A Fort Frances Tour - Discover the History

Heritage Map guides you through Community History.

Pick up your map at the Fort Frances Museum to learn more about heritage sites, buildings, murals, and plaques. From the eastern shores of the Rainy Lake Causeway the map guides you through Pither’s Point Park, the LaVerendrye Parkway and through the downtown to sites in the west end.

Find out were the Ontario Heritage Foundation plaques that dot the town are and spend some time on the LaVerendrye Parkway were Heritage panels tell of the history of LaVerendrye, the sorting gap, boating excursions and fishing along the river.

COUCHICHING FIRST NATION



A Chief and six Councillors, who are elected under the Indian Act, govern Couchiching First Nation. The First Nation’s political organization is with Grand Council Treaty #3. The population is 790 with 633 being on-reserve status, and 137 being off reserve.

Treaty #3 of October 3, 1873 between the Dominion of Canada and the Saulteaux tribe of Ojibways and others ceded 55,000 square miles lying west of the Great Lakes and a small portion of SE Manitoba.

Lady of Lourdes, Roman Catholic Church, Couchiching First Nation

Originally built in 1898, a second church was built in 1914 and was run by Jesuit Missionaries. This church burned down in 1920. A new building was erected in 1948 and stands on the foundation of the original church.

Noyons post in 1688 makes Fort Frances the oldest settlement

of continued existence west of Lake Superior.

EXPLORE THESE HERITAGE SITES, Pither’s Point Park

PITHER’s POINT PARKLocated on the shores of Rainy Lake, the Pither’s Point is on Sand Bay, featuring a large swimming area. Camping and recreation facilities in the park include a baseball diamond, volley ball area and horseshoe pits.

Originally set aside under Treaty #3 as a farm reserve, the area later became a general reserve. A summer campground was established where the natives could hold their accustomed meetings and transact their business at the Indian Agency residence.

Named for RJN Pither, the Point has been a centre of recreation in Fort Frances since the Town secured a lease on the property in 1910.

Robert J. N. Pither. Pither’s Point Park, East Fort Frances.

Born in Montreal, Pither joined the Hudson Bay Company in 1846. While in charge at Fort Frances in 1853-56 and 1858-64 he lived in this vicinity (now Pither’s Point). On his retirement from the company in 1909, he served as Indian agent at Fort Frances and later at Rat Portage (Kenora). In 1873 he assisted in negotiating a treaty with the Ojibwa for cession of 55,000 square miles of territory including much of this part of Ontario.

A timber structure having two opposing gates and tow bastions. Inside the fifty pace stockade were two main buildings each of which had two rooms heated by a double fireplace. There was a store room in one of the two bastions and also a powder magazine in the enclosure. An eleveated seven foot walkway (chemin de rounde) ran around the interior from bastion to bastion. A double row of pickets 13 feet high surrounded the buildings.

Pither’s Point Park Burial Mound Site

The site immediately adjacent theLookout Tower was once a Burial Mound.

Created some 400 years ago the site was excavated in 1959 by the Royal Ontario Museum. Since the damming of the falls on the river, the water on Rainy Lake and the Upper Rainy River had been elevated to such an extent that the errosion of the river bank was causing the Burial Mound to be washed away. The excavation revealed artifacts related to the Old Copper Culture, the Assiniboine, and the Ojibway. Fur Trade artifacts including beads andmetal objects were also unearthed.

The Lookout Tower

The 33 meter (100 foot) tower was originally a radar and a lookout tower located near Atkikokan. In1972, James Wrench Towse, an Industrial Development Commissioner, had the tower moved and assembled at Pither’s Point Park as a tourist attraction. Later, the two bottomlevels were enclosed and in 19 became the base of the Museum’s collection during the summer months when the Museum was located in the Library.

The Logging Tug Hallett

The Hallett was the largest and most powerful boat on Rainy Lake. The 60 foot, 57 ton boat was built by Russell Brothers of Owen Sound. After construction, the boat was transported in pieces by railway flat car and reassembled here for the Pulp and Paper Mill.

The Hallett was later modified to make it more suitable for pulling booms across the Lake. A change from a single to a double rudder was necessary to make the boat stable, an early towing attempt laid the boat on its side. Other renovations occured, including once as a result of fire. Descpite the engines being changed and other minor alterations, the Hallett’s essential function remained unchanded until its retirement.

The Hallett was used extensively in hauling logs until 1974. During an average year, teh Hallett made twenty round trips of one hundred miles each, hauling 70,000 to 90,000 cords of wood a year in average tows of 4-5,000 cords of wood, a mile in size. Modernization of woodland operations and environmental concernsled to the demise of the lake drive. It became more economical to use a pulp truck, carrying 40 cords per load to bring logs for paper production.

In 1983, the Hallett was placed in Pither’s Point Park. Restoration was completed by the Fort Frances Museum

EXPLORE THESE HERITAGE SITES

On the LaVerendrye Parkway

LaVerendrye Parkway

The upper Rainy River had originally been the site of travel for the First Nations, soon the fur traders followed the route to reach the trading posts located below the falls.

Ship builders arrived at the site and such businesses as Russel Brothers set up manufacturing plants on the shores of the river.

In the early 1900’s the sawmills began to establish their facilities and soon the river was often a sea of logs, as it became the transportation system for the large milling facilities and the pulp and paper mill. Up until the mid- 1970’s the annual spring log boom brought millions of cords of wood to the mill.

Just above the falls, early ferry services provided transportation to our sister city of International Falls. By 1909, the increasing number of visitors precipitated the construction of the International bridge in 1912.

The excursion boats soon arrived, setting up docks and boat houses for their businesses as the tourism business began to grow. By 1915,Watson and Lloyd had set up as tourist outfitters, and Galbraith offered excursions to camps and as far as the Cascades in the north arm of Rainy Lake.

The walk along the river ends at the site of LaVerendrye Hospital. Named after the explorer, the hospital was established in 1941 by the Grey Nuns of St. Boniface.

SORTING GAP MARINAOriginally the site of John Reid Sr’s Sawmill established in 1902. Reid sold his interests to the Shevlin Clarke Company in 1912. The Shevlin Mathieu mills of Minnesota had been located at the town of Rainy River,but a fire in 1910 destroyed the facility as well as large stands of timber.

For years the twin milling facilities and their lumber storage yards occupied much of the east end extending from Frenette Avenue to Shevlin Avenue, and from the river north. The mill processed over one-billion feet of lumber, employed 1,500 people and paid 12million in wages. The depression, the decline in the lumber market and the retreating timber stands contributed to the company’s demise on April 18th, 1942. The plant was removed and reassembled at Pembroke, Ontario.

The river for years was the site of booms of logs and the area of the marina, the sorting gap for the rivermen to sort the logs for entry on the green chain into the mill.

EXPLORE THESE HERITAGE SITES IN Down Town Fort Frances







Scott Street

The business district of Fort Frances was changed forever on June 16^th of 1905. On that date a $20,000 fire razed Front Street - the main business block of town. The fire destroyed Frank Strain’s barber shop, Charles Nelson’s clothing store, Wells’ hardware, the Koochiching Hotel, Christie’s Butcher Shop, the Alberton Hotel, Fraleigh’s Drug Store, H. William’s General Store and Caspar’s photography studio.

Since the late 1890’s Front Street had developed as the village site. Located on the banks of the Rainy River, immediate access to boat traffic led to the construction of hotels and businesses.

Ironically, a newly purchased steam operated fire engine sat idle on a railway flat car as the business district burned. A disagreement between Town Council and the manufacturer was later resolved and the town accepted the fire engine.

After the fire Scott Street was soon developed as the new “Main Street”, The high prices asked for Front Street property led many businesses to re-build in this location.

The name of Scott Street has been credited to either JC Scott, early Fort Frances jeweler or EG Scott, hotel keeper.

Born in 1852 in Scotland, Mr. Edward Garden Scott apprenticed as a blacksmith. In 1869 he came to Canada entering the service of the Hudson Bay Company. He was transferred to Fort Frances in 1871 and was chief blacksmith during canal construction in 1874. In 1882, he built the first hotel known as the Alberton and then Scott House. EG Scott served on the Alberton Council in 1894 and 1896. He was instrumental in establishing the Presbyterian church, donating the land and assisted in the work of building. Mr. EG Scott passed away in 1912.

Mr. John C. Scott was born in Trenton Ontario in 1856. In 1898 he established one of the districts first jewelry business in a small store by the canal. Moving to the business section on Front Street he relocated after the 1905 fire to the corner of Scott and Mowatt, selling his business in 1909 to George Gledhill. He was active in civic affairs, serving as a councillor in McIrvine in 1904, 1906-1910 and as reeve in 1911. He also was a Town Councillor. Mr. JC Scott passed away in 1934.

Fort Frances Heritage Mural

Backus Canadian Imperial Bank of CommerceCorner of Scott and Mowatt by Brian Romanagli.

The vision of E.W. Backus, Minneapolis entrepeneur eventually led to the damming of the falls located on the Rainy River.

Negotiations for the construction of a dam where difficult since the Rainy River was international water, and permission from both governments was required. By 1905 Mr. Backus had procured the rights to begin construction. In 1908 he sought a three year extension and finally completed the project in 1910.



Fort Frances Heritage Murals

MASONIC LODGE 300 Scott Street.

Turn of the Century Fort Frances by John Hood.

This mural celebrates the late 1890’s and early 1900’s and the hey day of travel by steam boats. Views of early Fort Frances include the large hotels located along Central Avenue, the wharf located below the falls and activities such as the early ferry service and fishing at the falls.

Once called the Alberton, Couchiching, Koochiching, Chaudiere Falls, the vision of entrepeneur Edmund W.Backus in the 1899 led to the damming of the falls in the pursuit of power and industry

Scott Street Business Improvement Area.

Businesses established in the first three blocks of Scott Street after the fire of 1905 razed the original business block once located on Central Avenue. Once the site of large hotels, serving the travelers by steamboat, Central Avenue now has the Pulp and Paper Mill flanking it’s western bank.

One of the first buildings remaining on Scott Street is the Fort Frances Museum located in the middle of the 200 block.

PAPER MILL

Encompassing the western part of the upper river, and the far eastern portion of the lower river, the paper mill facilities centre piece is the power dam.

The first mill went into production in 1914 after two years of construction. Originally owned by the Backus-Brooks Company, the Fort Frances Mill’s sister mill in International Falls had been in production since 1910.

The east part of the facility is the Kraft Mill originally constructed in 1971 and includes storage facilities and wood yards. The paper making machines are housed in the area located along Central Avenue, with the generating building and offices of the company located further east on Third Street West.

EXPLORE THESE HERITAGE SITES IN WEST FORT FRANCES



Built opposite the falls at what was the site of the XY Company from 1800-1804, the Hudson Bay Company kept this site 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 it’s interests in this community.

145 Third Street West.Ontario Historical Plaque

The Fort Frances and St. Mary’s Cemetery are two of Fort Frances’ four cemeteries; Riverview and Holy Cross Cemeteries are found in 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 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.

West Fort Frances. End of Keating Avenue-Ontario Historical Plaque

Fort Lac La Pluie or Rainy Lake House.