Voorhis Interactive: Posts of the Trade

Fort La Chine   Fr GMaps
ID: 343  Voorhis Number: 283 ;   Location: Quebec, Canada [45.433, -73.6818] ;    Founded: 1671 , Closed: NA .

French fort built 1671 at head of Lachine rapids nine miles above Montreal. In the seigniory of La Salle. Mentioned in Bougainville's List 1757 who says that houses and stores of the King were located there. A King's post. The settlement was begun by La Salle in 1666 and the name La Chine refers to his belief that the Ottawa river led to the "Mer de l'Ouest" and thence to China. The fort was later named Fort Remy until 1760. In 1689 the settlement suffered from an incursion of the Iroquois when 200 inhabitants of the settlement were massacred and the village burned. Lachine became the centre of the fur trade before the cession of Canada and, afterwards, especially so under the North West Co. The Hudson's Bay Co. after union with the North West Co. in 1821, continued the trading post, called Lachine House, as centre of the fur trade via the St. Lawrence river, although the outlet for western furs was York Factory. The St-Lawrence-Ottawa River route was continued by the Hudson's Bay Co. for some time after the amalgamation in 1821 for local needs, and later the Lakes route and Yonge street portage (Toronto). But this route gradually declined in favour of James Bay. In 1851 Sir George Simpson's house was at Lachine and it was then the headquarters for the fur trade.

Canoes for the Grand Portage started from La Chine. These large canoes, called "Maitre Canôts", were of four tons burden and were manned by 8 to 10 men. They left La Chine in May, via Ottawa river, to Machilimackinac for additional supplies and provisions and arrived at Grand Portage early in July.



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