Lob trees

Branches were lopped (or lobbed) off the trees just below the top to make them more conspicuous.

They were located at important places along canoe routes to indicate a portage, trail, or direction to a fur trading post.

Often the tree was named in recognition of a famous explorer, a bourgeois (trading company official), or a voyageur who had performed bravely.

[1] Research has shown that this was adopted from earlier First Nations tribes who practised this form of marking.

Though most of them have died, there are still a few that can be found in the Quetico Provincial Park.