THUNDER BAY - There may not have been a single shot fired, but the siege at Fort William in 1816 did signal the beginning of the end for the historic fur trading post.
This weekend, Fort William Historical Park held its Fort Under Siege reenactment to provide visitors with a glimpse into the event that would lead to the dissolution of the Northwest Company and knock Fort William from its position as a primary fur trading hub in the region.
The confrontation began when Lord Selkirk of the Hudson’s Bay Company learned of the Battle of Seven Oaks. The battle between the Northwest Company and the Hudson Bay Company at Seven Oaks (now Winnipeg), resulted in the deaths of 20 people.
Bert Winterburn, a member of the Canadian Corps of Voyageurs and reenactor, portraying Johan Eurler of the de Meuron Swiss Regiment, explained that Selkirk wanted to investigate the matter and he knew where to find Northwest Company men.
“He was aware of the fact that the rendezvous was occurring at Fort William and that the agents and partners of the Northwest Company of who he held responsible for the destruction of his colony would be there,” Winterburn said.
“So instead of avoiding Fort William and taking the south shore of Lake Superior, he diverted his route and came to Fort William where he proceeded under his authority as a magistrate to arrest and make inquires at Fort William. He arrested several Northwest partners, including McGillivray, and had them shipped back to Montreal for trial.”
Those living at Fort William were sure a fight would break out with Selkirk and his men from the de Meuron and Watteville regiments, originally raised in Switzerland, arrived at their gates. Luckily, the actual siege at Fort William was non-violent.
“The biggest incident was a pushing match at the main gate when Selkirk’s people pushed their way in through the main gate,” Winterburn said.
However, William McGillivray, chief director of the Northwest Company, was sent to trial in Montreal. The trial itself nearly bankrupt the Northwest Company and as a result, they were forced to amalgamate with the Hudson’s Bay Company.
“In a way it might be considered the beginning of the end,” Winterburn said. “Once the two were amalgamated, all the trade went through Hudson’s Bay rather than the longer, more complicated route to Montreal. Eventually this diminished Fort William’s importance and it just became a regular regional trading post.”
The reenactment draws crowds in the thousands and reenactors from across the country.
Fredrick Carsted, who is also a member of the Canadian Corps of Voyageurs, has been portraying Captain Frederick Matthey for the past 30 years.
The Winnipeg resident travels to Thunder Bay to take part in the reenactment because not only is it a time to reconnect with old friends, it’s also a way to bring history alive.
“It’s kind of like watching the movie versus reading the book,” he said. “And even if you do read the book, because a lot of these things are so far removed in time, people have difficult picturing it in their mind’s eye and what it looked like. But when you see a group of red coat soldiers march down the road and form line and fire a volley, then you have a better idea and understanding of what was happening at some of these historical battles and events.”
