Shortly before the end of the 18th
Century, the "Nor'-Westers" came into the Red River Valley and built one
or two forts near the 49th parallel, N. lat.--the U.S. boundary of
to-day. But four years after the new Century began, the "Nor'-Westers"
decided to occupy the "Forks" of the Red and Assiniboine River, near
where Verandrye's Fort Rouge had been built some sixty years before.
Evidently both companies felt the conflict to be on, in their efforts to
cover all important parts, for they called this Trading House Fort
Gibraltar, whose name has a decided ring of the war-like about it. It is
not clear exactly where the Hudson's Bay post was built, but it is said
to have rather faced the Assiniboine than the Red River, perhaps near
where Notre Dame Avenue East, or the Hudson's Bay stores is to-day. It
was probably built a few years after Fort Gibraltar, and was called
"Fidler's Fort." By this time, however, the Hudson's Bay Company,
working from their first post of Cumberland House, pushed on to the
Rocky Mountains to engage in the Titanic struggle which they saw lay
ahead of them. One of their most active agents, in occupying the Red
River Valley, was the Englishman Peter Fidler, who was the surveyor of
this district, the master of several forts, and a man who ended his
eventful career by a will made--providing that all of his funds should
be kept at interest until 1962, when they should be divided, as his last
chimerical plan should direct.
Pages:
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38