History
Voyageurs National Park was established in 1975, but the stories of people who lived in this place stretch much farther back in time. People came into this region thousands of years ago-- after the last of the glaciers had melted away and left this low landscape of expansive lakes and wetlands.
Many people called this place home before the European demand for beaver pelts brought fur traders into the region. The French-Canadian canoe men, the voyageurs who paddled large birch bark canoes carrying trade goods and furs between the Canadian northwest and Montreal, continue to inspire the imagination of today's park visitors. But this landscape was also home to people that sought to make their living off the land here through logging, mining, commercial fishing, and recreation. Click on the History Info links to learn more about the colorful past of what is now Voyageurs National Park.