In 1914, Portage-du-Fort suffered a disastrous fire. Many of the buildings that survived the conflagration were built of solid stone. Perhaps the most imposing of them is the Reid House, built in 1899 by Patrick Ratchford, a stonemason from Portage-du-Fort, for businessman George Emmerson Reid.
Reid was one of the region’s wealthy lumbermen; he also ran the general store in Portage-du-Fort. His house, with its three storeys, massive chimneys, and bay windows, is made entirely of locally quarried limestone. Originally called "Edgewood," the mansion is now sometimes referred to as the “Château Pontiac” or “Pontiac Castle.” It is a striking display of the prosperity of its original owner. Today the house overlooks the village park, not far from the Ottawa River and a huge power dam.