Fort Calgary
Fort Calgary is located east of downtown Calgary on a 40 acre site. Open year round, the Fort offers visitors, interactive exhibits, tours and educational school programs. Fort Calgary was built the fall of 1875. The North West Mounted Police built a small wooden fort at the crossroads of the Bow and Elbow Rivers. The fort was the foundation for the city that would be called Calgary. The Mounted Police were there initially to bring law and order to the west, to nix the whiskey trade, and to make friends with the First Nations peoples in preparation for the treaties that would open the land for settlement by Europeans.
Fort Calgary Information and Facts
The construction of the fort was initiated on April 10, 1875 by an order to force out whiskey traders from the area. Éphrem A. Brisebois commanded troops as they travelled from Fort Macleod to find a place for the fort on the Bow River. Upon arrival they made a small boat with and sails made from tarps to cross the Bow River. Corporal George Clift King was the first to set foot on the other side, which is why he is called Calgary's first citizen.
The Calgary Fort was made from of pine and spruce logs that were cut far away and floated down on the Bow River to the Fort site. Original buildings were: men's quarters, a guard room, stables and storage. Shortly after the construction of the fort, two businesses opened: I. G. Baker Company and the Hudson's Bay Company.
The trading post was called The Elbow and Bow Fort. The fort was named Fort Calgary in 1876 after Calgary House, a castle at Calgary Bay on the Isle of Mull, in Scotland.
The majority of the fort was demolished in 1882 and barracks were built. The advent of the CN railway in 1883 and the growth and of the city Calgary made the post redundant; there was no need for it anymore.
Today the fort is an interpretive centre, educational facility and facility for private parties.
Deane House is the old home of the Superintendant of Fort Calgary and was built in 1906. Today it is a restaurant that serves local food. The 1888 Barracks, Interpretive Centre and Deane House are all available for private rentals, including weddings, meetings, banquets and Christmas parties. Fort Calgary is owned by The City of Calgary and is operated by the Fort Calgary Preservation Society.
Useful Links
http://www.calgarytransit.com/
Melissa Montgomery