At Fort Gibraltar, fun and historical discover go hand in hand, year-round.\u00a0Its history dates back to 1809, when the \ufb01rst trading post of the North West Company was built at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine rivers. That Fort Gibraltar played a key role in the development of the Red River Colony. The original Fort was captured in 1816 by Lord Selkirk\u2019s Scottish colonists.<\/p>\n
More than 160 years later, in 1978, Festival du Voyageur built a replica of Fort Gibraltar in Whittier Park, at the end of St. Joseph Street. \u201cThe recons -truction took four times as long as the original fort!\u201d says Nicolas Audette, Festival du Voyageur\u2019s Marketing and Communications Manager.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s Fort includes the blacksmith\u2019s shop, workers\u2019 (engag\u00e9s) quarters, two towers, a trading post, a workshop, a pemmican depot\/store and the Maison du Bourgeois in the middle of the fort. The site draws enthusiasts in summer as well as winter, during Festival du Voyageur. \u201cGiven its interesting mix of history and fun, it\u2019s an appealing site for visitors of all ages,\u201d says Nicolas Audette.<\/p>\n
The public is invited to explore the Fort once again this summer, starting May 13 (1), from Wednesday to Sunday, and engage with interpreters clad in period costumes from the fur trade era. \u201cThe interpreters bring history alive, recreating key elements of voyageur life in the Red River settlement as well as the signi\ufb01cant contributions of First Nations peoples,\u201d says Audette.<\/p>\n