Sign within Savanna Portage State Park, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Sign within Savanna Portage State Park

Sign within Savanna Portage State Park, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Foliage along Savanna Portage, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Foliage along Savanna Portage

Foliage along Savanna Portage, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

A Savanna Portage boardwalk installed to help travelers traverse a swamp, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Savanna Portage boardwalk

A Savanna Portage boardwalk installed to help travelers traverse a swamp, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Entrance sign at Savanna Portage State Park acknowledging the area’s Indigenous and fur-trading history, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Entrance sign at Savanna Portage State Park

Entrance sign at Savanna Portage State Park acknowledging the area’s Indigenous and fur-trading history, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Savanna Portage Trail, 1962. Photograph by Eugene D. Becker.

Savanna Portage Trail

Savanna Portage Trail, 1962. Photograph by Eugene D. Becker.

Savanna Portage Trail, 1962. Photograph by Eugene D. Becker.

Savanna Portage Trail

Savanna Portage Trail, 1962. Photograph by Eugene D. Becker.

Map of Savanna Portage Trail, 1956. Minnesota Conservation Department, Division of Forestry. A3/0V5, Drawer 7, Folder 8. State Parks Maps and Drawings, Minnesota Division of Parks and Recreation. Government Records Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

Map of Savanna Portage Trail

Map of Savanna Portage Trail, 1956. Minnesota Conservation Department, Division of Forestry. A3/0V5, Drawer 7, Folder 8. State Parks Maps and Drawings, Minnesota Division of Parks and Recreation. Government Records Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

St. Louis River, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

St. Louis River

St. Louis River, 2018. Photograph by Jon Lurie; used with the permission of Jon Lurie.

Northwest Trail

For untold generations, Indigenous people traversed North America’s interlocking waterways by canoe. When moving between drainage systems, it was necessary for them to bridge the high ground that kept the waters separated. This meant carrying, or “portaging,” canoes and belongings between watersheds. One of the most important portage routes in Minnesota, known today as the Northwest Trail, connected the Mississippi River to Lake Superior.

Photograph of survivors of the 1894 Hinckley fire taken at the reunion held on the fiftieth anniversary of the fire, 1944. From the Betty Moore and family papers, 1848–1973 (bulk 1920–1950s), P2698, box 2. Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

Hinckley Fire survivors’ fiftieth reunion

Photograph of survivors of the 1894 Hinckley fire taken at the reunion held on the fiftieth anniversary of the fire, 1944. From the Betty Moore and family papers, 1848–1973 (bulk 1920–1950s), P2698, box 2. Manuscripts Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul.

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Environment