Historical Reflections

This hardy voyageur was one of many to participate in the ax-throwing contest at the 1980 Grand Portage Rendezvous Days. The event at Grand Portage National Monument also featured canoe races of five brigades of voyageurs who started at Hat Point and paddled in perfect rhythm, 60 strokes per minute, to the finish line at the monument’s pier. Other activities reported in the News-Herald included pack carrying, barrel rolling, Indian wrestling, and even a few fights among the uncultured “coureurs des bois.”