Welcome to the Fort Edmonton Park Blog. Find a piece of Edmonton's history to make your own.
By Keltie MacKenzie Edmonton boasts an incredible record of women making history. From the Famous Five to the Founders of the Canadian Women’s Press Club and beyond, an incredible amount of progress in women’s rights has been made here along our river valley. One such trailblazer who needs to be mentioned is Canada’s first female police officer, Annie May Jackson. …
A special holiday blog from volunteer Kate Ziebinski. Photos courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Alberta. We are in the midst of another busy Christmas and Holiday season here in snow-covered Edmonton. Busybodies are finishing (or starting) their Christmas shopping, frantically running from store to store trying to locate that one impossible-to-find gift that Santa had promised would be under the …
For many of our volunteers, Christmas is a time to become crafty: get out the yarn, papers, paints and tools, and create something majestic. Certainly, that is the case for Stephanie Huolt who is taking her craftiness to the next level as our volunteer team lead for craft at this year’s Christmas Reflections event. Stephanie got started volunteering at Fort …
Fort Edmonton Park is located along the North Saskatchewan river valley in Edmonton and provides guests the opportunity to experience life in the region in earlier times. Fort Edmonton Park is expanding and improving the historical and cultural accuracy of its buildings, programming and exhibits as well as improving the visitor experience. Major projects within this expansion include: Expansion of …
Edmonton, AB – November 21, 2017 Fort Edmonton Park has once again been recognized for leadership in programming. This latest accolade comes in the form of Finalist in the Governor General’s History Award for excellence in Museums: History Alive! Two of the Park’s innovative team members, Brittany Cherwenick, Indigenous Relations Coordinator and Laura Nichol, Volunteers and Outreach Coordinator, are in …
This is the last of our series of letters written by Alex Decoteau to his sister after he enlisted in the army. It provides us with insights into Alex’s nature, the experience of soldiers who fought in the Great War, and the level of participation in the war on the part of Edmontonians. It is a particularly poignant account, as …
Fort Edmonton Park is thrilled to be the 2017 recipient of the Robert R. Janes Award for Social Responsibility. It is an incredible honour and we want to thank the Alberta Museums Association as well as recognize our partners, the Métis Nation of Alberta and Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations. The Selection Committee identified our commitment to embracing the …
Ronin and Silas Banu are having a pretty special summer: between teething on raw potatoes and learning to walk in the Fort Courtyard, these twin one-year-old volunteers are having adventures that other modern toddlers won’t have. Interestingly, historic children probably wouldn’t either! “Twins were very uncommon in the fur-trade,” says their Mom, Laura, “It was just as likely that a …
Kinder Morgan will be completing maintenance on its existing Trans Mountain Pipeline beginning on Monday, August 21st in the River Valley. Fort Edmonton Park is not involved with the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, other than to supply the access route for workers and staging equipment on site. If you have any other questions or would like to find out more information …
Moe Alabour has been a passionate and important volunteer at Fort Edmonton Park for four years now, but it was when his aide Ruben Hofsink joined him earlier this year that volunteering really took on a new meaning. The pair have been key team members, cultivating the beautiful Heritage Gardens, in addition to helping out at most special events in …
Harley-Davidson Company dates back to 1903, and grew to be one of the leading producers of American motorcycles alongside competing brands like Indian and Excelsior. Motorcycles, like this 1920 Harley Model 20F, appeared on the automotive scene in Edmonton, likely after the arrival of Edmonton’s very first motorcar in 1904. Side History of the Sidecar: When it came to that moment one had …
I will always remember Alice Harkness. Granted, not as well as some of the costumed interpreters who preceded me or even as well as some of the many long-time visitors who took comfort around Alice’s campfire and fed themselves with her unparalleled fried bannock. I only worked with Alice briefly and towards the end of her long career. Alice was hired at …
Susanne Lamoureux has been getting her hands dirty volunteering in our Heritage Gardens at Fort Edmonton Park, and this summer she’s making it her full time job! Joining our veteran Garden Supervisor, Bill, Susanne will work with our team of over 25 talented gardener volunteers to bring to life the over two dozen historic gardens on site! We took some time …
By Keltie MacKenzie The grey room was warmly aglow with the latest personal updates and the rhythmic clack of knitting needles. Likely, a scene like this has been experienced countless times before; it almost sounds like the setting for the next feel-good film to hit the screen. The characters in the room boast a bevy of remarkable personalities, including the …
By Keltie MacKenzie In light of the exciting announcement that Fort Edmonton Park will be receiving funding from the federal government, there has been a great deal of talk about one of the major aspects of this expansion, called the The Indigenous Peoples Experience (IPE). The IPE will aim to educate on Indigenous culture, treaties, and Indigenous history in the Edmonton …
