Oswego

Oswego lies at the mouth of the Oswego River on Lake Ontario. The river and its connecting waterways lead inland through Haudenosaunee country, making the site a valuable meeting place for traders travelling between the lake and the Hudson. British merchants established a trading post here to compete with the French for the fur trade of the Great Lakes.

A British post was established in 1724 and fortified in 1727. Its presence on Lake Ontario challenged French influence in the region. During the Seven Years' War, the French commander Montcalm besieged the forts at Oswego; the British garrison surrendered in 1756, and the French destroyed the works. The British later returned, and the post remained in their hands after American independence until it was surrendered to the United States in 1796.