Description of Historic Place

Fort La Reine National Historic Site of Canada is located on the north bank of the Assiniboine River, on the eastern edge of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. There are no known remains relating to Fort La Reine, but a stone cairn and plaque have been erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) to commemorate the site. Official recognition refers to the plot of land on which the HSMBC cairn is located on the north bank of the Assiniboine River, west of Yellowquill Trail.

Heritage Value

Fort La Reine was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1925 because of:
- its association with the early exploration of the West during the French Regime.

The heritage value of Fort La Reine resides in its historical associations with the early exploration of the West during the French Regime. The first Europeans to visit this area were probably the French explorers Radisson and Groseillers who explored the region between 1658 and 1690 in search of furs. In October 1738, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de La Vérendrye, established Fort La Reine on the Assiniboine River. The fort was used as a base for further exploration of the Canadian prairies and as one of the chief French trading posts until the end of France’s influence in 1759. There is evidence to suggest that Fort La Reine was abandoned, burned and rebuilt several times, although its exact locations and dates are unknown.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, February 2010.

Character-Defining Elements

The key elements relating to the heritage value of the site include:
- its location on the eastern edge of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba;
- its siting on the north bank of the Assiniboine River, west of Yellowquill Trail;
- the integrity of any surviving or as yet unidentified archaeological remains, which may be found within the site in their original placement and extent;
- the stone cairn and plaque erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada to commemorate the site;
- viewscapes from the site across the Assiniboine river and the surrounding flat landscape.