Fort Le Bœuf | |
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Waterford, Pennsylvania, USA | |
Coordinates | 41°56′22″N 79°58′57″W / 41.939510°N 79.982452°W |
Site information | |
Controlled by | Kingdom of France 1753–1759 Kingdom of Great Britain 1759–1763 |
Site history | |
Built | 1753 |
In use | 1753–1763 |
Demolished | 18 June 1763 |
Battles/wars | French and Indian War Pontiac's Rebellion |
Garrison information | |
Past commanders | Jacques Legardeur de Saint-Pierre |
Fort Le Bœuf (often referred to as Fort de la Rivière au Bœuf) was a fort established by the French during 1753 on a fork of French Creek (in the drainage area of the River Ohio), in present-day Waterford, in northwest Pennsylvania. The fort was part of a line that included Fort Presque Isle, Fort Machault, and Fort Duquesne.
The fort was located about 15 miles (24 km) from the shores of Lake Erie, on the banks of LeBoeuf Creek, for which the fort was named. The French portaged supplies and trade goods from Lake Erie overland to Fort Le Bœuf. From there they traveled by raft and canoe down French Creek to the rivers Allegheny, Ohio and Mississippi.
Today, the site of the fort is occupied by the Fort LeBoeuf Museum,[1] operated by the Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society.