It was one of the most
important portages on the old Fur Trade Route as it opened up the pelt rich Mackenzie
trapping area to the fur trade. The Voyageurs would cross Lac Laloche in their freighter
canoes and haul the canoes and their trade goods 13 miles up a gradual but persistent
slope until they arrived at Rendevous Lake.
The Trappers from the Mackenzie
would come down the Athabaska River from Lake Athabaska, to Ft McMurray, in Alberta, and
switch waterways into the Clearwater River where they would travel Eastward to a point
opposite Rendezvous Lake. Here they would climb 1 mile up the steep Clearwater
Valley Wall, arriving at Rendezvous Lake shortly after reaching the top. Their
1 mile haul was considered equal labour to the Voyageur's 13 mile haul across the rest
of the portage.