In a commemoration of the great mid-summer gatherings during the fur trade era, Grand Portage National Monument will host the 2009 Rendezvous Days and Pow Wow starting this Friday.
The celebration, which continues through Sunday, includes reenactments, traditional craft demonstrations, and ceremonial pow wow dances.
General information on the event can be found HERE; a schedule of activities is HERE.
In the late 18th and early 19th Centuries, mid-summer rendezvous were part of the annual cycle at Grand Portage. Traders over-wintering on the lands north and west of Grand Portage, brought a year’s worth of furs with them to Grand Portage for transit to Montreal. At the post on Lake Superior, they were paid for their efforts, gathered manufactured goods for the next year’s trading, and celebrated with friends and colleagues.
Photo by the National Park Service.