Fort Edmonton Park Map
1846 Hudson's Bay Fort
1. MAIN ENTRANCE
2. WEST GATE
3. INDIAN HOUSE
Trade took place here between the Hudson's Bay Company
(HBC) and Aboriginal traders. This building includes a trade room,
trade store, warehouse and a loft for fur storage.
4. COURTYARD & FUR PRESS IN COURTYARD
Often the scene of lively activity including welcome
ceremonies for Aboriginal traders, fur packing, food processing and
loading of supplies. The Fur Press was said to pack dried pelts and
hides for shipment to the Hudson Bay by York boats.
5. ROWAND HOUSE
This impressive residence was built in 1842 for John Rowand, Chief
Factor of the HBC's Saskatchewan District.
6. COLUMBIA HOUSE
Used as layover quarters by the HBC's Columbia District
brigade on their annual journey to and from York Factory. Currently
used as washroom facilities.
7. WATCHTOWER
From this tower, the men at the Fort could view
surrounding vegetable gardens and crops, and watch for approaching
Aboriginal and mixed-blood traders, York boat brigades, hunting and
work parties, and other occurrences in the vicinity.
8. MEAT STORE
In addition to the preparation of salt meat, sausages and
buffalo tongues, dried meat and grease were processed into
pemmican, a fur trade staple. All were stored in the adjoining
section and in other locations within the Fort.
9. RUNDLE HOUSE AND CHAPEL
The Hudson's Bay Company provided this dwelling and
chapel to Robert Terrill Rundle, a Wesleyan Methodist missionary,
in 1843, it became his home base for the next five years.
10. CLAY BAKE OVEN
Heated by building a fire in the cavity and subsequently
scraping it out, the oven's radiant heat baked excellent bread.
11. BACHELORS' HALL OR CLERKS' QUARTERS
So called because this building, during the 1840s,
contained the sleeping quarters for the company's clerks, gentlemen
visitors, a gentlemen's mess, a great hall, the Chief Trader's
office and quarters, a kitchen, and the cook's quarters.
12. ICE HOUSE
With a sod roof and a deep pit filled with layers of
river ice and straw, such structures preserved meat brought in by
hunters or traded by Aboriginals, throughout the year.
13. MARRIED MEN'S QUARTERS
These units were shared by the families of men who had
proven themselves and been allowed to enter into a 'country
marriage' with either an Aboriginal or mixed-blood woman.
14. GENTLEMEN'S STABLE AND HORSE YARD
The personal horses of Company gentlemen, and sick or
foaling horses were kept secure in this area.
15. BOAT SHED
8 to 10 York boats were built every year at Edmonton
House as their service life was short due to the harsh conditions
of river travel.
16. TRADESMEN'S QUARTERS
Tradesmen enjoyed a higher standard of living than the
labour servant class, with salaries similar to those of clerks.
They were afforded their own family dwellings, unlike lower-class
labourers, who had to share their dwellings with 1 or 2 other
families.
17. BLACKSMITH'S SHOP
Carpentry, boat building and ironwork were all essential
trades in the daily regimen of the fur trade. Repairs to traps,
guns and axes, making nails, hardware for buildings and boats,
tools and garden implements all required the skills of the
smith.
18. PALISADES & CREE CAMP
High wooden walls and formidable bastions helped secure
order during trading sessions when hundreds of Aboriginal people
could converge upon the fort. This Cree Camp represents a small
Plains Cree group whose members, though involved with the fur
trade, retain an independent existence and whose culture is a
marked contrast to that of the European and mixed-blood fur
traders.
19. YORK BOAT
These heavy but reliable freight boats were the backbone
of the HBC's transportation network, plying the waterways that
connected forts all the way to York Factory at Hudson Bay.
20. WINDMILL
22. TRADING POST
1885 Street Map
23. OTTEWELL HOMESTEAD
When Richard Ottewell homesteaded in 1881, he started to carve out
a farm on land previously uninhabited by white people. Four years
later he brought his family out from Ontario and all 8 settled into
a little log house.
24. BELLEROSE SCHOOL
Most of this humble school's students were French-speaking farm
children from outside of St. Albert. Bellerose served as a school
until 1947.
25. BULLETIN BUILDING
The original building of Edmonton's first newspaper. Initially the
paper was tiny, but thanks to editor Frank Oliver, its voice was
heard across the country.
26. JAMES MCDONALD'S CARPENTRY SHOP
James McDonald helped build Edmonton physically as a carpenter,
and socially as a volunteer teacher and member of the Literary,
Rifle, Skating and Curling Clubs.
27. KERNOHAN'S MILLINERY HUTCHINGS & RILEY'S HARNESS
SHOP
The harness shop on the main floor did a lucrative business in
pioneer Edmonton. The entrepreneurial spirit of Mrs. Kernohan, the
milliner upstairs, proved to be a bit premature for the fledgling
Edmonton settlement.
28. RAYMER'S JEWELLERY STORE
A resident of this dusty frontier town could dream of finer
things, and buy them at Raymer's Jewellery Store.
29. MCDOUGALL METHODIST CHURCH
Edmonton's oldest surviving building, the Methodist Church stood
tall in 1873, overlooking an empty patch of land that is now
downtown Edmonton.
30. BYRNES' SHOE SHOP
Byrnes' tiny shoe shop reflects the small-town scale of early
Edmonton. Twenty years later, its real estate was worth a small
fortune.
31. & 33. LAUDER'S BAKERY &
RESIDENCE
James Lauder was lured from his homestead in 1885 into the bakery
business with a contract to supply 100 loaves of bread a day to the
N.W.M.P. at Fort Saskatchewan. Like most merchants in Edmonton back
then, he took up living quarters in the same building that housed
his shop.
32. ROSS BROTHERS' HARDWARE
Hardware was an important business in a frontier town. Ross
Brothers' grew to become the largest hardware business in western
Canada.
34. SECORD FUR STORE AND WAREHOUSE
The fur trade was no longer monopolized by the Hudson's Bay
Company in 1887 when Richard Secord opened his store to
trappers.
35. DALY'S DRUGSTORE AND DR. WILSON'S
OFFICE
As a young physician, Herbert Wilson brought the latest surgical
technique and the first drug store to Edmonton in 1882. Philip Daly
later purchased the drug interest and established a thriving
business.
36. J. A .MCDOUGALL'S GENERAL STORE
Mrs. Lovisa McDougall knew there was no regular dentist in
Edmonton, so she had all her teeth pulled and replaced with
dentures before leaving Ontario to join her merchant husband John
here in 1879.
37. KELLY'S SALOON
Thanks to the Northwest's prohibition liquor laws in 1885, Luke
Kelly had to find creative ways to supply his customers.
38. SANDERSON & LOOBY, BLACKSMITH &
WHEELRIGHT
One of five blacksmiths in Edmonton in the late 1880s, George
Sanderson was also a locksmith. Later, he rolled with the times and
began repairing bicycles.
39. MCCAULEY'S LIVERY STABLE
The livery was very crucial to a pre-railway town; it was the
horse-powered equivalent of a taxi company or a car rental
agency.
40. JASPER HOUSE HOTEL
Part of the original Jasper House remains in business today,
incorporated within the structure of its downtown successor, the
Hub Hotel.
41. PETER ERASMUS HOUSE
Highly educated and fluent in Cree, French and English, Metis
interpreter Peter Erasmus was present at the signing of Treaty
6.
42, 43 & 44. NORTHWEST MOUNTED POLICE STATION AND
GUARD HOUSE
Edmonton was too peaceful for a whole division of the Northwest
mounted Police to be stationed here. For a few months in 1885-86
they tried it, but the lice-infested quarters at the old Fort and a
lack of hay sent them packing back to Fort Saskatchewan.
45. KENNETH MCDONALD HOUSE
Kenneth McDonald came to work for the Hudson's Bay Company,
married a local Metis woman, Emma Rowland, and stayed on as a
farmer.
46. DOMINION LAND AGENCY
Even the most humble government office was prestigious for a
frontier town. Edmontonians were prepared to guard the Dominion
Land Agency with their lives if need be, and they almost got their
chance.
47 & 48. EGGE'S STOPPING HOUSE
Originally Egge's offered nightly lodging to travellers on the
Athabasca Trail. Now Egge's hosts children's education programs and
private rentals.
49 METIS CABIN
1905 Street Map
50. & 51. HENDERSON FARM
The Henderson's round barn, built in 1898 on their dairy
farm near Rabbit Hill and moved to Fort Edmonton Park, is one of
the few surviving round barns in Canada.
52. TENT CITY
Boom times in the early 20th century Edmonton caused a
housing shortage that left many families living in tents.
53. ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS ANGLICAN CHURCH
An original structure built in 1910, St. Michael's is
still a favourite for weddings.
54. RUTHERFORD HOUSE
The original home of Alberta's first premier is typically
Victorian, with the décor to prove it.
55. FIRKINS' HOUSE
An original home built in 1911, the Firkins' house was
the last word in modernity.
56. MASONIC HALL
Explore the Masonic Museum upstairs. The main floor
features a food service outlet.
57. PENNY ARCADE
Definitely a men's hangout in 1912. The Penny Arcade now
welcomes all comers to try its shooting gallery and amusement
machines.
58. ST. ANTHONY'S CHURCH AND SCHOOL
It was quite a commute for the nuns who taught at St.
Anthony's -- they had to cross the river, probably by ferry, twice
a day.
59. GYRO PARK
The Gyro Club was instrumental in building parks
throughout Edmonton. This is a great place for the children to burn
up some energy.
60. POST OFFICE
The Post Office Block also housed Edmonton's Telephone
Exchange on the second floor.
61. REED'S BAZAAR
Mr. Reed specialized in fine china, gifts and teas. He
also brought the first "Santa Man" to Edmonton to help promote his
products. Come in and admire the beautiful antiques and buy a new,
classic piece to take home.
62. ERNEST BROWN HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Located on Fort Edmonton Park's 1905 Street between
Reed's Bazaar and the Fire Hall, Ernest Brown Historical
Photography was originally built in Edmonton in 1890. In
1982, the building was then re-constructed at Fort Edmonton Park,
and is a wonderful venue that displays various artifacts showing
the art of photography as it was 100 years ago. Read more
>>
63. BANK OF MONTREAL
The Bank of Montreal occupied its modest first digs in
Edmonton until February 1905, when it relocated in a palatial stone
building in the city's financial district.
64. FIRE HALL & TOWN HALL
Edmonton's first firehall also housed its first town hall
and police station in 1893.
65. MEMORIAL GARDENS
66. EAST END PARK BANDSHELL
So many people flocked to hear the bands play on a summer
day in Edwardian Edmonton that extra streetcars had to run to East
End (now Borden) Park.
67. RAMSAY'S GREENHOUSE
Northern Alberta's first greenhouse offered Edmontonians
fresh flowers and tropical plants as a break from the long winter.
1920 Street Map
69. UKRAINIAN BOOKSTORE
Whether they had come from the old country a generation
before, or were born here, Ukrainian Canadians found a wealth of
cultural material at the Ukrainian Bookstore.
70. HOTEL SELKIRK
The original Hotel stood at 101 Street and Jasper Ave.
from 1903 until fire consumed it in 1962. This recreation of Hotel
Selkirk is an active, full-service hotel, with some added modern
comforts.
71. TOM THUMB MINIATURE GOLF COURSE
Leisure was serious business in the 1920s. Tom Thumb
Miniature Golf, patented in Tennessee in 1929, came to Edmonton
soon after and started a craze.
72. THE SUN DRUGSTORE AND BILL'S CONFECTIONERY
The Sun Drugstore and Bill's Confectionery was originally
located on the corner of Jasper Ave. and 109 Street. Bill's had ice
cream then, and still does today!
73. BLATCHFORD HANGAR
The age of flight demanded its own unique structures. Our
replica of Edmonton's first municipal air harbour serves as a
multi-purpose venue.
74. J. B. LITTLE BRICKYARD
James Little used clay from the banks of the Riverdale
district to transform Edmonton from a wooden to a red brick city in
the early 20th century.
75. SILVER HEIGHTS PEONY GARDEN
In 1921, Dr. James Brander planted a peony garden that
expanded over five acres, and eventually offered more than 200
varieties to choose from in addition to other flowers and
shrubs.
76. AGT TELEPHONE EXCHANGE
Alberta Government Telephones built bungalow style
exchange buildings in small regional towns and villages to
symbolize the average person of Alberta to whom AGT's slogan was a
"Silent Partner".
77. AL RASHID MOSQUE
Edmonton's Muslim community hired a Ukrainian contractor
to construct the first purpose-built mosque in Canada in 1938.
78. MELLON FARM
The land Fort Edmonton Park occupies was a remote farm
corner in 1922, when the Mellon estate trust built this original
farmhouse to rent out.
79. MOTORDROME
Cars really took over the roads during the 1920s. You
could buy one, have it repaired or store it over winter at the
Motordrome.
80. 1920s MIDWAY & EXHIBITION
The arrival of the summer midway and exhibition was a
time of great excitement in Edmonton. This midway is similar to the
1920s midway brought to Edmonton by Johnny J. Jones.
81. MIDWAY TREATS & TREASURES
82. STREETCAR BARN
This replica building functions much as the original, as
the Edmonton Radial Railway Society restores and maintains the
Park's classic streetcars within.
83. FREIGHT SHED