The Canadian First Nations communities had traversed the Great Lakes shorelines for centuries before colonial settlers became an integral part of their lives. Vast and complex trading networks and alliances spanned Turtle Island, connecting the coasts to the plains and everywhere a canoe could feasibly reach. These trading networks extended beyond food, animal hides, and stone tools. Indigenous metallurgy was an important practice that First Nations held close. As described in Hodson and Hedican's paper "Almost Forgotten" in the TBHMS Papers and Records, Indigenous prospectors mined copper ore from Isle Royale and the shorelines of Lake Superior that would be smelted, refined, and polished for trading within the Nations. This copper was used in hunting tools such as axes, spearheads, blades, and chisels. It was also used in jewellery such as bracelets, beads, and earrings. The ingots served medicinal purposes as well, and were worn for protection, good fortune in hunting, and survival in war. Soon, these Indigenous practices were diminished and lost as the French and British arrived on Turtle Island's east coast.
Enter European colonialism. Daniel Greysolon was a French explorer who travelled to New France in 1674, making his way west from Quebec through the Great Lakes and landing within the St. Croix and Mississippi river system. Through his travels on the western side of Lake Superior, Greysolon conducted peace talks with the Ojibwe and Sioux nations and eventually established a trading fortification at the mouth of the Kaministiquia River, named Fort Camanistigoyan, an unusual spelling but the one used at the time. This fort was eventually abandoned in 1696 when the French government suspended the fur trade due to a surplus of beaver pelts in their warehouses. Greysolon then left for Montreal, where he passed away in 1710.
In 1715, the fur trade ramped back up as demand returned. In 1717, Fort Kaministiquia was built near Greysolon's small fort on another part of the Kaministiquia delta. This new fort would become the headquarters that facilitated the westward expansion of the fur trade. The western trading route gradually transitioned from the Kaministiquia River to the Grand Portage, and the trade network expanded to modern-day Fort Frances and Rainy River. However, in 1758, this rendition of Fort Kaministiquia was also abandoned. The settlers left the area due to the ongoing conflict between the English and French, which led to the fall of New France.
In 1779, the North West Company (NWCo) was founded in Montreal with aims to re-establish trading posts across the Great Lakes. The North West Company took on Grand Portage and based their headquarters there. However, in 1796, the Jay Treaty between the United States and Britain was ratified, which solidified international boundaries around the Great Lakes that had been loosely followed until that point. These new boundaries meant that Grand Portage was now in US territory. The NWCo then moved their operations north to the Kaministiquia River in 1803, again re-establishing the grounds of Fort Kaministiquia. By 1807, the area was called Fort William after the North West Company superintendent and chief, William McGillivray. Each summer, the Fort William trading post hosted a rendezvous, a meeting held every July where trappers, traders, wintering partners, and agents of the NWCo would meet to conduct mass business.
Fourteen kilometres upstream of Fort William is what is known as Pointe de Meuron, the fourth post established in the Lakehead region's early history. Pointe de Meuron was fortified by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, more commonly known as Lord Selkirk. Lord Selkirk found himself in the Lakehead area due to ongoing hostilities between the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) and the NWCo. Rising tensions led to the Battle of Seven Oaks, where the Métis of modern-day Winnipeg and the NWCo fought against the HBC. It was a small but deadly battle on June 19, 1816; 21 of the HBC's 28 men were killed.
Lord Selkirk arrived in Fort William in August of 1816, where he captured the supply building and headquarters of the NWCo. He arrested multiple individuals on charges of murder during the Battle of Seven Oaks. These individuals were sent to York in Upper Canada to stand trial. They were acquitted, and all other charges were dropped. It was during this capture that Lord Selkirk appointed his soldiers, Swiss mercenaries of the De Meuron Regiment, to build a new defence post for the HBC to rival the NWCo; this area has since been known as Pointe de Meuron.
Unfortunately, in 1821, the NWCo was forced to merge with the Hudson's Bay Company as hostilities continued, and the rendezvous came to an end. Fort William's prominence slowly declined and it eventually became a minor post within the HBC. The buildings, infrastructure, and land were closed for good and sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883. In 1902, these buildings were demolished to make way for the expansion of the CPR facilities.
In celebration of the storied history of the fur trade within the Lakehead, the Fort William Historical Park opened its doors in 1973, modelled after the Fort William trading post as it existed in 1815. The park is situated at Pointe de Meuron, a significance that cannot be overstated given the origins of the land. Fort William Historical Park celebrates the traditions of the fur trading post. Each July, the park hosts the Great Rendezvous. This tradition is a full re-enactment of life at Fort William's original rendezvous and has hundreds of re-enactor participants who come from across the country. Activities include artisan workshops and demonstrations, contests, a grand canoe arrival, and much more. For more information, visit the Fort William Historical Park website or the Visit Thunder Bay Events Calendar.
Want to explore the City of Thunder Bay? The Thunder Bay Public Library has Attraction Passes available for all library patrons to use year-round, which include a family pass to the Fort William Historical Park; however, the FWHP Pass excludes the Great Rendezvous weekend. TBPL also has passes for the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Ontario Parks, Lakehead Region Conservation Area, and the Thunder Bay Museum. For more information on TBPL's Attraction Passes, please visit our website at tbpl.ca/things/.
If you would like to know more about the fur trade, the city's origins, or anything else about the history of our region, please reach out to the Research Department of the Brodie Resource Library by email at research@tbpl.ca.
Add a comment to: Fur Trade Turmoil | TBPL Research Blog