This small fort, located on Baie des Esquimaux, not far from the Saint-Augustin River, was built in 1707 by Augustin Le Gardeur de Courtemanche, who obtained a land grant in 1702 that extended from the Kegaska River to the Kessessakiou River, along the Strait of Belle Isle. This grant gave him exclusive fur-trading rights for seal hunting and permission to hunt whale and fish for cod. Courtemanche lived on good terms with the Montagnais, who worked for him as trappers and hunters. He also had a mission to approach the Inuit, who were sometimes hostile toward the French.