National Historic Site of Canada

Fort La Reine National Historic Site of Canada

Portage la Prairie, Manitoba

Also known as Fort La Reine, Fort-La-Reine

General view of the stone cairn erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, 2008.

General view of the stone cairn erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, 2008.

Photo: Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, Blair Philpott, 2008.

Built
1738
Recognized
1925
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Fort La Reine National Historic Site of Canada is located on the north bank of the Assiniboine River, on the eastern edge of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. There are no known remains relating to Fort La Reine, but a stone cairn and plaque have been erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) to commemorate the site. Official recognition refers to the plot of land on which the HSMBC cairn is located on the north bank of the Assiniboine River, west of Yellowquill Trail.

Heritage value

Fort La Reine was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1925 because of:

  • its association with the early exploration of the West during the French Regime.

The heritage value of Fort La Reine resides in its historical associations with the early exploration of the West during the French Regime. The first Europeans to visit this area were probably the French explorers Radisson and Groseillers who explored the region between 1658 and 1690 in search of furs. In October 1738, Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, Sieur de La Vérendrye, established Fort La Reine on the Assiniboine River. The fort was used as a base for further exploration of the Canadian prairies and as one of the chief French trading posts until the end of France’s influence in 1759. There is evidence to suggest that Fort La Reine was abandoned, burned and rebuilt several times, although its exact locations and dates are unknown.

SourceHistoric Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, February 2010.

Character‑defining elements

The key elements relating to the heritage value of the site include:

  • its location on the eastern edge of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba;
  • its siting on the north bank of the Assiniboine River, west of Yellowquill Trail;
  • the integrity of any surviving or as yet unidentified archaeological remains, which may be found within the site in their original placement and extent;
  • the stone cairn and plaque erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada to commemorate the site;
  • viewscapes from the site across the Assiniboine river and the surrounding flat landscape.

End of the register’s text

Location

130 Yellowquill Trail, Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, R1N, Canada

49.95108° N, 98.32718° W

Get directions (opens in a new tab)

Being on the register doesn’t make a place open to visitors. Many are private homes or businesses; please view them from the street.

Loading map…

Nearby

All 20 places in Portage la Prairie

Similar places

Places whose register descriptions are closest to this one.

From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.