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La Vase Portages
The historic La Vase (Mud) Portages began at the head of the nearby pond. These three portages, connecting Trout Lake and the lower La Vase River, were linked by small navigable streams and ponds. They formed part of the great canoe route via the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers, Lake Nipissing and the French River, leading to the upper Great Lakes and the West, which was followed by the early explorers, missionaries and fur traders. Among many famous men who passed here were: Étienne Brûlé, 1600; Samuel de Champlain, 1605; Father Jean de Brébeuf, 1626; Jean Nicolet, 1634; Pierre de la Vérendrye, 1731; Alexander Henry, 1761; and Sir Alexander MacKenzie, 1802.
Location
On Highway 17, near the pond where the former portages began, about 4 km east of North Bay