With the union of the two companies in 1821, the Lake Superior trade was diverted from Montreal to Hudson Bay via Michipicoten. This lasted until 1863, when the arrival of steamboats and railways made it unnecessary. From 1827, the fort was the headquarters of the Superior Division, and several annual meetings were held here. It was a centre for fishing, boat-building and small-scale manufacture and repair. It also served as a base for missionaries and surveyors. It was closed in 1904 and gradually taken apart. By 1980 the site held little more than a grassy clearing, some foundation stones, and the remains of the dock.