Fort Willow and the Nine Mile Portage
Just a short drive outside of the city of Barrie, Ontario, you will find a relic of Canada’s historic trading network, Fort Willow. Once a key player in the fur trade and the war of 1812, the fort served to service the Barrie – Wasaga route via the Nottawasaga river and the 9 Mile Portage.
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Exploring Fort Willow
What you see today is a recreation of the historic wooden enclave that has stood here since time immemorial, although it looked somewhat different during the centuries of use by the indigenous First Nations and even during the French Fur Trade Area. The surrounding area is deep woods and brush that can still be walked through, much like it was back in the days of European exploration when this was a wild frontier. What you see today when you walk through the gates, is the Fort Willow Depot as it stood in 1812. It is protected by little more then a wooden palisade and what was once the site of a wooden blockhouse, located inside the palisade.
Inside the fort itself you will find a series of information placards explaining the history of the site and how daily life proceeded. Odd to the side you will find links to the 9 Mile Portage and North Simcoe Rail Trail, located in a trench below the eastern edge of the fort.
The War of 1812
At the outset of the War of 1812, there were roughly three main transportation corridors in the young nation, ranging from Montreal (the economic engine of the young nation) to Northwest Canada. The first was through the Ottawa, to the French River and finally out to the Georgian Bay. The second via the St. Lawrence, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and eventually through Detroit-St. Clair to Lake Huron. Finally, the third started from the St. Lawrence, then overland from Lake Ontario at Fort York (Toronto), via Yonge Street to Holland Landing (Holland River), then through Lake Simcoe to Kempenfelt Bay (Barrie). This is where the Nine Mile Portage connected to Willow Creek then the Nottawasaga River and finally Lake Huron at Wasaga. After the American Capture of Detroit and the destruction of the British fleet at the Battle of Lake Erie, the first route was cut off and the third route became the main supply line during the last year of the war. Thus making Fort Willow Depot an important player!
