Mewinzha · Long ago
A History Measured in Centuries
The Spirit Little Cedar Tree is one of the oldest known living things on the North Shore — its story braids Anishinaabe tradition, the fur-trade era, and a modern effort by the Grand Portage Band to protect it.
- Time immemorial
A sacred sentinel
Long before written records, the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and Cree honored the cedar at Hat Point as a dwelling place of spirit. Travelers paused here before venturing onto the open, dangerous waters of Lake Superior, leaving offerings of tobacco to ask for safe passage and good fishing.
- 1731
The first written record
French-Canadian explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de la Vérendrye, noted the cedar during his expeditions through the Grand Portage region — and described it as already a mature tree. That single line places the tree's age today at well over three centuries.
- 18th–19th c.
The fur-trade crossroads
Grand Portage — Gichi-Onigaming, “the Great Carrying Place” — became a hub of the North American fur trade. Voyageurs and Ojibwe families alike passed Hat Point, and the cedar continued to receive offerings from those setting out across the inland sea.
- c. 1922
The name “Witch Tree”
The nickname is not Ojibwe. Minnesota artist Dewey Albinson is credited with first calling it the “Witch Tree” after painting its wind-twisted form. The name spread widely — but the tree's true name remains Manidoo-giizhikens, the Spirit Little Cedar Tree.
- 1989–1990
“Friends of the Witch Tree”
Facing damage from heavy visitation, climbing, and vandalism, Band members organized to rescue the tree. The Grand Portage Band acquired the land in 1989, raising roughly $85,000 — with the final payment made in May 1990 — to secure the site for future generations.
- Today
Protected sacred ground
The site is closed to general public access. Visiting the tree on foot is permitted only in the company of a member of the Grand Portage Band. Most people now experience it respectfully from the water or through the work of Grand Portage photographers.
Continue to why the tree is sacred →