Fort La Reine

A map of the area of operations of the La Vérendrye family.

Fort La Reine
Established	1738
Location	Portage La Prairie Manitoba Canada
Type	historic site
Website	www.fortlareinemuseum.ca/

Fort La Reine was built in 1738, one of the forts of the western expansion directed by Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye, first military commander in the west of what is now known as Canada. Located on the Assiniboine River where present day Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, stands, the fort served as a fur trading post. It was also the base of operations for much exploration north and west. From Fort La Reine, explorers made their way to Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis, Lake Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan River.

Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye, the youngest La Vérendrye son, led expeditions from Fort La Reine and built the following western installations in what is now Manitoba: Fort Dauphin, Fort Bourbon, Fort Paskoya, and Fort de la Corne. In 1743, the fort was also the starting point for an exploration of the upper Missouri River as far as the Yellowstone River.

The first priest to travel this far west arrived at the fort in 1743. He was a Jesuit named Claude-Godefroy Coquart.

Fort la Reine Museum

Today there is a museum named after the original fort located in Portage la Prairie, MB. There is a replica of Fort la Reine on the Museum in addition numerous other buildings covering local history from the time of La Vérendrye to current day.

The Museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.

References

• Manitoba Historical Society - La Vérendrye
• Manitoba Historical Society - Timeline
• Fort la Reine Museum