An Indian tribe that hired out to the fur traders to portage for them at Methye (and many other places) were known as the "Carrier Indians" (sometimes also called "the Dakelh").  That is not to say the fur traders didn't move their own stuff much of the time, too (probably most of the time). 

The Methye Portage was already infamous by the time Sir Alexander Mackenzie used it to do the first-ever crossing of the North American continent, more than a dozen years before Lewis & Clark managed it a little further south.  In fact, Lewis & Clark had the benefit of some of Mackenzie's maps for their later crossing.

Anyway, I've always had an affinity for the "Carrier Indians."  I think of them often when dealing with the more troublesome Quetico & WCPP portages, wishing they were around to hire out. 

If you are looking for some fascinating historical reads, look no further than accounts dealing with Canadian frontier figures the likes of Mackenzie, Peter Pond, George Simpson, and especially David Thompson.  They are packed full of adventure, canoeing legends, and Dakelh... the Carrier Indians.

Jimbo