Fort George & Buckingham House
Elk Point, AB
780-724-2611
Take a trip back in time to the site of the first two permanent fur posts in Alberta.
Category:
Visual Arts Location
What:
| Type | | Museum |
Where:
| Neighbourhood | | North |
| Getting There | | 13 Km southeast of Elk Point on Highway 646 |
When:
| May 15th to Labour Day: 10AM-6PM daily |
Profile Last Updated: December 22, 2008
Back Then
The competition for the rich inland fur trade between the Hudson's Bay Company and its rival the North West Company was at its zenith when the Fort George (North West Company) and Buckingham House (Hudson's Bay) were built in the 1790s. These forts were literally side by side on the North Saskatchewan River, and for a while the traders existed with a "cooperative competition" type of bargain. The forts were abandoned after a few years, and they crumbled into dust.
Today
The sites of the two forts have become signifcant archaeological sites. An interpretive path leads to the site of the archaeological digs. Interpreters also help portray the life of WIlliam Tomlinson, the Chief Factor of Buckingham House, as well as one of the "country-born" wives who served as an important liaison between the fur traders and their aboriginal partners.
The competition for the rich inland fur trade between the Hudson's Bay Company and its rival the North West Company was at its zenith when the Fort George (North West Company) and Buckingham House (Hudson's Bay) were built in the 1790s. These forts were literally side by side on the North Saskatchewan River, and for a while the traders existed with a "cooperative competition" type of bargain. The forts were abandoned after a few years, and they crumbled into dust.
Today
The sites of the two forts have become signifcant archaeological sites. An interpretive path leads to the site of the archaeological digs. Interpreters also help portray the life of WIlliam Tomlinson, the Chief Factor of Buckingham House, as well as one of the "country-born" wives who served as an important liaison between the fur traders and their aboriginal partners.
