Hilton Beach in Algoma District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Land of Little Comfort/Un Territoire offrant peu de confort

— Fort Saint Joseph National Historic Site —

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2024

1. Land of Little Comfort/Un Territoire offrant peu de confort Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] Land of Little Comfort
It's been a long, cold day. You just want to relax, have something to eat and visit with companions. Trudge through the snow to the bake house kitchen. Open the door and the warmth hits you. Friends are visiting around the table and the smell of fresh bread fills the room.

Fresh bread was one of few comforts for soldiers. Their daily ration typically included:
• 1 pound (450 grams) bread or flour;
• 1 pound salt beef or pork, heavily salted and at least a year old;
• 3/7 pint (1/4 litre) dried peas;
• 11/7 pint (.85 litre) rice or oatmeal;
• 6/7 ounce (24 grams) lard, sometimes rancid.

Fire!
Two in the morning, January 10, 1802 — FIRE, FIRE, FIRE rings out. Civilians and soldiers rush to the scene of the bake house ablaze. Strong winds start the palisade on fire; sparks are landing on the barracks' cedar shingles. The makeshift powder magazine is close by. Frantic work saves all but the bake house and its contents. The beloved bake house is gone.

Bake House
• Wooden structure, completed winter of 1798.
• Built by the soldiers themselves, under Lieutenant Landmann's supervision.
• Two

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

rooms, one for soldiers and a private kitchen/dining room for the Commanding Officer.

[Français] Un Territoire offrant peu de confort
Une longue journée froide s'achève. Vous souhaitez simplement vous détendre, manger une bouchée et rejoindre vos compagnons. Vous vous frayez un chemin dans la neige vers la cuisine de la boulangerie. En ouvrant la porte, une chaleur vous enveloppe. Certains de vos amis sont assis autour de la table et l'odeur du pain frais flotte dans l'air.

Le pain fraîchement cuit constituait l'un des rares réconforts offerts aux soldats. Leur ration quotidienne comprenait les éléments suivants :
• 1 livre (450 grammes) de pain ou de farine;
• 1 livre de bœuf ou de porc très salé vieilli pendant au moins un an;
• 3/7 de chopine (1/4 de litre) de pois séchés;
• 11/7 de chopine (0,85 litre) de riz ou d'avoine;
• 6/7 de onze (24 grammes) de lard, parfois rance.

Au feu!
Le 10 janvier 1802, à deux heures du matin, l'alerte « Au feu! Au feu! Au feu! » se fait entendre. Les civils et les soldats se ruent vers la boulangerie, qui est en flammes. Les forts vents poussent l'incendie vers la palissade qui prend feu, ce qui provoque

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2024

2. Land of Little Comfort/Un Territoire offrant peu de confort Marker

Looking south across the Fort Saint Joseph National Historic Site. The Bakehouse & Kitchen (1798) foundation ruins are behind the marker.

des étincelles sur les bardeaux de cèdre des casernements. La poudrière de fortune se trouve tout près du brasier. Les efforts frénétiques déployés par les résidents permettent d'épargner toutes les structures, à l'exception de la boulangerie et de son mobilier. La populaire boulangerie n'est plus que cendres.

Boulangerie
• La construction de cette structure en bois s'est achevée à l'hiver 1798.
• Ce sont les soldats qui l'ont bâtie; ils étaient supervisés par le Lieutenant Landmann.
• Elle comprenait deux pièces, soit une pièce pour les soldats, et une cuisine/salle à manger privée pour le commandant.

Erected by Parks Canada / Parcs Canada.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Forts and Castles. A significant historical date for this entry is January 10, 1802.

Location. 46° 3.802′ N, 83° 56.784′ 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,

Fort Saint Joseph Bakehouse & Kitchen (1798) Foundation Ruins image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 10, 2024

3. Fort Saint Joseph Bakehouse & Kitchen (1798) Foundation Ruins

Looking northwest across the Fort Saint Joseph National Historic Site. The powder magazine ruins are visible in the background — uncomfortably close to the bakehouse & kitchen!

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 walking distance of this marker: Inside the Walls/À l'intérieur des remparts (a few steps from this marker); Want to be a Soldier?/Vous voulez être un soldat? (a few steps from this marker); Major Intersection/Une intersection importante (a few steps from this marker); Build it Better/Une construction améliorée (within shouting distance of this marker); The Importance of Friends/L'importance des amis (within shouting distance of this marker); Making Do/Se débrouiller avec les moyens du bord (within shouting distance of this marker); Black Hole or Flogging/Le trou noir, ou le fouet? (within shouting distance of this

Paid Advertisement

marker); What's the Story?/Histoire de la cheminée (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hilton Beach.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Fort Saint Joseph National Historic Site

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 September 1, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 4 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 1, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.