Fort Frances, Ontario is a town, located in the northwestern part of Ontario, Canada. Its population (2001) was 8,315. It is the seat of Rainy River District.
Located on the international border with Minnesota where Rainy Lake narrows to become Rainy River, it is connected to International Falls, Minnesota by a bridge.
The first European settlement west of Lake Superior, French Canadian fur traders known as voyageurs including La Vérendrye arrived in the early 1700s.
A fort was established here and the subsequent settlement was named after Lady Frances Simpson, wife of then Hudson's Bay Company Governor George Simpson, who lived here for several years.
The town was incorporated in 1903 and held a big centennial celebration in 2003.
The main employer is a pulp and paper mill established in the early 1900's with numerous owners over the years, notably Edward Wellington Backus.
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