It was the first of eight forts built during the elder Vérendrye's expansion of trade and exploration westward from the Great Lakes.

In 1688 Jacques de Noyon, the first European to reach the area, built a temporary post or camp possibly at the same location.

The site was on the north bank of the Rainy River just past a series of rapids near its outflow from the lake at the modern town of Fort Frances.

He and his warriors helped control the Sioux of the Prairies in the period when La Vérendrye was leading expeditions and fort building westward.

According to the commemorative plaque by Historic Sites and Monuments of Canada,[3] "The first post on Rainy Lake was Fort Tekamanigan built by Robutel de La Noue in 1717, but soon abandoned, probably because of Sioux hostility.