Québec Forts

Canadian Forts

QUÉBEC

Last Update: 19/JULY/2008

NOTE: Once the most important region of New France. Became the British colony of Québec in 1763, known as Lower Canada in 1791, joined Upper Canada (Ontario) in 1841 to form the single colony of Canada. Provincial status was restored in 1867.

Fort Du Moine
(unknown dates), near Chichester ? or Sheenboro ?
A French fortified trading post located above Île-des-Allumettes.

Fort William
(1848 - 1874), near Fort-Coulonge
A Hudson's Bay Co. post, also known as Lac des Allumettes Post.

Fort Coulonge
(1680 - 1760, 1793 - 1855), Fort-Coulonge
A French stockaded trade fort was originally at this location. A North West Co. trading post was later built on or near the site, using the same name and many of the same structures. Became a Hudson's Bay Co. post after 1821. Rebuilt in 1827. An XY Company post was also nearby.
(additional info courtesy of Andy Korsos)

Fort Du Lièvre
(unknown dates), Gatineau
A French trading post at the Chaudière Falls. Several log huts, but no stockade.

Fort La Petite-Nation
(unknown dates), near Fassett
A French trading post on the Ottawa River west of Carillon.

Fort Carillon (1)
(unknown dates), Carillon
A French trading post.

Carillon Barracks (2)
(1836 - 1840), Carillon
Now the Argenteuil Historical Society Museum (admission fee). This building housed 100 soldiers in 1837 during the Patriots' Rebellion. After 1840 it became a hotel.

Fort du Long-Sault
(1660, 1690's), near Carillon ?
An abandoned Indian stockade on the Ottawa River (?) that was repaired and manned by a small French 18-man patrol and 40 allied Huron Indians, led by Dollard des Ormeaux, as they were ambushed by 200 Onondaga Indians in May 1660. The attacking Indians were soon re-inforced by 500 Mohawks, but each attack was repulsed by the French. In the end, a powder keg exploded which helped wipe out the garrison. The exact location of the fort has been lost to history.

A second fort was later (1690's) built in the same general area to control illegal trading, manned by a few troops. A companion post was also located on the south bank of the Ottawa River near Pointe-Fortune. Both later became normal trading posts.

Fort des Deux-Montagnes
(1721 - 1760 ?), Oka
Originally a stockaded French Sulpician mission with a small regular garrison. A stone fort with three bastions was built in the 1740's, enclosing the church and rectory. A palisaded Indian village was adjacent.

Fort at Les Cèdres (1)
(1752 ? - 1760 ?), Les Cèdres
A small French stockade, garrisoned by only seven men in 1752.

Post at The Cedars Rapids (2)
(1775 - 1776), Les Cèdres
An American encampment on the St. Lawrence River above Montréal during the invasion of Canada. It was attacked and captured by the British.

Fort at Coteau-du-Lac (National Historic Site)
(1779 - 1780's, 1813 - 1840's ?), Coteau-du-Lac
An earthwork fort with two wooden blockhouses. A new octogonal stone blockhouse was built in 1813, along with a cloverleaf earthwork bastion, to protect the canal. Restored in 1965.

On Prison Island was Prison Island Blockhouse (1780, rebuilt 1814), used to guard a POW camp during the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

Tsiionhiakwatha
(Droulers - Tsiionhiakwatha Archaeological Site)
(15th-century), Saint-Anicet
A reconstructed 15th-century Iroquois village and museum. Admission fee.

Châteauguay Battlefield (National Historic Site)
(1813), Allan's Corners
Site of a Canadian victory against the Americans (October 1813). Admission fee.

Châteauguay Blockhouse
(1814), Châteauguay
A wooden blockhouse built after the battle.

Fort at Île Perrot
(unknown dates), Île-Perrot
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort Senneville
(1671 - 1760, 1776), Senneville
A French stockaded trading post about one-half mile above the Ste. Anne rapids. In 1686 a large stone windmill was built on a hill, doubling as a watch tower. It had very thick walls with several square loopholes, and downward-facing projections at the top for pouring hot liquids and/or rocks down on attackers. The mill was attacked by Iroquois raiders in 1687. The fort was burned down by the Iroquois in 1691. The fort was rebuilt in 1692 with thick stone walls and corner tower bastions due to constant Iroquois raids in the area. This was Montréal's strongest outlying fort. It was never attacked again. The windmill was rebuilt in 1700, and was probably still in use until the 1780's. The local seigneural manor house was built within the fort in 1706 by Jacque Le Ber. Not used by the British as a military post. Briefly occupied by American troops in 1776, and burned as they retreated south after the Battle of The Cedars.

Fort Sainte-Anne (2)
(1683 - unknown), Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue
A French stockaded village. Attacked by Iroquois raiders in 1687.

Fort Sainte-Geneviève
(unknown dates), undetermined location
A stockaded French outpost on the south bank of the Rivière des Prairies east of Fort Senneville.

Fort at Pointe-Claire
(unknown dates), Pointe-Claire
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort Gentilly
(1674 - unknown), Dorval
A stockaded French fort. Also known as Fort Présentation and Fort La Grande-Anse.

Fort Rolland
(1670 - 1689), Lachine
A stockaded French fur trade post west of Fort Lachine. Garrisoned by colonial troops in the 1680's. Abandoned for Fort Rémy in 1689 after an Iroquois raid on the settlers' village.

Fort Lachine (1)
(1669 - unknown), Lachine
Also known as Fort Rémy after the 1680 arrival of Father Pierre Rémy. Originally consisted of a stone windmill, chapel, trade store, barracks, seigneural house, and other smaller buildings all within a bastioned palisade. The village (established later outside the fort) was attacked by Iroquois raiders in 1689. The garrison was increased afterwards. The old French trading post is now the Musee de la Ville de Lachine, located at 110 Chemin LaSalle.

Lachine Trading Post (2)
(The Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site)
(1803 ? - unknown), Lachine
A museum is located in an 1803 Hudson's Bay Co. stone warehouse/depot located at 1255 Boul. Saint-Joseph. The warehouse is the only original HBC fur trade facility still standing in the Montréal region. Admission fee.

Fort Cuillerier
(1676 - unknown), LaSalle
A stockaded outpost of Lachine built on the land of René Cuillerier.

Fort Verdun
(1662 - unknown), Verdun
A stockaded outpost of Montréal.

Fort Sault-Saint-Louis
(1724 - 1760 ?), near Sainte-Catherine
A French stockaded guardhouse and troop barracks at the Sault-Saint-Louis rapids to protect "Christianized" Iroquois. Rebuilt with stone in 1729, but never completed as the Indians objected to having stone walls face their adjacent village. The Indian village, founded in 1689 as a mission reserve, was also stockaded.

Fort La Prairie
(1684 - 1760 ?), La Prairie
A French stockaded village with two earthen bastions near the river. The village was first settled in 1670. Attacked by Iroquois Indians, and possibly New York militia, in 1691.

Forts on Île Saint-Paul
(unknown dates), Île Saint-Paul
Two French stockaded outposts were located on the island.

Fort Saint-Gabriel
(unknown dates), Montréal
A French stockaded outpost.

Hochelaga
(c. 1535), Montréal
A Huron palisaded village visited by Jacques Cartier in 1535.

Fort de la Montagne
(Grand Séminaire de Montréal)
(1682 - 1721 ?), Montréal
Located at the base of Mont-Royal. Also called Fort des Messieurs and Fort de Belmont, after Father de Belmont and the Messieurs de l'Ordre de Saint-Sulpice. A French Sulpician mission (Notre-Dame-des-Neiges) was built in 1679. After several Iroquois raids, it was fortified in 1682 by a rectangular wooden palisade 230 feet by 114 feet with earthen bastions. A nearby Indian village was also stockaded. In 1685 an 11-foot high 200 by 140-foot stone wall with four round stone "turrets" or towers (43 feet high) at each corner replaced the palisade. The walls and towers had several loopholes. Attacked by Iroquois raiders in 1694. The mission buildings (chapel and priest's house) were rebuilt with stone in 1695. The local Indians were resettled in 1721, and the mission was finally demolished in the 1860's. The two southern towers still remain on the grounds of the Grand Séminaire de Montréal along Rue Sherbrooke Ouest at Rue du Fort. Guided tours available.

Fort Ville-Marie
(1642 - 1672), Montréal
Originally a palisaded Habitation at the mouth of the Rivière de St. Pierre, established by Paul de Chomedey, sieur de Maisonneuve. Earthen bastions were built in 1645 to protect against Iroquois raids. The fort was demolished in 1672 as the city expanded northeast.

Fortress Montréal
(Old Montréal)
(1687 - 1804), Montréal
Originally centered around Place-Royale. The expanded city was palisaded beginning in 1687. It was rebuilt in 1697. There were five gates. A small redoubt was built in 1693 on a hill to the north, and by 1709 it was included within the expanded palisade. It was rebuilt in 1723 as a small citadel and military headquarters. Stone walls and ramparts (18 feet high) were built from 1717 to 1744, mostly following the trace of the old log palisade, running from present-day McGill Street to St. Hubert Street. There were 14 large bastions and eight gates. The city was occupied by British troops from September 1760 to 1872, with the Americans holding it in 1775 - 1776. The British demolished the city's walls between 1804 to 1817. The foundations of the Jesuits' Bastion and the Saint-Laurent Bastion have been excavated and preserved in a park (Champ-de-Mars) along Rue Saint-Antoine behind the city hall and courthouse. Located at Place Royale in Old Montréal is the Pointe-à-Callière, Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History (admission fee), with an underground portion of the excavated stone walls on display.

Fort Sainte-Marie
(unknown dates), Montréal
A French stockaded outpost.

Le Vieux-Fort (2)
(Parc Jean-Drapeau)
(David M. Stewart Museum)
(unknown - 1872), Montréal, Île Sainte-Hélène
This was the only British-built fort in the city. Also known as Fort de l'Île Sainte-Hélène. Known locally simply as "The Fort". There are barracks, an armory, arsenal, blockhouse, and a powder magazine on the site. Admission fee.

Fort Saint-Lambert
(unknown dates), Saint-Lambert
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort Longueuil
(1695 - 1760), Longueuil
The fortified château of Charles Le Moyne. It consisted of a large rectangular two-story high stone wall (226 by 153 feet) with a stone tower at each corner (18 feet in diameter), within which was built the manor house, chapel, stable, barn, and other dependencies. It was completed in 1698. Regular troops were posted here in the early 1700's, but were withdrawn until 1755.

Fort Le Tremblay
(unknown dates), Longueuil
A French stockaded outpost located about halfway between Forts Longueuil and Boucherville.

Fort Boucherville
(1668 - unknown), Boucherville
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort de la Longue-Pointe
(unknown dates), Montréal
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort Nouvelle-Lorette
(1696 - 1721), Montréal
A French stone-walled village and Indian mission on the Rivière des Prairies. Also known as Fort du Sault-aux-Récollets.

Fort Pointe-aux-Trembles
(unknown dates), Pointe-aux-Trembles
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort de la Rivière-des-Prairies
(unknown dates), Montréal
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort at tip of Île Jésus
(unknown dates), Laval
A French stockaded outpost at the northern tip of the island.

Fort Côte Saint-Jean
(unknown dates), Montréal
A French stockaded outpost. Also known as Fort des Roches.

Fort Gervais
(unknown dates), Montréal
A small French stockaded outpost across from Île Sainte-Thérèse.

Fort Île Sainte-Thérèse
(unknown dates), Île Sainte-Thérèse
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort Varennes
(1693 - unknown), Varennes
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort Verchères
(1670's - 1690's), Verchères
A French stockaded outpost. The town was founded in 1672. In 1690 the settlers repulsed an Iroquois raid. Another raid was also repulsed in October 1692, led by 14-year old Madeleine de Verchères.

Fort Contrecoeur
(unknown dates), Contrecoeur
A French stockaded outpost.

Fort Sainte-Anne (1)
(1665 - 1671), near Lacolle
A French stockaded fort.

Lacolle Mill Blockhouse
(1781 - unknown), Lacolle
The blockhouse here is the original structure, the last remaining original wooden blockhouse in Québec. It was regarrisoned in 1812 - 1814, and attacked twice by the Americans. Also known as Lacolle Bridge Blockhouse. Operated as a Provincial Park, located at 1 Rue Principale. The nearby Lacolle Mill itself was also used as a fortified position in 1814, as it had loopholed stone walls.

Fort Lennox (National Historic Site)
(1819 - 1870), Saint-Paul-de-l'Île-aux-Noix
French Fort l'Île-aux-Noix (1759) was the first fort on Île-aux-Noix. It consisted mostly of two irregular lines of entrenchments (200 meters), two redoubts and a blockhouse, with 63 guns emplaced. It was captured by the British in August 1760. The Americans captured the fort in 1775 - 1776 and used it as a base of operations to invade Montréal. The British recaptured the fort, rebuilt it in 1778 as an advance post of Fort St. John (see below), and added a few blockhouses. The current star-shaped fort is the third fort on Île-aux-Noix, built beginning in 1819 to prevent another American invasion. It was finished in 1829. The stone barracks were restored beginning in 1970. Admission fee.

There was a British Naval Shipyard on the island from 1812 - 1834.

Fort Saint-Jean (Museum)
(Royal Military College of Saint-Jean)
(1748 - unknown, 1839 - 1870/1990's), Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
Originally French Fort l'Assomption was here from 1666 - 1671. The second French fort was built in 1748 as a large stockaded supply depot with two three-story tower bastions. The British captured the fort in August 1760, renamed Fort St. John. It was captured and briefly held by Americans in 1775 - 1776. A blockhouse was built in 1778 on the other side of the river from the fort for added protection. The present barracks were built in 1839 - 1850. Earthen ramparts still exist from the earlier periods. Admission fee. The fort was used as the campus of the Royal Military College of Saint-Jean until it was closed in the mid 1990's.

Fort Sainte-Thérèse
(1665 - 1667 ?, 1747 - 1748), Saint-Luc
Originally a French double-palisaded fort with four bastions. A fortified (stockaded) supply depot was later built here in 1747 when Fort St. Jean was rebuilt.

Fort Chambly (National Historic Site)
(1710 - 1850), Chambly
A French stockaded fort named Fort Saint-Louis was originally built here in 1665 to protect Montréal from Iroquois Indians from the south. The fort was repaired and modified in 1693. Burned down by Indians in 1702 and rebuilt soon thereafter much smaller than the first, with an interior magazine and barracks. The present stone fort was built in 1710, modified in 1718. Became mainly a supply depot after the 1730's. The British captured this fort in August 1760. It was captured and briefly held by Americans in 1775 - 1776. The guardhouse and other structures remain in town from an 1814 rebuild. Admission fee. Another website at Multi-Medias.

Upper Yamaska Blockhouse
(1781 - unknown), Farnham
A British blockhouse with extensive earthworks, built to keep watch on American military movements. It was to replace the Lower Blockhouse (see below), as it was closer to the American border.

Lower Yamaska Blockhouse
(1778 - 1781 ?), Sainte-Hyacinthe
A British blockhouse built to keep watch on the local French inhabitants and American spies.

Fort Richelieu
(1642 - 1647), Sorel
A French stockade fort with barracks and a chapel for a 12-man garrison. Abandoned after Indian troubles, and burned by the Iroquois Indians in February 1647.

Fort Sorel (1)
(1665 - 1760), Sorel
A French stockaded fort, 100-feet square with four bastions. Repaired and modified in 1693. Rebuilt with stone in the 1720's or 1730's. A stone windmill was also here.

Sorel Post (2)
(1775 - 1776, 1781 - unknown), Sorel
An American post during the attack on Québec City. The British later built two blockhouses with barracks to protect a military depot here.

Berthier Post
(1775 - 1776), Berthierville
An American encampment during the attack on Québec City.

Fort Crevier
(1687 - 1701 ?), near Saint-François-du-Lac
A French stockaded outpost built by Jean Crevier. Also known as Fort Saint-François. Attacked by Iroquois Indians in November 1689, and again in August 1693 when Crevier was killed. Became part of the St. Francis (Odanak) Abenaki Indian Mission/Reserve in 1700.

Fort Trois-Rivières ?
(1650 - 1752, 1775 ?), Trois-Rivières
A French fortified town until captured by the British in 1760. The town was first settled by the French in 1634. A magazine and gun battery were built by 1636. The town was palisaded beginning in 1650 against Iroquois Indian attacks. A redoubt was added in 1652. A fire destroyed most of the town and wooden fortifications in 1752, and were not rebuilt. The town was unsuccessfully attacked by American troops in 1775.

Fort La Galleth
(1755 - 1760 ?), near Trois-Rivières
A French post.

Chaudière River Blockhouse
(1778), unknown location
A British palisaded blockhouse built to guard against another possible American invasion via the Kennebec and Chaudière Rivers, as Benedict Arnold did in 1775. The exact location has been lost to history.

NEED MORE INFO:
Towns: Portage-du-Fort on the Ottawa River

Information on most of the French forts of the St. Lawrence River Valley gathered from "French Fortresses in North America 1535-1763", 2005, Osprey Publishing, and "The Forts of New France in Northeast America 1600 - 1763", 2008, Osprey Publishing, both by René Chartrand.

Québec City - page 2 | Northern Québec - page 3