West Fort Frances

EXPLORE THESE HERITAGE SITES IN WEST FORT FRANCES

Built near the falls at what was the site of the XY Company from 1800-1804, the Hudson's Bay Company maintained a post from 1818-1821.

Much of this central portion of Fort Frances was Hudson's Bay Company Reserve and included farming areas. After the fire that destroyed the post in 1903, the Bay sold its interests in this community.

Fort Frances Cemetery - Kings Highway

The Fort Frances Cemetery and St. Mary 's Cemetery are two of Fort Frances' four cemeteries; Riverview Cemetery and Holy Cross Cemetery are found further west on Colonization Road.
Under the supervision of the Fort Frances Parks Board, the cemeteries are recognized provincially for their beautiful flowers.

The Fort Frances Cemetery was established in 1897. In 1990 the oldest graves were re-interred into a site at the Riverview Cemetery due to the threat of bank erosion.

The Cenotaph in the Cemetery recognizes those who lost their lives in the World Wars. The Mortuary was constructed in 1925.

The Lady Frances Columbarium was erected on the site in 1998; the LaVerendrye Columbarium is found at the Riverview Cemetery.

Adjacent to the Columbarium is a monument marking the re-interment site of Hudson's Bay Company burials. In October 1984, while constructing a parking lot, the Boise Cascade Paper Company unearthed the remains of men and women from the old cemetery of the Fort Frances Hudson 's Bay Company Post (1814-1870). In 1998, the men and women were laid again to rest, less than a kilometre from their original interment.

Ontario Historical Plaques

145 Third Street West

Location: 145 Third Street West, Fort Frances

Lac la Pluie House 1818-1903. The Hudson 's Bay Company established Lac La Pluie House on this site to compete for furs with the North West Company 's Fort Lac La Pluie. After the two companies merged in 1821, only Lac La Pluie House continued in operation. It was renamed Fort Frances in 1830 after a visit by HBC Governor Sir George and Lady Frances Simpson. The post traded with local Ojibwa for furs, wild rice and isinglass (obtained from sturgeon). An important supply depot for expeditions travelling to the West and early settlers in the district, Fort Frances became a Hudson 's Bay Company store in 1898 and was destroyed by fire in 1903.

The Fort Frances Canal (1878)

Location: West End Park, Kings Highway, Fort Frances

Constructed in 1875-78, during Alexander MacKenzie's administration as part of a larger project to improve communication in the West, the Fort Frances canal provided unbroken transportation between Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods. It provided temporary connection with completed sections of the CPR; however, the importance of the canal diminished when the CPR route was altered to follow a more northerly direction. The nearby waterway facilitated steamship navigation until 1908, when it was incorporated into the adjacent dam and power development.

Fort Lac La Pluie or Rainy Lake House

Location: Keating Avenue, Fort Frances

Erected on or near this site some time between 1775-87 by the North West Company, and abandoned in 1821 at the time of the union with the Hudson 's Bay Company, the establishment included Athabaska House. This is the depot where, owing to the distances to be covered during the short travelling season, the traders from Montreal met those from the Athabaskan country and exchanged lading with them.