Alberta Register of Historic Places

Fort Calgary Archaeological Site

Calgary

Other Names:

Fort Calgary

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place
Fort Calgary Archaeological Site is located on roughly 12 hectares of land in Calgary's Downtown East Village community, near the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers. Presently situated upon the site is a reconstruction of the original Fort Calgary.

Heritage Value
The heritage value of Fort Calgary Archaeological Site lies in its association with the establishment of the North-West Mounted Police in Alberta and the foundation of the City of Calgary.

In 1874, the North-West Mounted Police made their epic trek westward from Fort Dufferin, Manitoba to Fort Whoop-Up, a hotbed of whisky trading in what is now southern Alberta. They established Fort Macleod shortly after their arrival to disrupt the liquor traffic in the area. Cunning whisky traders were, however, able to elude the Mounties and continue to operate in the region, prompting the force in 1875 to establish another post further north, at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers. Fort Calgary, as the post came to be known, became the nucleus of a small settlement during the late 1870s. The Canadian Pacific Railway's decision to reroute their transcontinental line through southern Alberta in the early 1880s led to dramatic growth in the community and the expansion of the police post into a Divisional Headquarters. Throughout this period of early settlement in southern Alberta, the North-West Mounted Police played an essential role in policing the territory, maintaining peaceful relations between Natives and Euro-Canadians, and ensuring a stable environment for the construction of the railway line and the expansion of settlement.

The original Fort Calgary was erected by the I. G. Baker Company of Fort Benton, Montana, one of the few outfits operating in the wilds of the North-West Territories with the capacity and experience to undertake such a task. Spruce and pine logs were cut upstream on the Elbow River and floated down to the site. A trench was dug into which upright poles were placed to form the palisade, which served as the outer wall for several structures, including stables, barracks, a guard room, and storage facilities. To accommodate the larger contingent required for the post after its elevation to Divisional Headquarters in 1882, the palisade was taken down and several of the buildings razed to make way for new constructions. Over the succeeding two decades, many changes were made to the site as new buildings were erected and others torn down to address contemporary needs. None of the buildings or structures from the original, 1875 Fort Calgary remain, though several later additions - including the circa 1876 Hunt House and the 1906 Deane House - are still extant offsite. Several excavations at Fort Calgary Archaeological Site have uncovered the sub-surface remains of the various occupations at the site. Discoveries made at the site include: trenches containing the ruins of upright posts, hearth stains and pits, and a large quantity of artifacts that offer insights into daily life at the fort.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 560)

Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of Fort Calgary Archaeological Site include such features as:
- location on a flat at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow Rivers;
- sequence and composition of site strata;
- excavated artifacts and sub-surface artifacts associated with the site.

Location

Street Address:	North Side, 700 Block, 9 Avenue SE
Community:	Calgary
Boundaries:	Lot 1, Block 1, Plan 7510100
Contributing Resources:	Archaeological Site / Remainss: 1

ATS Legal Description:

Mer	Rge	Twp	Sec	LSD
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5	1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1	24 24 24 24 24 24 24 24	14 14 14 14 14 14 14 14	03 04 11 (ptn.) 12 (ptn.) 13 14 5 (ptn.) 6 (ptn.)

PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):

Plan	Block	Lot	Parcel
7510100	1	1

Latitude/Longitude:

Latitude	Longitude	CDT	Datum Type
51.045454	-114.045246	Secondary Source	NAD83

UTM Reference:

Northing	Easting	Zone	CDT	Datum Type

Recognition

Recognition Authority:	Province of Alberta
Designation Status:	Provincial Historic Resource
Date of Designation:	1982/03/10

Historical Information

Built:	1875 to 1875
Period of Significance:	N/A
Theme(s):	Governing Canada : Security and Law Peopling the Land : Settlement
Historic Function(s):	Government : Police Station Government : Police Station
Current Function(s):
Architect:
Builder:
Context:	HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Fort Calgary site, through its associations with the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) and as the birthplace of the present day city, is of major provincial and historical importance. It was one of the first NWMP outposts in western Canada and, in 1882, achieved further prominence as a divisional headquarters. Around it developed on of the first permanent settlements in Southern Alberta and, until the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in Calgary in 1883, the Fort was the focus of development for the small community. The detachment played a major role in facilitating construction of the CPR and the Calgary and Edmonton (C and E) train lines, enforced Department of the Interior control over three major Blackfoot reserves, and assisted the cause of western settlement. ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: None of the surface elements remain. Nevertheless the 1875 buildings from Fort Calgary were architecturally significant because they were of vertical rather than horizontal log construction as were most early NWMP buildings in Alberta. Some subsequent buildings rested on sandstone foundations, the earliest use of this material in the 'Sandstone City'. ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE: The site has been demonstrated to be of archaeological importance, as evidenced by excavations in 1970, 1975, 1976 and 1977. These activities have clearly shown the existence of a series of occupations dating from initial construction of the fort in 1875 and extending into the twentieth century. The outline of the original fort is represented by the ruins of upright posts set into trenches for the palisades, building walls and partitions. Archaeological features, including hearth stains and pits, were also exposed. Large quantities of artefacts were recovered indicating the range and character of daily life. Historically documented structures such as the powder magazine, the flagpole and latrines, as well as previously recorded features such as fence lines and refuse pits, have yet to be excavated at this early fort. The archaeological information is an unequivocally crucial source for clarifying and supplementing ambiguous and unrecorded historical data. Site Data Form (December 11, 1980)

Additional Information

Object Number:	4665-0192
Designation File:	DES 0560
Related Listing(s):
Heritage Survey File:	HS 17957
Website Link:
Data Source:	Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des. 560)