By Colin Budd
History came to life Saturday at Fort Pitt Provincial Park.
Stories were told and survival techniques of a bygone day were demonstrated as people flocked to one of the most important sites in Canadian history for a rededication ceremony.
“This fort was involved in events that would change the course of history significantly – impacting Saskatchewan and Canada,” Batoche MLA Delbert Kirsch told those who attended.
Onion Lake First Nation Councillor Delores Gamble spoke about the importance of the site being the location of the signing of Treaty Six, which has brought peace in the region and RM of Frenchman Butte Reeve George Larre reiterated how important those relationships are to the area thriving today.
“Historic places such as Fort Pitt are our link to the past,” said Kirsch. “They ensure that our stories are told to future generations, so we may understand our past and learn about where we came from.”
Fort Pitt was an early Hudson’s Bay Company fur trading post that was strategically located on the north bank of the North Saskatchewan River along the Carlton Trail halfway between Fort Carlton and Fort Edmonton. During the period of the fur trade, it was an important trading and commerce centre. Today, it is on property owned by the Hougham family, about 60 kilometres northeast of Lloydminster.
On Sept. 9, 1876, it was one of the signing locations for Treaty Six. Nine years later, in 1885, it was the scene of a skirmish between First Nations and the Northwest Mounted Police. Both were significant events that have had a lasting impact on Saskatchewan and Canada.
Through the work to redevelop the site, the original locations were discovered along with more than 1,100 artifacts. New developments also include a roadway, a parking lot and walking paths connecting the two forts and the burial ground. New interpretive panels have been installed that describe the lives of the people that lived at Fort Pitt and the experiences they had. The Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Parks Service Branch spent slightly more than $150,000 on the improvements and upgrades at Fort Pitt Provincial Park.