William McGillivray Plaque

WILLIAM McGILLIVRAY
1764 - 1825

BORN IN INVERNESS-SHIRE, SCOTLAND, McGILLIVRAY JOINED THE
NORTH WEST COMPANY IN 1784, BECAME A PARTNER IN 1790
AND ITS PRINCIPAL DIRECTOR IN 1804. FORT KAMINISTIQUIA,
THE COMPANY'S WILDERNESS HEADQUARTERS, WAS RENAMED
FORT WILLIAM IN HIS HONOUR IN 1807. HE WAS LARGELY
RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NOR' WESTERS' BITTER OPPOSITION TO
LORD SELKIRK'S RED RIVER COLONY, BUT LATER SUPPORTED
NEGOTIATIONS WHICH LED TO THE UNION OF THE HUDSON'S BAY
AND NORTH WEST COMPANIES IN 1821. HE SERVED AS
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL OF THE CORPS OF CANADIAN VOYAGEURS
DURING THE WAR OF 1812 AND AS A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE
COUNCIL OF LOWER CANADA 1814-25.

Erected by the Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board