Which US national park in Minnesota is named after French-Canadian fur traders?

Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota is named after the French-Canadian fur traders who traveled its waterways by canoe.

The word “voyageur” means traveler in French. In the North American fur trade, voyageurs were hired canoe crews who transported trade goods and furs through the Great Lakes and interior waterways. The park’s interconnected lakes, rocky islands, forests, and portage routes formed part of this historic transportation network.

The park was established in 1975 and lies along Minnesota’s northern border with Canada. Its largest lakes include Rainy, Kabetogama, Namakan, and Sand Point. The region’s waterways were important to Indigenous peoples long before European fur traders arrived, so the voyageur story is one part of a much older human history.

A common mix-up is confusing Voyageurs National Park with Superior National Forest, which is also in northern Minnesota but is not named for fur traders. Isle Royale National Park is in Michigan, while Apostle Islands National Lakeshore is in Wisconsin.