CANADA HISTORY - Places-Forts

Fort Macleod

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