The Hudson's Bay Company had established a fur trading post on the western shore of Whitefish Lake by 1824. It was hoped that a depot adjacent to the portage route to Wakami Lake would help prevent independent traders in Michigan, Wisconsin and southern Ontario from encroaching on trade north of the French River. In this, the post was reasonably successful. In 1887, the Company dismantled the building and moved it here to Naughton (Walden) so that it would be closer to the Canadian Pacific Railway line to Sault Ste Marie. With the development of lumbering and mining in the region, the fur trade declined in significance, and, in 1896, the post was closed.

Location

At the site of the former post, Regional Road 55, Naughton - about 17 km southwest of Sudbury

Themes

• Exploration
• Fur trade
• Transportation systems and communications