From the latter part of the 17th century, the outlet of Rainy Lake was an important site for the
North American fur trade, because it provided a vital link from
Lake Superior to the west. In 1688, the first French post was established there. Fort Frances was the first
European settlement west of Lake Superior and was established by
French Canadian Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye, first commander of the western district. In 1731, he built
Fort Saint Pierre near that spot as support for the
fur trade with native peoples. In 1732, his expedition built
Fort Saint Charles on Magnuson's Island on the west side of
Lake of the Woods. After some time, Fort Saint Pierre fell out of use. In 1818, following the
War of 1812 and the redefinition of borders between Canada and the United States, the
Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) built a fort here, originally called Lac la Pluie House. In 1822, the post became the headquarters for the Lac la Pluie District, created that same year, and attracted a growing population of European settlers. renamed the fur trading post after
Frances Ramsay Simpson, the 18-year-old daughter of a London merchant, who had married earlier that year in London,
George Simpson, Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, who would visit the fort many times. In 1841 she became Lady Simpson after George Simpson was knighted, and she died in 1853 at
Lachine, Quebec. In 1857 to 1858, the
Dawson Trail was surveyed, connecting Fort Frances to
Fort William to the east and the
Red River Colony to the west, and making the town a supply depot for travelers. In the mid-1880s, the railroad to Kenora was completed. Fort Frances was incorporated in 1903. That same year, the HBC store burned down and was not rebuilt. The main employer was a
pulp and paper mill established in the early 1900s. It had numerous owners over the years, notably
Edward Wellington Backus. Most recently owned by
Resolute Forest Products, the mill employed about 700 persons until its closure in 2014. On June 25, 1946, the town was struck by a
tornado, which caused major damage and struck a week after the deadly
Windsor tornado. On August 25, 2013, the town hosted the final pitstop in the Kraft Celebration Tour by receiving the most votes out of all 20 communities On January 14, 2014, Resolute Forest Products announced that it planned to stop operations of the final paper machine and close out its operations in Fort Frances by the end of the month. On December 13, 2014,
Tim Hortons filmed a commercial in Fort Frances. The commercial, which dubs Fort Frances "one of the coldest places in Canada", was shot at the local Tim Hortons. In the days leading up to the filming, yarn was seen covering trees, benches, etc. Workers had spent the night covering the interior of the restaurant with yarn and building a giant toque on the roof. For the day, the coffee was free. In August 2015 the Seven Generations Education Institute hosted the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium's (WINHEC) Annual General Meeting at the Nanicost Grounds for members attending from all over the world. == Geography ==