[3] Realizing the closing of Fort McLoughlin in the early 1840s had been a mistake, the HBC sought a new location partly motivated by Admiralty interest in coal.

In 1849, men under the charge of Captain William Henry McNeill, assisted by John Work, erected Fort Rupert.

Named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine, the first HBC governor, the strong fortifications were to provide protection from the fierce Nahwitti warriors in the vicinity.

Many of the Scottish miners refused to undertake non-mining work, and also were unhappy that the company provided limited protection against armed attacks outside the fort.

[4] Visits by royal naval officers sought to diffuse inter-tribal warfare,[10] but also burned down houses for refusal to hand over tribesmen wanted for murder.

HBC employee Hamilton Moffat inoculated over 100 tribal members near Fort Rupert with smallpox vaccine.

Following further deterioration, the nearby Nahwitti salvaged items from the ruins, including metal objects such as knives, nails, and hammers.

Petroglyphs, though difficult to find, exist on the sandstone formations in the higher tidal zones below the former fort site.

[16][17] At the Fort Rupert site, all that remains are various footings, drains, the huge stone chimney of the factor's residence, the Hunt family cemetery, and the collapsed Cadwallader store.