Prince of Wales Fort is Canada Strong

The Canada Strong Pass encourages Canadians and travellers alike to explore the treasured places that contribute to our national identity. Exemplified in every national park and national historic site is the strength of Canada, from legacies of resilience, the power in community, forces of nature, the fortitude of architecture and even physical feats. Parks Canada invites you to celebrate the significance of these places through sharing stories of strength, respecting the wild beauty of nature and using the Canada Strong Pass to the fullest.

Architecture is strength and Parks Canada is proud to say that Prince of Wales Fort National Historic Site is Canada Strong.

Prince of Wales Fort stands strong at the edge of the vast and often frigid Hudson Bay. In 1732, the first stone of the fort was laid, starting the foundation for the thousands of stones that would follow. For 40 years, the construction of the fort slowly continued. Stone after stone was laid until at last stood a truly impressive structure of limestone and quartzite.

The walls stood 6.5 metres high and nearly twice as thick, with four points that protruded out towards the banks of the bay. It resembled a star and was known as a bastion fort; a fortification style first used in Italy in the 1500s. This design was a direct response to the invention and adoption of gunpowder weapons in warfare. The unique shape worked to eliminate blind spots by giving the defender more angles to fire cannons from.

Atop the walls sat 42 cannons poised to fire, though many of the men living in the fort did not know how. As the French approached the site in 1782, this became evident as the inhabitants opted for surrender without firing a single shot. Face to face with three French warships, the governor of the fort, Samuel Hearne, knew his 39 men were no match.

Following the surrender, the French proceeded to loot and then destroy the stone stronghold – at least they tried to. Try as they might, only the gun mounts and upper ramparts were damaged. In one year’s time, the fort was returned to Hudson’s Bay Company ownership but was deemed irreparable.

There it sat for 150 years, the masonry holding strong against the harsh winds of the North. Then in the 1930s, fresh off the construction of the Hudson Bay Railway in Churchill, skilled hands returned to the site once more to restore the fort.

Now, with the stones returned to their proper configuration, Prince of Wales Fort has returned to the solid and stable stature that makes it Canada Strong.