city | Grand Marais, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| NRHP reference No. | 74001012[1] |
| Added to NRHP | October 18, 1974 |
Height of Land Portage is a portage along the historic Boundary Waters route between Canada and the United States. Located at the border of the US State of Minnesota and the Canadian province of Ontario, it is a relatively easy crossing of the Laurentian Divide separating the watersheds of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. It was used for centuries for canoe travel by the First Nations, and the historic route became a preindustrial thoroughfare giving the voyageurs access to the fur trading posts in western Canada. For many years it was an important route from Lower Canada to the interior of the North American continent, and became part of the boundary between British North America and the United States following the American Revolution and treaties delineating the border. The portage is a Minnesota State Historic Site.[2] Located in La Verendrye Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in the unspoiled country along the international boundary, the portage retains its traditional use, but for recreational canoe trips rather than commerce.
Geography
The portage, 80 rods (about 400 m) long, crosses a low saddle between North Lake and South Lake.[3][4] South Lake is the source of the Arrow River which is tributary to the Pigeon River, flowing east to Lake Superior, other Great Lakes, and the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean. North Lake is in the watershed of the Rainy River, which drains by way of the Winnipeg and Nelson Rivers to Hudson Bay.[5] According to the Canada/US International Boundary Commission Ontario has 2700 km of water boundary with the United States and only 1 km of land boundary;[4] 40% of the land border is along this portage.
History
Voyageurs coming to for the first time to the pays d'en haut-- the "high country" beyond the height of land separating the Great Lakes from the Northwest-- were initiated after crossing the portage for the first time. Each newcomer would be sprinkled with a cedar bough dipped in water, and be made to swear that he would never kiss another voyageur's wife without her consent and would not allow another novice to pass that way without undergoing similar rites. Concluding the ceremony with a gunfire salute and drinks of "high wine" (a type of rum), the new Northwester and his company would resume their journey.[6]
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2006-03-15.
- ^ "Minnesota Statute § 138.57, subd. 13". Minnesota Revisor of Statutes. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ U.S. Geological Survey. "Topographical Map". Microsoft TerraServer. Retrieved 2001-02-26.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Canada/United States International Boundary Commission (2006). "Photograph, Height of land portage (p.21)" (PDF). Durham University. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Morse, Eric (1979). Fur Trade Routes of Canada. Minoqua, WI: NorthWord Press. pp. 71–75. ISBN 1-5597-1045-4.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Nute, Grace Lee (1955). The Voyageur. St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society. pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-8735-1012-7.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help)