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Below are Quotes from 19th century travelers. Quotes will be listed chronologically and will have a brief annotation.

"Until now, owing to lack of time and to sickness, I have been unable to make any observations on the country and the Savages, but as I am better today I will begin by saying that of all the spots and places I have seen in my thirteen years’ of travels, this is the most horrid and most sterile. The Portage road is truly that to heaven because it is narrow, full of overturned trees, obstacles, thorns, and muskegs. Men who go over it loaded and who are obliged to carry baggage over it, certainly deserve to be called “men.”
This vile portage is inhabited solely by owls, because no other animal could find a living there, and the hoots of those solitary birds are enough to frighten an angel or intimidate a Casear." 1804

"26th Sunday. Yesterday we crossed the Portage des Six Poses and that of the village of la Tortue and, at one o’clock this afternoon we reached the Grand Portage of the Montreal River1 where my canoe was broken, and we are obliged to camp in order to allow four packs to dry that got wet. The two portages we crossed are exceedingly bad and the Savages tell me this one is still worse." 180

"A lake of considerable size is connected with Turtle Lake on the northeast by a river. In Lake Du Flambeau the Southwest Company have an establishment of five traders and twenty hands, the return from which last season was about fifty packs. It lies from Turtle Lake near southeast. The route is from the mouth of the Montreal to Turtle Lake, from which there is a portage one-fourth of a mile to a small pond, thence up the outlet of a small lake one-fourth of a mile, from which a portage of three miles is made to the Old Plantation River. This is descended eighteen miles to the entrance of the Rivière du Flambeau,..."

"Our passage across these lakes was short probably not exceeding two miles. Here we reached
the portage which was to take us to the Chippeway river. As before I took the baggage while my man took the canoe, and commenced ourmarch, hoping to reach the river, which was three of four miles distant, before we encamped. After we left the lake, we ascended on to high ground, which was covered with a heavy growth of hemlock and hard wood it was nearly sundown before we left the lake, and the darkness overtook us so soon, that we were obliged to encamp before we reached the river. We laid down our loads and kindled a fire and prepared to make ourselves as comfortable as possible. We were near a tamarack swamp, which produced a damp and unpleasant atmosphere during the night. The weather had become considerable cool during the preceeding [sic] after noon, of which I was not aware till too late to provide a sufficient quantity of wood to keep a fire
during the whole night, and our encampment being in the open air and not sufficient by trees, a single blanket was not sufficient to shield me from the cold and frost, and I passed a rather uncomfortable night. 20. This morning as soon as light, we recommenced our march through a swamp of mud and water. Every thing was covered with frost, and the ground through the swamp was slightly stiffened by the cold of the night. The water which immediately pierced the deer skin shoes, which [I] wore on my feet was extremely cold and uncomfortable. In about an hour we reached the Chippeway river, and were soon floating down its rapid current, and in two or three hours we reached the mouth of the Lac du Flamabeau river, which we began to ascend, to-
wards the lake and the termination of our journey."

Thomas Jefferson Cram 1842 was a government agent in charge of surveying the modern border between Wiscconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan. Cram was overwehlmed by his task and after striking the East Branch of the Montreal River traveled southeast to Trout Lake via 6-Pause Portage to Triagulate his survey between Lac Vieux Desert and the East Branch of the Montreal. Cram makes no real mention of the portage trail due to his fatigue and extensive notes on the border.

"The next day we continued on our course to the eastward. After a short distance by water, made another portage of 2‡ miles with the canoes, part of it through a deep tamarack swamp, and launched them into the main branch of the Chippewa river. This stream appeared to be about 30 feet wide where we struck it, rapid and quite deep, and, I understand, can be descended from Trout lake in canoes the whole way to the Mississippi, with but a few portages around falls or rapids."

J. G. Norwood 1847 was a geologist who also surveyed the interior region for mineral wealth and was asttached to the Owen Expedition. Norwood kept an extensive journal of his travels with the greatest detail. His map is outstanding and was drawn by an Ojibwe with many lakes and portages written in native language. Norwood kept great journals of all his travels and was the most scientific in his record of 6-Pause Portage. Norwood's work is the most comprehensive regarding the Turtle Portage, the Flambeau Trail and Turtle Band of the Ojibwe.

"The outlet from Little Turtle lake is through a very narrow channel connecting it with another lake, which we crossed, and came to the beginning of what is known as "Six Pause portage." As the voyagers had to make a double portage, we took our packs and walked on to its termination, at the east branch of the Chippewa river, or as it is commonly called the Manidowish, where we arrived at noon. The trail runs over a sand barren, with the exception of the last half mile, which runs through one of the worst tamerack swamps I have ever seen. A few stunted pines, with the occasional patches of course grass, is the only vegetation supported on the high grounds.
The Manidowish river at this point comes from the northeast, is deep and clear, about thirty feet wide, and winds through the centre of a broad wet meadow, with grass from two to five feet high. After the portage was made, we descended the river four miles, though probably not more than one mile in a direct line from the portage to a favorable place for a camping ground."