Outdoors: Algoma’s fur trading history

Algoma has a strong cultural history; the region was home to Indigenous people long before the first explorers and adventurers discovered the New World.

What these explorers discovered would have astounded them: thick, lush green forests, towering mountains and cliffs, pristine lakes, rivers and streams, and an abundance of wildlife. These true north sights are still here today.

With the coming of the first explorers also came map making, settlements and economic opportunities like the fur trade. Because of the fur trade, our region was developed and settled, forming many of the cities and towns.

Where Were Trading Posts Located in Algoma?

Hudson’s Bay Company Posts:
    •    Batchawana Bay
    •    Agawa Bay
    •    Michipicoten
    •    Brunswick Lake House
    •    Chapleau
    •    Missanabie
    •    White River
    •    Fort Pic

North West Company Posts:
    •    Michipicoten North West Company Post
    •    South of the St. Marys River, Sault Ste. Marie
    •    Mississagi River

After the War of 1812, these two companies merged. Read the Hudson's Bay Company Timeline.

Can you visit any of these trading posts today?

The posts were abandoned, many by the early 1900s. Some sites are ruins, barely visible today. I did a search online and found a photo of a building that housed the Hudson’s Bay Company Post in the town of Missanabie. It was taken by a photographer and uploaded to Ontario Abandoned Places in 2006.

- Heather Bot

Read the full story about Algoma’s Fur Trading History