Irondequoit

Irondequoit lies between the Genesee River and Irondequoit Bay on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. From the bay, paths led inland to the villages of the Seneca. In 1669 the French explorer La Salle and his companions visited its mouth; less than twenty years later the same shore became the landing place for an army.

In 1687 the Marquis de Denonville, governor of New France, brought French soldiers and Indigenous allies to Irondequoit Bay for an expedition against the Seneca. Among his allies were Huron warriors, enemies of the Seneca. His men built a fortification overlooking the lake before marching south towards the Seneca villages. The campaign destroyed settlements and crops, leaving a bitter legacy in the conflict between New France and the Haudenosaunee.