Fort Saint Pierre, Trading post at Pither's Point, Fort Frances, Canada.

Fort Saint Pierre was a French fur-trading post at the southwest outlet of Rainy Lake, where the lake drains into the Rainy River near present-day Fort Frances. Built in 1731 under La Jemeraye, it was the first of eight forts in La Vérendrye's westward expansion. A modern reconstruction was demolished in 2003; the site now lies on the river's north bank just past a series of rapids.

Jacques de Noyon built a temporary post or camp in the area in 1688. In 1731 La Jemeraye, La Vérendrye's nephew and lieutenant, built Fort Saint Pierre at the southwest end of Rainy Lake where it drains into the Rainy River. The post served as a trading base for La Vérendrye's westward explorations and was abandoned by the French around 1758 during the Seven Years War.

The fort's name comes from the French, and its trade drew on the area's fish and wild rice. The local people were Monsoni Ojibwe, with Cree further west; both were at war with the Sioux to the south. Chief La Colle, a Monsoni who helped La Vérendrye greatly, kept his main camp near the fort and his warriors helped control the Prairie Sioux.

The site lies on the north bank of the Rainy River just past a series of rapids near its outflow from Rainy Lake, at the modern town of Fort Frances. A modern reconstruction of the fort stood there until it was demolished in 2003 because of its deteriorated condition, so no above-ground buildings remain. Look for the commemorative plaque by Historic Sites and Monuments of Canada, which records the fort's history.

This fort served as a hub for the fur trade between French merchants and local Ojibwe communities in a border region. Its position created a space where trade partnerships and territorial tensions coexisted in the daily life of the post.