Hilton Beach in Algoma District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Build it Better/Une construction améliorée
| — | Fort Saint Joseph National Historic Site | — |
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2024
1. Build it Better/Une construction améliorée Marker
The fort's first powder magazine, where they kept the gun powder and ammunition, was a makeshift pile of logs and earth. It was beside the bake house, not the wisest location. In January 1802 the bake house caught fire. The soldiers were so busy preventing the powder magazine from blowing up they had to let their beloved bake house burn.
The new powder magazine was built in 1804, over here in the corner. A lot more care was taken building this one.
Help us preserve the fort's ruins by not climbing on them. We want the ruins to tell the stories of the fort for generations to come.
Married to Brown Bess
The soldiers were issued a musket, affectionately called the Brown Bess. To be “married to Brown Bess” was to be in the King's army. The musket was 140 cm (almost 5 feet) long, before the bayonet was added. The First Nations demanded a more practical musket, lightweight and dependable in the extreme cold. The British created the North West Musket for them. It had a short barrel, was easy to load, travelled well in canoe or forest, and could even be fired wearing mittens. You can see examples
this page online
New and Improved Powder Magazine
• Stone walls half-metre (2 feet) thick.[image captions]
• Front room held munitions and cannon supplies; back room held barrels of gun powder.
• Archaeologists found sheets of copper in the powder room; copper is a non-sparking metal that was likely used for the hinges and to cover the door.
• Brown Bess and North West Muskets [Parks Canada]
• Example of a fossil in a limestone block [Parks Canada]
La première poudrière du fort, qui contenait de la poudre à canon et des munitions, était une installation de fortune construite à l'aide de rondins et de terre. Elle se trouvait à côté de la boulangerie, ce qui n'était pas l'emplacement le plus judicieux. En janvier 1802, la boulangerie a pris feu. Les soldats étaient si occupés à prévenir l'explosion de la poudrière qu'ils ont dû se résigner à laisser brûler leur bien-aimée boulangerie.
La nouvelle poudrière a été construite en 1804, dans ce coin-ci. Beaucoup plus d'efforts ont été déployés lors de son édification.
Ne grimpez pas sur les ruines du fort pour nous aider à les préserver.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2024
2. Build it Better/Une construction améliorée Marker
The marker is overlooking the 1804 stone powder magazine ruins.
Marié à Brown Bess
Les soldats étaient équipés d'un mousquet affectueusement appelé « Brown Bess ». L'expression anglaise « married to Brown Bess » (marié à Brown Bess) signifiait qu'on faisait partie de l'armée du Roi. Le mousquet mesurait 140 cm (presque cinq pieds) sans la baïonnette. Les soldats des Premières Nations ont demandé qu'on leur remette un mousquet plus pratique, plus léger et plus fiable dans des conditions de froid extrême. Les Britanniques ont donc créé à leur intention, le mousquet North West. Il était muni d'un canon court, était facile à charger, se transportait aisément dans un canot ou dans la forêt, et pouvait même être utilisé avec des mitaines. Des exemplaires de ces mousquets se trouvent dans le musée.
Nouvelle poudrière améliorée
• Murs de pierre mesurant un demi-mètre (2 pi) d'épaisseur.[légendes d'images]
• La salle avant contenait des munitions et des fournitures pour les canons, tandis que la salle arrière contenait des barils de poudre à canon.
• Les archéologues ont trouvé des feuilles de cuivre dans la salle renfermant la poudre de canon.Le cuivre est un métal qui ne produit pas d'étincelles, et ainsi, a probablement été utilisé dans la fabrication des charnières ainsi que pour recouvrir la porte.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 20243. Fort Saint Joseph Powder Magazine (1804)
• Mousquets Brown Bess et du Nord-Ouest [Parcs Canada]
• Exemple de fossile incrusté dans un bloc de calcaire [Parcs Canada]
Erected by Parks Canada / Parcs Canada.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1804.
Location. 46° 3.812′ N, 83° 56.799′ W. Marker is in Hilton Beach, Ontario, in Algoma District. It can be reached from Fort Road 4.8 kilometers west of A Line Road. The marker is on the Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site interpretive trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 185 Fort Road, Hilton Beach ON P0R 1G0, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma Area and in Northern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, in the Great North Woods, on the Great Lakes, on Lake Superior’s North Shore, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Want to be a Soldier?/Vous voulez être un soldat? (within shouting distance of this marker); Major Intersection/Une intersection importante (within shouting distance of this marker); Inside the Walls/À l'intérieur des remparts (within shouting distance of this marker); Making Do/Se débrouiller avec les moyens du bord (within shouting distance of this marker); What's the Story?/Histoire de la cheminée (within shouting distance of this marker); Fort St. Joseph (about 120 meters away, measured in a direct line); Fort St. Joseph / Le Fort Saint-Joseph (about 150 meters away); Tenby Bay (approx. 6.9 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hilton Beach.
Also see . . . Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site (Parks Canada).
Excerpt: Explore the ruins of Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site and feel the rich War of 1812 history that lingers – a history that saw a powerful alliance struck between the British and the First Nations People of the western Great Lakes region.(Submitted on August 31, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 31, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 31, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
