Fort Le Boeuf

Fort Le Bœuf
Waterford, Pennsylvania, USA
Fort Le Bœuf during 1754.
Coordinates41°56′22″N 79°58′57″W / 41.939510°N 79.982452°W / 41.939510; -79.982452
Site information
Controlled by Kingdom of France 1753–1759
 Kingdom of Great Britain 1759–1763
Site history
Built1753
In use1753–1763
Demolished18 June 1763
Battles/warsFrench 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.