Introduction
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Voyageurs National
Park is part of an historically dynamic
region. The park encompasses 218,000 acres
along the U.S-Canada border east of International
Falls, Minnesota. This area includes a chain
of four major lakes, which have been used
over the last 9,000 years by Native Americans,
and in historic times by trappers and traders
of non-native descent as well. |
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Abandoned log house on the eastern portion
of Chief Woodenfrog’s Island, 1947.
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| During this time the primary
or sole Native American inhabitants of the
area now subsumed by the park were the Chippewa
(synonymous with Ojibwa, or Ojibwe).Through
the course of over 20 years of work with
archeological, historic, and oral history
data at and near Voyageurs National Park,
researchers have unfolded information about
the history of the Bois Forte Ojibwe not
at all apparent from any single line of
evidence.
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Ogema quaince, 1929 at age 102.
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MWAC archeologist Jeffrey
Richner has headed projects
in the park for compliance and inventory
reasons, discovering historic sites
in the process. Late 19th and early
20th century Bois Forte occupation
contradicted assumptions based upon
middle 19th century treaties. These
treaties appear to have restricted
the people to living on reservations,
away from the park area. These sites
prompted Richner to investigate historic
records and archeological resources
in a comprehensive and detailed manner,
bringing together divergent sets of
information. As a result, a clearer
picture of historic, off reservation
Bois Forte land use, settlement, and
social structure in what is now the
park area is emerging. Work on this
project continues today. NEXT
>>
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These images are for personal, educational, and/or research use
only and may not, under any
circumstances, be copied or
printed for commercial or for-profit
use. | |
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