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Louisbourg |
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Fort Rodd |
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Fort MacLeod
Fort Steele |
Fort Henry |
Fort Anne
When Canada became a country in 1867, one
of the first objectives that it's new Prime Minister,
John A Macdonald, pursued was gaining control of the
lands of the Northwest which were held by the Hudson Bay
Company. In 1870 the lands became a part of Canada and
much of the authority which the HBC had maintained
across the land was gone. American whiskey traders
quickly moved into Southern Alberta and started dealing
a vial mixture of alcohol, tea, tobacco and turpentine
to the native people. A lot of this trade was carried
out at a trading post known as Fort Whoop up.
By 1873 Macdonald established the North
West Mounted Police and with 400 trained recruits began
to assign the new force to posts across the west. In
July of 1874 the police departed and one detachment,
guided by Jerry Potts and commanded by Macleod advanced
on Fort Whoop-up to stop the illegal trade. When they
arrived there, the whiskey traders had fled and the NWMP
quickly established themselves in the fort and changed
it's name to Fort Macleod. named after NWMP assistant
commissioner James Farqueson Macleod).
The fort served a
useful purpose as native land claim settlements were
negotiated, the railway was built across the country,
the Riel rebellion was suppressed and American
incursions into Canadian territory were discouraged.
It serves as a great attraction today
with an interesting museum and several on site Mounties
displaying life as it was over 100 ears ago.
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