Alberta..

Edmonton, Alberta to Rocky Mountain House, Alberta (sightseeing)

August 20- August 22, 2016

We choose Rocky Mountain House because it is the location of Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site.  It's an important area in the long history of fur trading in Canada.  The Hudson's Bay company (based in London, England) and the Northwest Company (based in Montreal) competed for fur trade in this area, setting up trading posts right next to one another along the Saskatchewan River.  Ranging from 1799 - 1875, the posts were used, abandoned, re-established, destroyed and rebuilt several times.  All that is left today are some rock chimney's and some markers showing the approximate location of original buildings.

A Metis camp.  The Metis' are a mixture of native people and European people.
The European men who worked at the fur trading posts were not allowed to bring
European (i.e. white) wives to the post.  As a result, they married native people.
Their children were called Metis.

This young Metis man was one of the interpreters at the Historic Site.
He made bannock (a native bread consisting of flour, salt and baking powder) for
visitors to try.  He also showed us how native's started a fire using a stone and a piece of striking steel.

Furs were the heart of the economy.

 

A red river cart used to transport materials. It consists entirely of wood strapped
together with leather.  It can easily be deconstructed and reconstructed as needed.
The wheels can be removed, lashed on the top or bottom then the entire cart can
be floated down or across a river.  The individual pieces can be easily constructed
by hand should the need arise.

The Saskatchewan River from the site of the forts.

Birch bark canoes were used by the Northwest Company to
move their furs back east.

Detail of the joints holding the pieces of bark together.

York boats were used by the Hudson's Bay Company to
move their furs back east.

Interior of a York Boat.
In the end, the York Boat proved to be the more efficient means of transportation back east.

 
Just two last notes about Rocky Mountain House. 
1) They have a wonderful museum in town which we thoroughly enjoyed.
2) Their town motto is "Where the adventure begins." It's on signs all over town which advertise local businesses.  For the most part this works quite well but occasionally (as shown below) it results in a laugh.

If you can't make it out the business is:
Rocky Funeral Home