Pivotal Events   Timeline... 1600 - 1699 The World British Colonies are established along the east coast of North America. These colonies would eventually become the “13 Colonies” that would break away from Britain to for the United States Canada What new know as Central Canada (Quebec and Ontario) is called New France. The profits available through the Fur Trade would prompt westward exploration. Manitoba Henry Kelsey travels southwest from Hudson Bay – to the eastern edge of the great plains The French Explorer, La Verendrye, builds Fort La Reine on the Assiniboine River (near present day Portage La Prairie). Melita & Area 1650 By about 1650, two tribes, Assiniboines and Gros Ventres had semi-permanent homes along the Souris. The Gros Ventres had inhabited the area west of the Souris River from Oak Lake to the Moose Mountains and south into the Dakotas.  Moving into the Souris area on frequent occasions came the Sioux.  At first these trips were to attack and punish the Assiniboines but later they came to attack the traders and trading posts and still later they came to settle permanently along the Souris River. Around 1660 the Santee and Yankton Dakota from western Minnesota and central North Dakota begin moving into British Canada to fight the Cree, Ojibway and Assiniboines.  The battles with the Assiniboines took place along the Souris and in the Turtles. 1673 The Sioux are getting arms from French fur traders who arrived in Sioux country about 1673. 1691 The Sioux began the first of their many excursions up the Souris River to attack the Assiniboines.