By:
On:
In: Project:1812
With: 0 Comments

Fur Trader, Loyalist, Indian Agent, and Officer. William McKay was born in the Mohawk Valley of New York State in 1772. The son of former Non-Commissioned Officer Donald McKay. His father had seen service during the French-Indian War and fought during the assault on Quebec City. Remaining loyal to the crown the family moved to Upper Canada’s St. Lawerence Valley during the American Revolution settling in what would become Glengarry County in Ontario. William and his older brother, Alexander, joined the North West Company in 1790. McKay would begin to trade throughout the northwest of British North America spending much of his time in theRead More →

By:
On:
In: 52:320TXP
With: 0 Comments

Located a handful of kilometres from the US/Canada border sits a lonely blockhouse, an odd sight today. Most Blockhouses in Canada are usually attached to some larger fort or remainders from a larger complex. But not just one sitting out at an intersection of two provincial highways. But the Lacolle Blockhouse is a spot, part of the larger border defence between Lower Canada (today Quebec) and the United States that sprang up during and after the American Revolution. The blockhouse was first built in 1781 (yes, this is original) to defend the border and the nearby lighthouse and mill. However, the British and Militia whoRead More →