Grand Portage on Lake Superior’s north shore preserves an ancient Ojibwe route and one of North America’s most important fur trade centers. The 8.5-mile trail, known in Ojibwe as Gichi-onigaming, linked the lake to the Pigeon River and inland canoe routes and was used by Native peoples long before European traders adopted it. In the late 18th century it became a vital link in the voyageur network and a summer headquarters for the British North West Company. After the company moved away in 1802, Grand Portage remained important to the Ojibwe community and later became a preserved historical and living cultural place within the Grand Portage Indian Reservation.