Gaultier de La Vérendrye, Pierre National Historic Person
Winnipeg, Manitoba
HSMBC plaque at The Forks
© Parks Canada | Parcs Canada
Address :
Bonnycastle Park and The Forks NHS, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1920-01-30
Life Date:
1685 to 1749
Other Name(s):
-
Gaultier de La Vérendrye, Pierre
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Explorer and fur trader, established posts west of Lake Superior
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Bonnycastle Park, Winnipeg, Manitoba
A native of Trois-Rivières, soldier, trader and explorer, La Vérendrye founded the first white settlements on the Canadian Prairies. Between 1731 and 1743 he and his sons established several posts beyond Lake Superior which became the bases for French exploration of the West. Among these were Forts Saint-Pierre, Rouge and La Reine, now Fort Frances, Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie. Discouraged by lack of official support, he retired to Montreal in 1744. In his own words, his life had been devoted to "la gloire du Roy et le bien de la Colonie".
Existing plaque: The Forks National Historic Site, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Between 1731 and 1743 La Vérendrye, a native of Trois-Rivières, supervised the construction of a series of fur trade posts west of Lake Superior. To secure the trade of the resident Cree, Ojibwa and Assiniboine he and his sons built, among others, Fort Rouge here at The Forks and Fort La Reine (now Portage la Prairie) on the Assiniboine. These "postes du nord" were intended to help finance the search for the western sea as well as to cut off the inland fur trade of the Hudsons Bay Company. Discouraged by the lack of official support for his exploration work, La Vérendrye retired to Montréal in 1744.