In 1718 a French fort was built on the island where Louis Denis de la Ronde had a post for fur trading and exploration for copper mines. Called La Pointe, the fort had a French garrison until 1759, during the Seven Years' War (also known as the French and Indian War in North America). The first English trader to reach this distant post was Alexander Henry the elder, whose French partner, Jean Baptiste Cadotte, founded a permanent trading post at this place.