Fort Rouillé
Encyclopedia
Fort Rouillé or Fort Toronto was a French
trading post
located in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
, that was established around 1750 but abandoned in 1759. The fort site is now part of the public lands of Exhibition Place
. It is also the name of a street, located approximately 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) north of the fort site, running south from Springhurst Avenue to the railway tracks.
It was one of two French fortifications in Toronto. Magasin Royale
was built near the Old Mill by Phillipe Dourville, sieur de la Saussaye in 1720. The wooden magazine was similar to the one built in Lewiston, New York
(likely the French forts or trading post located now in Fort Niagara
).
, then governor of New France
, in order to further establish a French presence in the area, and to intercept the trade of Indians travelling towards a British fur-trading post in present-day Oswego
. It was a small palisaded fort with a bastion at each of its four corners, and containing five main buildings: a corps de garde, storeroom, barracks, blacksmithy, and a building for the officers. A drawing http://www.canadianheritage.org/reproductions/21907.htm purported to date from 1749 shows the fort adjacent to Lake Ontario
, whereas today it is situated on top of a small hill a hundred metres or so from the lake's current shoreline.
The fort was abandoned and burned by the French garrison in July 1759, who were retreating from invading British forces. Vestiges of the fort remained for many years afterwards, but the site was graded over and sodded in preparation for the establishment of the nearby Scadding Cabin in 1879.
The fort was named for Antoine Louis Rouillé
, comte de Jouy and French Minister of Marine and Colonies.
and a small road (chemin).
The 180 ft x 180 ft fort consisted of five buildings:
.jpg)
marks the spot where the original French-built Fort Rouillé was erected.
The grounds were excavated in 1979 and 1980 by the Toronto Historical Board, and again in 1982 by the Youth Committee of the Toronto Sesquicentennial Board. The outline of the original fort has been marked out in concrete around the obelisk. Two commemorative plaques – one in English, and one in French – are attached to the base of the obelisk, placed there by the Ontario Heritage Foundation. To the north a third plaque commemorates the excavation done on the site, and to the west a fourth plaque commemorates a visit to the site by Bertrand Delanoë
, mayor of Paris
, on September 6, 2003.
A concrete outline of the original fort is marked on the ground and is visible here.
The obelisk is flanked by a cannon and a mortar, dating from the 1850s. Perhaps ironically, they are all British. A second cannon, present on the west side of the obelisk as recently as 2005, has since been removed.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
trading post
Trading post
A trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
located in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, that was established around 1750 but abandoned in 1759. The fort site is now part of the public lands of Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place
Exhibition Place is a mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The 197–acre area includes expo, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, parkland, sports facilities, and a number of civic, provincial,...
. It is also the name of a street, located approximately 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) north of the fort site, running south from Springhurst Avenue to the railway tracks.
It was one of two French fortifications in Toronto. Magasin Royale
Magasin Royale
Magasin Royale was the name given to a trading station under the purview of the King of France. It also applied specifically to two trading stores built along the Humber River by French fur traders in 18th century Toronto....
was built near the Old Mill by Phillipe Dourville, sieur de la Saussaye in 1720. The wooden magazine was similar to the one built in Lewiston, New York
Lewiston, New York
Lewiston is a village in Niagara County, New York, United States. The population was 2,781 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Morgan Lewis, an early 19th-century governor of New York. It is part of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.The Village of Lewiston,...
(likely the French forts or trading post located now in Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara
Fort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.-Origin:...
).
History
Its construction was ordered by the Marquis de la JonquièreJacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière, Marquis de la Jonquière
Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de la Jonquière was a French admiral and Governor General of New France from March 1, 1746 until his death in 1752.De la Jonquière was born near Albi...
, then governor of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
, in order to further establish a French presence in the area, and to intercept the trade of Indians travelling towards a British fur-trading post in present-day Oswego
Oswego
Oswego is a word from the Iroquois language, meaning "The Outpouring". The word may refer to:-Place names:In the United States:*Oswego, Illinois, a village in Kendall County*Oswego, Indiana, an unincorporated place in Kosciusko County...
. It was a small palisaded fort with a bastion at each of its four corners, and containing five main buildings: a corps de garde, storeroom, barracks, blacksmithy, and a building for the officers. A drawing http://www.canadianheritage.org/reproductions/21907.htm purported to date from 1749 shows the fort adjacent to Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
, whereas today it is situated on top of a small hill a hundred metres or so from the lake's current shoreline.
The fort was abandoned and burned by the French garrison in July 1759, who were retreating from invading British forces. Vestiges of the fort remained for many years afterwards, but the site was graded over and sodded in preparation for the establishment of the nearby Scadding Cabin in 1879.
The fort was named for Antoine Louis Rouillé
Antoine Louis Rouillé
Antoine-Louis Rouillé, comte de Jouy was a French statesman and comte of Jouy-en-Josas.Born in Paris, the son of the diplomat Pierre Rouillé, he was in succession conseiller to the parlement de Paris , maître des requêtes , intendant of commerce , conseiller d'État and finally commissaire to the...
, comte de Jouy and French Minister of Marine and Colonies.
Structure
A wall surrounded the fort with an entrance to the south facing Lake OntarioLake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
and a small road (chemin).
The 180 ft x 180 ft fort consisted of five buildings:
- Smithy
- Soldiers' Quarters
- Senior Officers' Quarters
- Magazine House
- Kitchen
Fort Rouillé Monument
Today a large obeliskObelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
marks the spot where the original French-built Fort Rouillé was erected.
The grounds were excavated in 1979 and 1980 by the Toronto Historical Board, and again in 1982 by the Youth Committee of the Toronto Sesquicentennial Board. The outline of the original fort has been marked out in concrete around the obelisk. Two commemorative plaques – one in English, and one in French – are attached to the base of the obelisk, placed there by the Ontario Heritage Foundation. To the north a third plaque commemorates the excavation done on the site, and to the west a fourth plaque commemorates a visit to the site by Bertrand Delanoë
Bertrand Delanoë
Bertrand Delanoë is a French politician, and has been the mayor of Paris since 2001. He is member of the Socialist Party . Delanoë was born in Tunis, Tunisia to a French-Tunisian father and a French mother...
, mayor of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, on September 6, 2003.
A concrete outline of the original fort is marked on the ground and is visible here.
The obelisk is flanked by a cannon and a mortar, dating from the 1850s. Perhaps ironically, they are all British. A second cannon, present on the west side of the obelisk as recently as 2005, has since been removed.
See also
- Chronology of the War of 1812Chronology of the War of 1812-Origins:-1812:-1813:-1814:-1815:-External links:********...
- War of 1812 CampaignsWar of 1812 CampaignsThe following is a synopsis of the Land Campaigns of the War of 1812. The source is the United States Army Center of Military History-Canada, 18 June 1812 — 17 February 1815:...
- List of forts
- War of 1812War of 1812The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
- Upper CanadaUpper CanadaThe Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
- Coureur des boisCoureur des boisA coureur des bois or coureur de bois was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian woodsman who traveled in New France and the interior of North America. They travelled in the woods to trade various things for fur....
- VoyageursVoyageursThe Voyageurs were the persons who engaged in the transportation of furs by canoe during the fur trade era. Voyageur is a French word which literally translates to "traveler"...
- Fur tradeFur tradeThe fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
- Fort YorkFort YorkFort York is a historic site of military fortifications and related buildings on the west side of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort was built by the British Army and Canadian militia troops in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, to defend the settlement and the new capital of the...
- a much larger fort built by the British.
External links
- Fort Toronto (Rouillé) Monument
- City of Toronto: Exploring Toronto's past – Natives and Newcomers, 1600-1793 - includes information on Fort Rouillé