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Lower Fort Garry. Photo by Robert Linsdell.

Top 10 Facts about Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site, Winnipeg

Lower Fort Garry was built on the western bank of the Red River by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1830, 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of the original Fort Garry (now in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada). There, Treaty 1 was signed.

In 1826, a devastating flood destroyed Fort Garry, prompting the Company’s then-governor, George Simpson, to seek a safer location downstream. Lower Fort Garry was chosen by Governor Simpson because of its high ground and location below the St. Andrew’s Rapids, which eliminated a time-consuming portage of heavy fur packs and York boats.

However, the fort never became the administrative center intended because the majority of the area’s population was concentrated at The Forks and objected to the extra travel required to conduct business at the new fort. As a result, Upper Fort Garry was rebuilt in stone near the original Fort Garry site at The Forks.

1. Lower Fort Garry first buildings were the fur loft 

Fur at Lower Fort Garry. Photo by Robert Linsdell.

The “fur loft,” which housed the company store, small warehouse, and trader’s office. The “Big House,”  housed the governor of the Hudson Bay Company and any other high-ranking officials. Those were the first buildings built at the fort.

A warehouse and a men’s house were later added. The signature walls of the fort were finished in the 1840s. They included an ice house, powder magazine, bakehouse, and warehouse bastions. Many of the buildings were built with limestone.

2. Lower Fort Garry was initially meant to supply settlement 

The Lower Fort traded a small amount of furs, while its primary function was to serve as a supply depot for the Red River settlement and the surrounding Cree, Anishinaabe, Métis, and European populations.

Many furs were brought to the fort from other districts, repackaged at the fort, and shipped to England via the York Factory. The post traded essential manufactured goods to farmers and hunters in exchange for produce.

3. Lower Fort Garry, a base of operation for British troops

A park interpreter recreates the 1850s by marshalling his troops at Lower Fort Garry. Photo by David Stanley.

When a crisis arose that required military intervention and Lower Fort Garry was the obvious choice for a base of operations. Whenever a dispute erupted between the Oregon Territory and what is now British Columbia, British troops were dispatched to the fort. 

4. Lower Fort Garry evolved into an industrial hub

By the 1860s, the fort had evolved into an industrial hub, complete with a flour mill, sawmill, forge, and brewery. When the Red River Rebellion erupted in 1870, Louis Riel took Upper Fort Garry, while the Quebec Rifles took the lower fort. Lower Fort Garry was a peaceful settlement, so there were no wars or fights.

5. The first treaty signing was at Lower Fort Garry

The federal government, 7 chiefs of the Ojibway and Swampy Cree First Nations signed the first treaty in Western Canada on August 3, 1871, at Lower Fort Garry. 

The treaty’s intent was to ensure European immigrants’ peaceful settlement of the prairies while providing First Nations people with land, access to resources, and other necessities for survival.

6. Lower Fort Garry was used to train police

During the winter of 1873–1874, the fort was used to train members of the North-West Mounted Police. Many of the police officers had been there before.

The first contingent of Mounties arrived in Lower Fort Garry on October 22, 1873, and were sworn in and began training on November 3rd. The long winter was spent practicing and learning to ride.

The parade ground was as hard as concrete and was merciless when a recruit was unexpectedly thrown from his horse. They were caught up in preparations for the arrival of Commissioner G.A. French and the other divisions by the following June, and set out to meet them at Fort Dufferin. The fort was handed back to the Canadian Militia.

7. There was an asylum at Lower Fort Garry

One of the most intriguing was things at the fort is the  psychiatric hospital. One of the buildings is mentioned casually on a plaque as a mental health hospital.

Dr. David Young oversaw the conversion of a warehouse at the fort into a penitentiary and mental health hospital in 1871. Prisoners and people suffering from mental illnesses were housed together. A separate facility for mental health patients was built in Selkirk a few years later.

8. Lower Fort Garry designated as a national historic site

Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site was designated as a national historic site in 1950 for various reasons. It was the site of Treaty No.1 between the Saulteaux and Swampy Cree First Nations peoples and the Crown in 187.

It is one of the finest collections of early stone buildings in Western Canada; as a Hudson’s Bay Company post, it was a focus for industry and transport, as well as a supply and distribution center for the company’s Northern Department’s fur trade.

9. Heritage buildings at Lower Fort Garry

Interior of Historic Cottage on grounds outside the walls of the fort. Photo by Stan Kucera.

Six structures on the property have Federal Heritage Building Review Office recognition: the Warehouse, Men’s House, Museum Building, and South-West Bastion. The Sales Shop/Fur Loft and Big House.

The Doctor’s Office as well located within the fort walls, and Ross Cottage and Fraser House are located outside the walls. Outside the walls, the Blacksmith Shop is an important reproduction structure.

10. Parks Canada manages Lower Fort Garry

Lower Fort Garry Historic Site. Photo by Shahnoor Habib Munmun.

Parks Canada oversees one of the world’s best and most extensive systems of protected natural and historic sites. The Agency’s mission is to safeguard and preserve these sites for the benefit and enjoyment of current and future generations.

The Agency’s vision is supported by the future-oriented, strategic management of each national park, national marine conservation area, heritage canal, and national historic sites administered by Parks Canada. The Parks Canada Agency Act requires Parks Canada to develop a management plan for national historic sites under its jurisdiction.