Fort Gibraltar
| Fort Gibraltar | |
|---|---|
| Winnipeg, Manitoba | |
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The fort at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in 1821 by Peter Rindisbacher
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| Type | Fort |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | North West Company |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1809 |
| In use | 1809-1821 |
| Battles/wars | |
| Official name | Forts Rouge, Garry, and Gibraltar National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | 1924 |
Pemmican War
Battle of Seven Oaks
Fort Gibraltar was a fort built in 1809 by the North West Company in present-day Manitoba, Canada. It was located at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers in or near the area now known as The Forks in the city of Winnipeg. Fort Gibraltar was renamed Fort Garry after the merger of North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821.
In the early 19th century fur-trading was the main industry of Western Canada. Two companies had an intense competition over the trade. The first, the Hudson's Bay Company, was a London, England-based organization. The second, the North West Company, was based in Montreal. Hudson's Bay Company was distinctly English in its culture and flavour while the North West Company was a mix of French, Scottish and First Nations cultures.
The voyageurs of the North West Company were a highly mobile group of fur traders. They established temporary encampments in the forks region that later became Winnipeg.
In 1809 the North West Company built Fort Gibraltar. About half a mile north the Selkirk settlers and HBC employees built Fort Douglas which was started in 1813 and completed in 1815. There were many conflicts between the mostly Scottish employees of the HBC and the NWC employees, who were mostly French-Canadians and Métis.(see Pemmican War)
On March 17, 1816, Fort Gibraltar was captured and destroyed by Robert Semple, new Governor of the Red River Colony. The action was ruled illegal by British authorities and the North West Company was given permission to rebuild the fort in 1817.
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