For 200 years the tumultuous Slave River played a major role in the transport of people and goods to the North. The 434-kilometre long Slave River connects the drainages of Lake Athabasca and the Peace River to Great Slave Lake. Its 30 kilometre stretch of rapids were the only major obstacle along this gateway north and resulted in the creation of the Fitz-Smith portage. The towns of Fort Smith and Fort Fitzgerald grew at either end of the rapids as the demand for labour on the portages increased. The islands in the middle of the tumultuous Slave River rapids are also home to the most northern colony of white pelicans in the world.