Ot'esh'otchore

Ot'esh'otchore, also known as Methye Portage or Portage La Loche, crosses the height of land between Lac La Loche and the Clearwater River. This long carrying route joins the Churchill and Athabasca river systems, and thus the waters flowing toward Hudson Bay and the Arctic Ocean. Its northern end descends steeply into the Clearwater valley. Dene and Cree travelers knew the route long before European traders reached it.

In 1778 Indigenous guides brought the trader Peter Pond across the portage, opening a direct route for the fur trade into the Athabasca country. Canoes and loads had to be carried across the divide, an arduous task that became a regular part of the journey northwest. Brigades from the north could exchange their furs at Rendezvous Lake, near the steep descent, with crews bringing trade goods from the south. By the 1820s boats were kept at either end, sparing travelers the work of carrying them over the portage.