Fort Kaministiquia
| Fort Kaministiquia | |
|---|---|
| in northwestern Ontario, Canada | |
| Built | 1717 |
Fort Camanistigoyan, now standardized as Fort Kaministiquia, located at the mouth of the Kaministiquia River on Lake Superior in what is now northwestern Ontario, Canada, was established in 1717 by Zacharie Robutel de la Noue following the restoration of the system of trading permits (congés) by declaration of the King dated 28 April 1716.[1]
It was built near the post first established by Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut in 1684/85, and subsequently abandoned in 1696 when, due to a surplus of beaver, the system of fur trade permits was abolished and many western fur trade posts abandoned.[2]
Fort Kaministiquia was to be the first in a series of forts reaching westward to expand trade. It would also be the starting point for an organized search for a water route which French authorities hoped would lead them to the western sea (Mer de l'Ouest).[3] The expansion did not proceed further until Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye became commandant in 1728. He began to make plans to expand westward and began his explorations in 1731. This led to a fort at Grand Portage and Fort St. Pierre in that year. In 1732 the next important link in the movement west was built on Lake of the Woods. It was called Fort St. Charles.
Fort Kaministiquia continued to be the first link with the expansion forts. The North West Company constructed a new fort, Fort William, at this location in 1803. The city of Thunder Bay now occupies the area where Fort Kaministiquia provided the base for so much western history.
A map drawn in 1802 by military engineer Ralph Henry Bruyeres (1765–1814) showing the location of the French forts has been reproduced in Jean F. Morrison, Superior rendez-vous place : Fort William in the Canadian fur trade. Toronto : Natural Heritage Books, 2007, page 26. 1st ed. appeared in 2001. The original sketch map may be found in the National Map Collection of Library and Archives Canada.
[edit] References
- ^ Nive Voisine, Robutel de la Noue, Zacharie, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, v. 2 (1701-1740); Gratien Allaire, "Les engagements pour la traite des fourrures : évaluation de la documentation," Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française, 34 (juin 1980), 10.
- ^ Allaire, "Engagements", 9
- ^ "Auchagah", Dictionary of Canadian Biography, II, 1701-1740 http://www.biographi.ca
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 48°23′36″N 89°14′23″W / 48.39333°N 89.23972°W
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