Fort William (Ont.) -- History, Fur Trade -- Canada, Fur trade 

Twelve-year old John Mackenzie, son of a Cree woman and a Scottish-Canadian fur trader is allowed to journey to Fort William where he begins to find out the intricate management of a fur post. 

Set in 1815, this is the dramatic story of a child of the fur trade, son of a Native mother and a Scottish-Canadian fur trader. John Mackenzie's father is a wintering partner of the Montreal-based North West Company, which was for decades the wealthiest merchant enterprise in North America. To mark his entry into adulthood, twelve-year-old John is travelling for the first time to Fort William, the Company's lavish winter headquarters by Lake Superior. In following his journey, the film reveals the complex network of people--Scottish, French and Native Canadian--that made up fur-trading society and gave a unique flavor to the opening up of Canada's northwest. Meticulously recreated from historical records and shot on location at the restored Fort William, this is the second film in a series of Canadian historical re-enactment.