"The larger posts were prominent during the 1800s; however, they were not centred on trapping grounds. Instead, they became important stops along the rapidly developing travel routes leading west to the Pacific and north to the Arctic. Cumberland House (est. 1774), the oldest community in Saskatchewan, retained its importance since it adjoined two crucial transportation routes: the Saskatchewan River, leading west, and the Sturgeon-weir, leading to the Athabasca country by way of the Churchill River. Carlton House (est. 1810) and Fort Pitt (est. 1829), on the North Saskatchewan River, began as provisioning posts, but both became important way-stops on the newly developing Carlton Trail between Red River and Fort Edmonton. Fort Pelly (est. 1824), on the upper Assiniboine River, was the gateway for the trade on the northeastern plains, but it became a backwater as the bison retreated further west. The focus shifted to Fort Ellice (est. 1831), near the junction of the Assiniboine and Qu'Appelle Rivers, which became important for both travelers on the Carlton Trail and for Métis who were traveling out onto the plains. Ile-Ã-la-Crosse (est. 1776), the only major post in northern Saskatchewan, and the second-oldest community, was an important stop along the Portage la Loche route and the terminal for the Green Lake Trail, by which pemmican was brought from the south."