The Ojibwas (oh-JIB-ways) named this area "gitche onigaming," meaning "great carrying place" or "great portage," because canoers took a trail through the area to avoid the steep and dangerous falls on the Pigeon River. With so much traffic carrying canoes around the falls—Ojibwes, voyageurs and other fur traders, and traveling merchants—the savvy North West Company established a post, making Grand Portage (PORT-ihj) a commercial center for more than 30 years. Today, the Grand Portage National Monument reenacts the history of the region.