Richard and Pierre ditch Crazy James to talk about the Grand Portage. We make it all the way to Pigeon Falls. In the 17th century, Grand Portage became a major center of the fur trade. The "Grand Portage" got its name because a major canoe fur trade route of the voyageurs heading West left the Great Lakes from here. The route begins with a fabled nine-mile portage, where the canoes and equipment were carried over land.