Guard the Gate

At Grand Portage in 1793, the gates were shut after sunset and two sentries kept watch all night, not to prevent attack, since relations with Ojibwe and other Native Americans were friendly and based on mutual trade, but to protect the depot from theft and fire. From guard duty for the North West Company, one would have seen voyageurs coming down the portage past hayfields and grazing sheep and cattle. Between forest and lake were smoke from cooking fires, canoes being built, children running through the Ojibwe village, and the campsites of canoemen. Sentries watched closely for signs of wild fire, the activities of rival fur companies, and arriving canoe brigades and ships in Grand Portage bay.

Minnesota · United States