Fort La Reine — Uncover La Vérendrye's Lost Command

Your journey begins at Island Park, a central landmark in Portage la Prairie, where the pioneer monument greets you. This public park, located in the eastern part of the city, is strategically close to the Assiniboine River and the historic site of Fort La Reine. It is here that you receive your first instructions, preparing you to retrace the explorations of La Vérendrye and his sons, who, from the fort, ventured as far south as the Missouri River in 1743 and north towards the Saskatchewan River. The park serves as a gateway to this immersion into Manitoba's heritage, a National Historic Site of Canada designated in 1925.

The route then leads you to the Portage la Prairie City Hall, a historic building that reflects the city's evolution since the era of the explorers. Although the City Hall is not contemporary with the original Fort La Reine of 1738, it represents the continuity and urban development that followed the period of trappers and coureurs des bois. Your mission invites you to observe architectural details, which sometimes hide clues related to trade routes and alliances with Indigenous nations, essential for the success of posts like La Vérendrye's.

As you continue your exploration of Portage la Prairie, you pass by the Portage la Prairie Regional Library. This cultural venue, integrated into the historic district near Island Park, embodies the transmission of local knowledge and history. Imagine the accounts of Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre's travels, who, after the fort's abandonment in 1749, rebuilt it in 1751, before it was burned by Indigenous people in 1752. The library, through its presence, highlights the importance of documentation and collective memory for understanding the geopolitical and economic stakes of the Canadian West in the 18th century.

Your itinerary also takes you to the Portage la Prairie Railway Station, a historic train station that, although more recent than Fort La Reine, is located downtown, near the original site. This point of interest allows you to visualize the transformations of transportation and trade in the region. The fort, built by Pierre Gaultier de La Vérendrye in October 1738 on the north bank of the Assiniboine River, aimed to intercept Indigenous trade towards English posts. The station, centuries later, continues this function as a crossroads, connecting Manitoba to the rest of Canada.

Finally, your quest brings you to the Fort la Reine Museum, which houses a replica of the fort built in 1967 as a centenary project. It is here that you find the only physical model of La Vérendrye's fort, with its two bastions, stables, trading post, and wooden fortification wall, reproducing the original 1738 structure. This site, designated a National Historic Site of Canada, highlights Franco-Dakota relations and explorations to the north and west. Your journey concludes with a deep understanding of this advanced post, whose stone commemorative cairn marks the original location at 49.95120, -98.32760, a testament to Portage la Prairie's heritage.