Voorhis Interactive: Posts of the Trade

Fort Ile-à-la Crosse   FT GMaps
ID: 280  Voorhis Number: 235 ;   Location: Saskatchewan, Canada [54.4058, -107.9] ;    Founded: 1776 , Closed: NA .
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Hudson's Bay Co. fort on lake Ile-à-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan. At the bottom of a little bay opening eastward near south end of lake at end of long tongue of land and on west shore of lake at the mouth of Deep river or channel connecting with Clear lake. A little farther north is the site of former H. B. Co. fort.

Numerous trading posts of forts were built on the shores of Ile-à-la-Crosse lake by free traders, North West Co., and Hudson's Bay Co. The first fort was built by Thomas Frobisher on a peninsula on the west side of the lake in 1776, where the H. B. Co. fort was afterward built. In 1791, the North West Co. built on the west shore and in 1790 the Hudson's Bay Co. also constructed a fort, shown on Turner's map 1790 (No. 106). This fort was seized and burned by the "Canadians" about 1808. It was rebuilt by Fidler for the Hudson's Bay Co. in 1809. It was again seized by the North West Co. in 1817 and the occupants were imprisoned. Harmon was at the fort in August 1808 and described it as well-built. David Thompson was there in 1804. The Hudson's Bay Co. have maintained their fort since 1790.

Surrounding the lake the country is low and swampy. To the north, at the portage La Loche, the hills rise to 1000 feet. The name of the lake is derived from an island opposite the post where the Indians played lacrosse.

The location of the fort is shown on map of Dept. of the Interior 1908-9 (No. 124) and on Geological map of Tyrrell 1895 (No. 41) also on Arrowsmith maps 1832 (No. 101), 1850 (No 100), 1857 (No. 8).



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