Duane Hicks
A new online petition has been launched to gauge support for putting the “fort” back in Fort Frances.
Nathalie Donaldson, who came up with the idea for a fort theme for the future Rainy Lake Market Square, said she started the petition yesterday to get a better idea as to whether or not the public is in favour of the concept.
Donaldson, who is a resource person for the Rainy Lake Market Square Committee, said the Shops on Scott (BIA) unanimously supports the concept of a fort downtown, as has everyone she has talked to about it since late January.
But just recently she also heard some resistance to the idea and that got her thinking that she’d like to hear more feedback—positive or negative.
A link to the change.org petition can be found at the “Downtown Fort Frances” Facebook page.
Those in support of the fort concept are to urged to click the link, sign the petition, and, if they’re so inclined, leave a comment.
Donaldson also urged those who are not in support of the fort idea to also leave a comment as to why they don’t think it’s a good idea.
“I’m absolutely not discouraging people disagreeing with me,” she stressed. “I welcome it.
“Perhaps my excitement for the idea has clouded my judgment,” Donaldson admitted.
“I think it would be great.
“A lot of the comments I am getting are: ‘It’s not the best space to build a fort. We should build a fort somewhere else,’” she noted.
“And realistically, that’s not going to happen,” she added.
“This is going to be our chance to build a fort.”
Donaldson noted the Shops on Scott would like to see a fort theme represented in some way whether it be:
•a replica of Fort St. Pierre built the size of a playhouse for families and tourists to visit;
•partial fort walls encompassing the market area to give the entire space a fort theme without taking away from usable activity area; or
•an entirely new and modern fort that represents “who we are now as a community and, of course, still contains the market area and whatever other amenities we choose to include.”
Donaldson noted the fort is a “huge part of our history.”
Fort St. Pierre was a historic site which was designated of national significance in 1934 and plaqued by the federal government in 1971.
In the words of www.waymarking.com, “Fort St. Pierre held the distinction of being the most far-flung French fur trading outpost on the transcontinental canoe route that could be reached in a summer and a return made to Montréal before the fall freeze-up.”
The fort also fits into the concept of a market square—after all, a fort is a trading post, Donaldson reasoned.
She feels the fort could be “a monumental tourist attraction” that will make downtown Fort Frances “a distinguished destination” and “work with the ‘Boundless’ brand we are trying to promote.”
