For 113 years, from 1805 to 1918, the fur trade outpost of Fort Dunvegan was the focus of events in the Peace River region. The fort was built by Archibald Norman McLeod, a famous Nor Wester and believed ancestor to the well-known McLeod family of the Nawash Reserve, Cape Croker. With the amalgamation of the North West and Hudson's Bay companies in 1821, Fort Dunvegan continued in its dual role of trading furs and supplying meat to the Athabasca District.
During the 1824-1826 outfit years Louis Belhumeur Sr. (1827 of the Saugeen territory) was stationed at the HBC Forts Dunvegan, Chipewyan, and Albany. On Aug 4 1826, as Louis Belhumeur prepared to leave the HBC for the Great Lakes, among the items he purchased in preparation for his trip were:
“ 1 pr fine Blue Cloth Trousers
2 Common Striped Cotton shirts
1 Shawl
1 China pullicot Silk Handkerchief
3 ¾ Yds 12d Satin Ribbon
2 lbs Currants
1 Swansdown Vest
1 Linsey settee Jacket
Louis Belhumeur was known in the Saugeen territory as an “old” HBC trader. His Métis spouse, Catherine Baune (Beaume?) Leblanc, was known for her traditional medicine skills shared with settlers. In 1947 Fort Dunvegan was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.