Fort St. Pierre
Encyclopedia
Fort Saint Pierre was the first fort built west of Fort Kaministiquia
by Pierre La Vérendrye
in northwestern Ontario
. La Vérendrye, the first western commander, built it in 1731
at the beginning of his explorations. As military officer, La Vérendrye had multiple responsibilities, and he created forts as outposts to support France's fur trade
with the indigenous peoples
. In addition, he was searching for a western inland sea which he believed connected to the Pacific Ocean
. The fort was located at the west end of Rainy Lake
near the mouth of Rainy River
. (The British
built Fort Frances there in 1817.) The La Vérendrye expedition included his four sons and nephew, as well as other troops.
The construction took place in the fall, supervised by La Vérendrye's nephew Christopher Dufrost de La Jemeraye
and his eldest son Jean Baptiste de La Vérendrye
, while the father returned to Fort Kaministiquia for the winter. Although considered more symbolic than economic, the fort provided an early link in the important trade route from Montreal
to the West
.
La Colle
, a Monsoni chief who assisted La Vérendrye a great deal, made his main camp in the vicinity of the fort. He and his warrior
s helped control the Sioux
of the Prairies in the period when La Vérendrye was leading expeditions and fort building westward.
The fort no longer exists.
Fort Kaministiquia
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 by...
by Pierre La Vérendrye
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye
Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye was a French Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer. In the 1730s he and his four sons opened up the area west of Lake Superior and thus began the process that added Western Canada to the original New France in the Saint Lawrence basin...
in northwestern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. La Vérendrye, the first western commander, built it in 1731
1731 in Canada
-Events:* 1731: Fort St. Pierre on Rainy Lake established by Christopher Dufrost de La Jemeraye and Jean Baptiste de La Vérendrye. This was the first fort in La Verendrye's expansion of the "Posts of the West"....
at the beginning of his explorations. As military officer, La Vérendrye had multiple responsibilities, and he created forts as outposts to support France's fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
with the indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples
Indigenous peoples are ethnic groups that are defined as indigenous according to one of the various definitions of the term, there is no universally accepted definition but most of which carry connotations of being the "original inhabitants" of a territory....
. In addition, he was searching for a western inland sea which he believed connected to the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. The fort was located at the west end of Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake is a relatively large freshwater lake that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity for US and Canadian locations. The U.S...
near the mouth of Rainy River
Rainy River (Minnesota-Ontario)
The Rainy River is a river, approximately long, which forms part of the U.S.-Canada border separating northern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario....
. (The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
built Fort Frances there in 1817.) The La Vérendrye expedition included his four sons and nephew, as well as other troops.
The construction took place in the fall, supervised by La Vérendrye's nephew Christopher Dufrost de La Jemeraye
Christopher Dufrost de La Jemeraye
Christopher Dufrost de La Jemeraye ,, was the lieutenant and nephew of Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye in the exploratory party which headed west from Fort Kaministiquia in 1731. He and Jean Baptiste de La Vérendrye established Fort St...
and his eldest son Jean Baptiste de La Vérendrye
Jean Baptiste de La Vérendrye
Jean-Baptiste Gaultier de la Vérendrye was the eldest son of Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye and Marie-Anne Dandonneau Du Sablé...
, while the father returned to Fort Kaministiquia for the winter. Although considered more symbolic than economic, the fort provided an early link in the important trade route from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to the West
West
West is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
.
La Colle
La Colle
You may be looking for La Colle, Monaco, a district of the Principality of Monaco.----La Colle, was a Monsoni chief who is known in Canadian history for this period because of the writings of La Vérendrye....
, a Monsoni chief who assisted La Vérendrye a great deal, made his main camp in the vicinity of the fort. He and his warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s helped control the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
of the Prairies in the period when La Vérendrye was leading expeditions and fort building westward.
The fort no longer exists.
See also
- Chronology of the War of 1812Chronology of the War of 1812-Origins:-1812:-1813:-1814:-1815:-External links:********...
- War of 1812 CampaignsWar of 1812 CampaignsThe following is a synopsis of the Land Campaigns of the War of 1812. The source is the United States Army Center of Military History-Canada, 18 June 1812 — 17 February 1815:...
- List of forts
- War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
- Upper CanadaUpper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...