Fort de La Présentation (Ogdensburg, New York)
Ogdensburg · New York · French and Indian War
History & Significance
Fort de La Présentation was a mission fort built in 1749 at the confluence of the Oswegatchie River and St. Lawrence River in present-day Ogdensburg, New York. The French established it to strengthen their alliance with the Iroquois and convert them to Catholicism, while addressing concerns about their thinly populated Canadian colony amid tensions with Great Britain.
By 1755 the settlement attracted 3,000 Iroquois residents loyal to France, partly through the fur trade and partly due to their hostility toward British colonial encroachment. Construction began in 1748, and on June 1, 1749, the fort was officially established with 25 Frenchmen and 4 Indians.
Abbé Picquet participated in military expeditions as part of the French and Indian War, and the fort served as an important communications hub for news from the Great Lakes and Native American territories. Due to its location on low ground, the fort proved vulnerable to British bombardment; in March 1760, Picquet abandoned the mission. The British renamed it Fort Oswegatchie and occupied it until 1796, when Jay's Treaty returned the territory to the United States.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- French mission fort from 1749 at the confluence of two rivers
- Archaeological remains from French, Iroquois, and British occupation periods
- Defensive stronghold during the French and Indian War (1756-1763)
- National Register of Historic Places site at Lighthouse Point
- Rare example of Franco-Iroquois colonial settlement
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_de_La_Pr%C3%A9sentation
- https://fort1749.org/
- https://fort1749.org/about-us/
- https://www.britannica.com/place/Ogdensburg
- https://www.achp.gov/preserve-america/community/ogdensburg-new-york
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oswegatchie_people
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogdensburg,_New_York
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=75838