Fort Frontenac was erected in 1673 by René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle, at the mouth of the Cataracoui River on a point of land projecting into Lake Ontario. The objective was to make it a command post for the control of the fur trade, but also to contain the Iroquois from expanding their territory to the south. La Salle used it as a departure point for his explorations of the Mississippi. By 1685, the site also included many dwellings, an Indian village, a convent and a church. The French abandoned the whole outpost in 1688, and destroyed the fort, which they rebuilt in 1695 to house another small garrison. The fort was taken by the English in August 1758.