Fort La Reine, one of the forts of the Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Vérendrye western expansion, was built in 1738. It was located on the Assiniboine River where present day Portage La Prairie stands. It served as a fur trading post and was the base of operations for much exploration north and west. From Fort La Reine, the explorers made their way onto Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipegosis, Lake Winnipeg and the Saskatchewan River. Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (November 17, 1685 – December 5, 1749) was a French Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer. ... The Assiniboine River is a river 1070 km long that runs through the prairies of western Canada. ... for the rural municipality see Portage la Prairie, Manitoba (rural municipality) Portage la Prairie is a city in the Canadian province of Manitoba. ... Lake Manitoba is a large (4,624 sq. ... Lake Winnipegosis (52°30N 100°W) is a large (5370 sq²) lake in central North America, in Manitoba, Canada, some 300 km northwest of Winnipeg. ... Winnipeg Beach, Manitoba, on Lake Winnipeg Lake Winnipeg (52°30′N 97°47′W) is a very large (24,400 km²) lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, about 55 km north of the city of Winnipeg. ... The Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada, approximately 550 km (340 mi) long, flowing roughly eastward across Saskatchewan and Manitoba to drain into Lake Winnipeg. ...

Fort Dauphin, Fort Bourbon, Fort Paskoya, and Fort de la Corne all resulted from exploration carried out from this location by Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye, the youngest La Verendrye son. Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye (born November 17, 1685 - died December 5, 1749) was a French-Canadian military officer, fur trader and explorer. ...

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