FORT WALSH

The weather was perfect when we visited |Fort Walsh in the Cypress Hills on Thursday. It is a national historical site as it was a North West Mounted Police force post back in 1875.  This was a critical period in Canadian history when this area was being viewed as a possible new addition to the USA.

In 1873 wolf hunters who had been on the trail of stolen horses attacked a camp of Nakoda Indians resulting in the massacre of elders, warriors, women and children. This hastened the dispatch of the NWMP and was one of the first tests of Canada's law enforcement policies in the west.

The fort is complete with students dressed in period costumes acting out the roles of people who actually lived at the fort back in the 1870s.

Our tour guide was excellent, explaining the use of each building and how the men lived and trained in these facilities.

No idea if the men had time to socialize back in 1870 but they seem to be enjoying some time together today.

There was a group of school children ahead of us being put through a training exercise as if they were members of the original NWMP stationed here.

Three of us were arrested by this constable. I was charged and convicted of selling booze in town and sentenced to a fine of $200 or 6 months in jail.

Here I am pleading my case in court, obviously not taking the charges very seriously.

This was the men's sleeping quarters, seven men to a room and no soft mattress to sleep on.

Outside the palisade there was the Indian encampment to tour .....

a Red River cart to examine and

a outdoor kitchen complete with working wood stove and fresh bread to enjoy.

Finally there was a log building outside the fort used as a trading post for the locals and Indians in the area.

It was a wonderful experience to step back in time and  relive for a moment the lives of those entrusted  to settle this land and establish law and order in a region where it had never existed.