Founders Day

The French ultimately abandoned their Ogdensburg fort but resisted the British until the end

While France commanded vast territory in the New World, they were greatly outnumbered by the British: 80,000 French colonists were established here by the mid-18th century, compared to more than a million Brits. This outpost at the Oswegatchie and St. Lawrence rivers, Fort de la Présentation, was established to build rapport with the Iroquois Confederacy, steer them to Catholicism and bolster support against the British. It didn’t work; the French abandoned the fort in 1759 and the British took over in 1760. Founders Day marks the history of the fort with military re-enactments.

At a glance

Founders Day marks the period from the fort’s founding in 1749 through the Battle of the Thousand Islands in 1760, the last battle of the French and Indian War.
Re-enactors in period costumes fight land and sea battles and camp in tent communities.
Sit in bleachers to get a better angle on the land battles.