This article is about the former city of Fort William, Ontario. For the current neighbourhood in the City of Thunder Bay, see Downtown Fort William, Ontario.
Fort William was a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Since then it has been the largest city in Northwestern Ontario. The city's Latin motto was A posse ad esse (From a possibility to an actuality), featured on its coat of arms designed in 1900 by town officials, "On one side of the shield stands an Indian dressed in the paint and feathers of the early days; on the other side is a French voyageur; the cent[re] contains a grain elevator, a steamship and a locomotive, while the beaver surmounts the whole."[1]
Kamanistigouian, as a place, is first mentioned in a decree of the Conseil Souverain de la Nouvelle-France dated 23 August 1681 instructing one of two canoes to make known the king's amnesty to coureurs de bois, although the Kaministiquia River is depicted on the 1671 "Carte des Jésuites" as "R. [rivière] par où l'on va aux Assinipoualacs à 120 lieues vers le Nord-Ouest."[2] In late 1683 or spring 1684, Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, established a trading post near the mouth of the Kaministiquia River. French authorities closed this post in 1696 because of a glut on the fur market. In 1717, a new post, Fort Kaministiquia, was established at the river mouth by Zacharie Robutel de la Noue. This post appears on 18th century French maps by Royal hydrographer Jacques-Nicolas Bellin as "Fort Caministogoyan". The post was abandoned in 1758 or 1760 during the British conquest of New France.
English period (Fort William)
The fur trade was quickly re-established with most people using Grand Portage. By 1784, Montreal merchants and their "wintering partners" had formed the North West Company (Nor'Westers). The North West Company continued to use Grand Portage as their centre of operations after the area was ceded to the United States after the colonists' victory in the American Revolution. Following the signing of the Jay Treaty of 1794 between Great Britain and the United States, which acknowledged American control of the area, the North West Company required a new midway transshipment point between their inland posts and Montreal. The partners needed to meet and exchange furs and supplies without being subject to American taxation.
Fort William in 1811
In 1803, the Nor'Westers abandoned Grand Portage and established a new fur trading post on the Kaministiquia River on land acquired from the Ojibwe by written agreement 30 July 1798.[3] The post was named Fort William in 1807 after William McGillivray, chief director of the North West Company from 1804-1821. After the union of the North West Company with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 1821, the fort lost its raison d'être because most trade shifted to York Factory on Hudson Bay. It became a minor HBC fur trading post. The original site disappeared under development of Canadian Pacific Railway railroad tracks and coal piles in the 1880s. A replica of Fort William was built further upstream on the Kaministiquia River at Pointe de Meuron, a former military staging location named after Lord Selkirk's Swiss de Meuron Regiment. It is now known as the Fort William Historical Park.
19th century and after
Two townships (Neebing and Paipoonge) and the Fort William Town Plot were surveyed in 1859–1860 by the Province of Canada's Department of Crown Lands and opened to settlement. A large section of land adjacent to the Hudson's Bay Company post remained in dispute until 1875, when it was surveyed as Neebing Additional Township. Most land was acquired by absentee landowners, with speculation built on the decision of the new Dominion of Canada to build a railway to the Pacific to begin somewhere along the north shore of Lake Superior. The selection of the Fort William Town Plot (later known as West Fort) as the eastern terminus for the CPR stimulated development, as did the construction of the railway begun in June 1875. The federal Department of Public Works, and later the Department of Railways and Canals, took seven years (1875–1882) to build the Thunder Bay Branch from Fort William to Winnipeg, Manitoba.[4]
The Ontario Legislature incorporated the Municipality of Shuniah in March 1873. This early form of regional government comprised a vast area from Sibley Peninsula to the American border. For eight years the residents of Neebing and Neebing Additional townships battled Port Arthur residents for the Thunder Bay terminus. In March 1881, the inhabitants of Neebing and Neebing Additional petitioned the Ontario Legislature successfully to separate the southern townships from Shuniah and to create the Municipality of Neebing.
By 1883–1884, the Montreal-based CPR syndicate, in collaboration with the Hudson's Bay Company, clearly preferred the low-lying lands along the lower Kaministiquia River to the exposed shores of Port Arthur, which required an expensive breakwater if shipping and port facilities were to be protected from the waves. The CPR subsequently consolidated all its operations there, erecting rail yards, coal-handling facilities, grain elevators and a machine shop.[5] In April 1892, Neebing Additional Township and parts of Neebing Township were incorporated as the town of Fort William. Fort William was incorporated as a city in April 1907. The city of Fort William ceased to exist at the end of December 1969.
Notable people
Jack Adams, professional hockey player, coach and general manager
^Pierre Margry, Découvertes et établissements des Français ... en Amérique septentrionale, (Paris, 1876-1886), VI, 4-6.
^"Joseph M. Mauro, A Golden Gateway of the Great Northwest - History of Thunder Bay, (Thunder Bay, Ont.,1981), 21-23
^F.B. Scollie, "How the Fort William Town Plot became Westfort", Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society Papers and Records, XVI (1988), 29-31.
^F.B. Scollie, "A Capsule Municipal History", in Thunder Bay Mayors & Councillors 1873-1945 (Thunder Bay, Ont.: Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, 2000), 6-11.
^"Improving lives: the history of the Thunder Bay Public Library". CBC News. March 4, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Itzkoff, Dave (2017-03-08). "Paul Shaffer Shakes Off His Post-'Letterman' Blues". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
^"Grain Exchange Officers". The Gazette. Montreal, Quebec. October 15, 1917. p. 19.
^"Hockey Will Boom In Thunder Bay Assn. This Year". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. November 27, 1919. p. 12.
General
Morrison, Jean F. (2007) [2001], Superior rendez-vous place : Fort William in the Canadian fur trade (book) (2nd ed.), Toronto: Dundurn, ISBN9781550027815, OCLC 47037457
Morrison, Jean F., ed. Lake Superior to Rainy River : three centuries of fur trade history : a collection of writings. Thunder Bay, Ont. : Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, 2003.
Thunder Bay from rivalry to unity / edited by Thorold J. Tronrud and A. Ernest Epp. Thunder Bay : Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, 1995.
fort, william, ontario, this, article, about, former, city, current, neighbourhood, city, thunder, downtown, fort, william, city, ontario, canada, located, kaministiquia, river, entrance, lake, superior, amalgamated, with, port, arthur, townships, neebing, mci. This article is about the former city of Fort William Ontario For the current neighbourhood in the City of Thunder Bay see Downtown Fort William Ontario Fort William was a city in Ontario Canada located on the Kaministiquia River at its entrance to Lake Superior It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970 Since then it has been the largest city in Northwestern Ontario The city s Latin motto was A posse ad esse From a possibility to an actuality featured on its coat of arms designed in 1900 by town officials On one side of the shield stands an Indian dressed in the paint and feathers of the early days on the other side is a French voyageur the cent re contains a grain elevator a steamship and a locomotive while the beaver surmounts the whole 1 Fort William OntarioSkyline of part of Fort WilliamCoordinates 48 22 48 N 89 16 48 W 48 38000 N 89 28000 W 48 38000 89 28000 Coordinates 48 22 48 N 89 16 48 W 48 38000 N 89 28000 W 48 38000 89 28000 Contents 1 History 1 1 Fur trade era 1 1 1 French period Fort Kaministiquia 1 1 2 English period Fort William 1 2 19th century and after 2 Notable people 3 See also 4 References 4 1 General 5 External linksHistory EditFur trade era Edit Fort William and Grand Portage were the two starting points for the canoe route from the Great Lakes to Western Canada For details of the route inland see Kaministiquia River French period Fort Kaministiquia Edit Kamanistigouian as a place is first mentioned in a decree of the Conseil Souverain de la Nouvelle France dated 23 August 1681 instructing one of two canoes to make known the king s amnesty to coureurs de bois although the Kaministiquia River is depicted on the 1671 Carte des Jesuites as R riviere par ou l on va aux Assinipoualacs a 120 lieues vers le Nord Ouest 2 In late 1683 or spring 1684 Daniel Greysolon Sieur du Lhut established a trading post near the mouth of the Kaministiquia River French authorities closed this post in 1696 because of a glut on the fur market In 1717 a new post Fort Kaministiquia was established at the river mouth by Zacharie Robutel de la Noue This post appears on 18th century French maps by Royal hydrographer Jacques Nicolas Bellin as Fort Caministogoyan The post was abandoned in 1758 or 1760 during the British conquest of New France English period Fort William Edit The fur trade was quickly re established with most people using Grand Portage By 1784 Montreal merchants and their wintering partners had formed the North West Company Nor Westers The North West Company continued to use Grand Portage as their centre of operations after the area was ceded to the United States after the colonists victory in the American Revolution Following the signing of the Jay Treaty of 1794 between Great Britain and the United States which acknowledged American control of the area the North West Company required a new midway transshipment point between their inland posts and Montreal The partners needed to meet and exchange furs and supplies without being subject to American taxation Fort William in 1811 In 1803 the Nor Westers abandoned Grand Portage and established a new fur trading post on the Kaministiquia River on land acquired from the Ojibwe by written agreement 30 July 1798 3 The post was named Fort William in 1807 after William McGillivray chief director of the North West Company from 1804 1821 After the union of the North West Company with the Hudson s Bay Company HBC in 1821 the fort lost its raison d etre because most trade shifted to York Factory on Hudson Bay It became a minor HBC fur trading post The original site disappeared under development of Canadian Pacific Railway railroad tracks and coal piles in the 1880s A replica of Fort William was built further upstream on the Kaministiquia River at Pointe de Meuron a former military staging location named after Lord Selkirk s Swiss de Meuron Regiment It is now known as the Fort William Historical Park 19th century and after Edit Two townships Neebing and Paipoonge and the Fort William Town Plot were surveyed in 1859 1860 by the Province of Canada s Department of Crown Lands and opened to settlement A large section of land adjacent to the Hudson s Bay Company post remained in dispute until 1875 when it was surveyed as Neebing Additional Township Most land was acquired by absentee landowners with speculation built on the decision of the new Dominion of Canada to build a railway to the Pacific to begin somewhere along the north shore of Lake Superior The selection of the Fort William Town Plot later known as West Fort as the eastern terminus for the CPR stimulated development as did the construction of the railway begun in June 1875 The federal Department of Public Works and later the Department of Railways and Canals took seven years 1875 1882 to build the Thunder Bay Branch from Fort William to Winnipeg Manitoba 4 The Ontario Legislature incorporated the Municipality of Shuniah in March 1873 This early form of regional government comprised a vast area from Sibley Peninsula to the American border For eight years the residents of Neebing and Neebing Additional townships battled Port Arthur residents for the Thunder Bay terminus In March 1881 the inhabitants of Neebing and Neebing Additional petitioned the Ontario Legislature successfully to separate the southern townships from Shuniah and to create the Municipality of Neebing By 1883 1884 the Montreal based CPR syndicate in collaboration with the Hudson s Bay Company clearly preferred the low lying lands along the lower Kaministiquia River to the exposed shores of Port Arthur which required an expensive breakwater if shipping and port facilities were to be protected from the waves The CPR subsequently consolidated all its operations there erecting rail yards coal handling facilities grain elevators and a machine shop 5 In April 1892 Neebing Additional Township and parts of Neebing Township were incorporated as the town of Fort William Fort William was incorporated as a city in April 1907 The city of Fort William ceased to exist at the end of December 1969 Notable people EditJack Adams professional hockey player coach and general manager Mary J L Black first librarian of the Fort William Public Library 6 Gus Bodnar professional hockey player 7 Larry Cahan professional hockey player Tom Cook aka Tommy Cook professional hockey player Alex Delvecchio professional hockey player Jeff Heath professional major league baseball player in the 1930s and 1940s Bora Laskin Chief Justice of Canada Danny Lewicki professional hockey player Paul Shaffer musician TV personality 8 H J Sterling president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey Association and the Fort William and Port Arthur Grain Exchange 9 10 Joe Comuzzi lawyer and cabinet ministerSee also EditList of mayors of Fort William Ontario Port Arthur OntarioReferences Edit Daily Times Journal 11 Sept 1900 p 1 Pierre Margry Decouvertes et etablissements des Francais en Amerique septentrionale Paris 1876 1886 VI 4 6 Joseph M Mauro A Golden Gateway of the Great Northwest History of Thunder Bay Thunder Bay Ont 1981 21 23 F B Scollie How the Fort William Town Plot became Westfort Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society Papers and Records XVI 1988 29 31 F B Scollie A Capsule Municipal History in Thunder Bay Mayors amp Councillors 1873 1945 Thunder Bay Ont Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society 2000 6 11 Improving lives the history of the Thunder Bay Public Library CBC News March 4 2020 Retrieved May 25 2020 Famous Ukrainian Canadians www ukrainian dreams com Retrieved 2017 05 21 Itzkoff Dave 2017 03 08 Paul Shaffer Shakes Off His Post Letterman Blues The New York Times ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 2017 05 21 Grain Exchange Officers The Gazette Montreal Quebec October 15 1917 p 19 Hockey Will Boom In Thunder Bay Assn This Year The Leader Post Regina Saskatchewan November 27 1919 p 12 General Edit Morrison Jean F 2007 2001 Superior rendez vous place Fort William in the Canadian fur trade book 2nd ed Toronto Dundurn ISBN 9781550027815 OCLC 47037457 Morrison Jean F ed Lake Superior to Rainy River three centuries of fur trade history a collection of writings Thunder Bay Ont Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society 2003 Thunder Bay from rivalry to unity edited by Thorold J Tronrud and A Ernest Epp Thunder Bay Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society 1995 External links Edit Wikisource has the text of a 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica article about Fort William Ontario Fort William Collier s New Encyclopedia 1921 Fort William A town in Algoma District Ontario Canada New International Encyclopedia 1905 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fort William Ontario amp oldid 1136651673, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
