MyGallery
20 pipes or so
Along an obscure trail in Jay Cooke Park, there is this Historical Marker. Kind of interesting being so far off the beaten path, but a nice bit of history of the area!
The Grand Portage of the St. Louis River
Imagine that you are Jean Baptiste Gagnon, a French Canadian voyageur. It is June, 1800, and you serve the North West Company which dominates the regional fur trade. Some days, you paddle a heavily laden birch bark canoe from early morning til night. Most days, you eat boiled corn and grease; once in a while, there is wild rice or a little pemmican. Now you must lift at least two heavy packs of trade goods and start trotting over the long portage of nineteen poses! Sacre! There will be aching backs and sore legs tonight in camp. And it will take at least three, perhaps seven days to carry all of the canoes, packs, and supplies over this rough portage!
Ah, but the job of portaging is not a continual test of strength and will. There is time to rest and smoke my pipe. We will sing chansons around our campfire tonight and talk about the young ladies back in faroff Quebec. Soon, we will be paddling on the broad Mississippi River enroute to the lake where we will build a trading post and spend the winter. There, we will assist in trading with the Ojibway Indians for their furs. Our work won't be so hard then; there will be time to rest and grow strong again.
The first pause (pose) (pipe): The grand Portage began on a river flat a short distance west of the St. louis-Carlton County boundary. This point was also a short distance east of the mouth of the Little River. At the start of the portage, it was necessary to climb a steep clay hill about seven stories high by means of hand and foot holds in the clay. The first pause (pose) (pipe) was on top of this hill.
A 20 pause, pose, pipe was about 10 miles long, a pause being about a half mile long, after your work was done, the hauling for a half mile, you got a break, a pause, a pose, or time to smoke your pipe.
The photo that follows, river on fire, is the location of this historical marker! : )
20 pipes or so
Along an obscure trail in Jay Cooke Park, there is this Historical Marker. Kind of interesting being so far off the beaten path, but a nice bit of history of the area!
The Grand Portage of the St. Louis River
Imagine that you are Jean Baptiste Gagnon, a French Canadian voyageur. It is June, 1800, and you serve the North West Company which dominates the regional fur trade. Some days, you paddle a heavily laden birch bark canoe from early morning til night. Most days, you eat boiled corn and grease; once in a while, there is wild rice or a little pemmican. Now you must lift at least two heavy packs of trade goods and start trotting over the long portage of nineteen poses! Sacre! There will be aching backs and sore legs tonight in camp. And it will take at least three, perhaps seven days to carry all of the canoes, packs, and supplies over this rough portage!
Ah, but the job of portaging is not a continual test of strength and will. There is time to rest and smoke my pipe. We will sing chansons around our campfire tonight and talk about the young ladies back in faroff Quebec. Soon, we will be paddling on the broad Mississippi River enroute to the lake where we will build a trading post and spend the winter. There, we will assist in trading with the Ojibway Indians for their furs. Our work won't be so hard then; there will be time to rest and grow strong again.
The first pause (pose) (pipe): The grand Portage began on a river flat a short distance west of the St. louis-Carlton County boundary. This point was also a short distance east of the mouth of the Little River. At the start of the portage, it was necessary to climb a steep clay hill about seven stories high by means of hand and foot holds in the clay. The first pause (pose) (pipe) was on top of this hill.
A 20 pause, pose, pipe was about 10 miles long, a pause being about a half mile long, after your work was done, the hauling for a half mile, you got a break, a pause, a pose, or time to smoke your pipe.
The photo that follows, river on fire, is the location of this historical marker! : )