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Thunder Bay's tour de force is the reconstructed fur-trading post of Old Fort William (mid-May to mid-Oct daily 9am-6pm; $10; tel 473-2344), in a loop of the Kaministiquia River about 15km southwest of the old CN railway station - and 13km upriver from its original site. At the entrance is a visitors' centre , where a first-rate film traces the history of the fort and explains its workings. From here, it's a quick stroll or bus ride to the fort, a large palisaded compound which has been restored to its appearance in 1815, when it was the inland headquarters of the North West Company and their major shipment base. Impeccably researched and staffed by students dressed in period gear, the forty-odd buildings that fill out the compound illuminate the fort's original purpose with everything from simple storehouses to the capacious Great Hall. Look out also for the fur warehouse, festooned with the pelts of beaver, lynx and arctic fox, and the canoe workshop, where exquisite birch-bark canoes are made to traditional designs for museums all over Canada. There are demonstrations of contemporary trades and crafts, as well as a working kitchen, kitchen garden and a farm complete with sheep, pigs and cows. Old Fort William is particularly enjoyable in July, when there is a four-day re-enactment of the Great Rendezvous , an annual gathering of the North West Company's employees, fur traders and voyageurs .
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