The Old Dog Trail

In 1856 post offices were established at Grand Marais and Grand Portage on a mail route connecting Duluth, Minnesota, and Fort Williams, Canada. Because there were no roads, mail was carried in summer by boat on Lake Superior and in winter by dog teams and sleds through the wilderness over the Old Dog Trail, which ran along the lake's North Shore for more than 150 miles. Private carriers under government contract transported the mail, and among the earliest postmen on the trail were Sam Zimmerman, a German, and the Beargrease brothers, who were Chippewa Indians. Their trip took several days and required a change of dogs along the way. In 1895 the trail was cleared for hauling logs, allowing horses to be used on part of it. Later more stretches were improved, and in 1920 it became Trunk Highway No. 1. Parts of the trail are followed by present-day Highway No. 61, North Shore Drive, now part of the Great Circle route, and traces of the pioneer mail route are still visible.

Minnesota · United States