Where is the Monument?

The flag of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa stands with the US and Minnesota state flags at the entrance to the Heritage Center.

NPS Photo / GM Spoto

What is a “national monument”?

A “national monument” protects “objects of historic or scientific interest that are situated on lands owned or controlled by the Federal Government” (54 U.S.C. § 320301, known as the Antiquities Act). If the national monument is administered by the National Park Service (NPS), as many national monuments are, it is subject to the same laws and policies as govern other units of the National Park System. Thus, an NPS national monument is a protected area similar to a national park, administered for the protection and enjoyment of its resources and values. National Monuments are often established by the President instead of by Congressional Act. Grand Portage National Monument, however, was established by an act of Congress.

How does an area become a national monument?

To be established by the President, the area must meet the criteria of the Antiquities Act (54 U.S.C § 320301), including having objects of historic or scientific interest located on land already owned or controlled by the Federal government. The views of the public are carefully considered in the process. National monuments can also be created by Congress under their own enabling statutes, rather than the Antiquities Act. National monuments can be administered by Federal agencies other than NPS. The Presidential proclamation or Congressionally-enacted statute creating the national monument typically indicates which Federal agency will administer it.

Grand Portage: Historic Site or Monument?

Grand Portage was designated a National Historic Site by the Secretary of the Interior in 1951. The documentation efforts of the area by federal, state, and local investigations increased the awareness of the region’s contribution to international history. Over the next seven years the National Park Service funded projects to improve visitor access to the site, including woodland clearing along the trail and installation of footbridges and walkways. In 1958, Congress authorized the establishment of Grand Portage as a federally owned and administered National Monument. This establishment included a donation of approximately half the land by the Grand Portage Band of Minnesota Chippewa (the Band) and the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe (MCT).

Read about the Annual Funding Agreement