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Fort Macleod National Historic Site of Canada

Fort MacLeod, Alberta, T0L, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1923/05/25

View of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque for Fort Macleod.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada.
General view
No Image
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Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1874/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2004/02/27

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Fort Macleod National Historic Site of Canada is located in what is now the Town of Fort Macleod, approximately 150 kilometres south-east of Calgary, Alberta. The site is situated at the western end of Macleod Island, overlooking the Oldman River. The site is partly covered by brush and by pasture and hay fields at its centre. Official recognition refers to the location of the first Fort Macleod at the time of designation surrounded by a 30-metre perimeter.

Heritage Value

Fort Macleod was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1923 because:
- it was a station of much importance in the early history of the North West Mounted Police.

In 1874, the Assistant-Commissioner of the North West Mounted Police, James F. Macleod, arrived on Macleod Island with a detachment of 150 men and constructed the first Fort Macleod. Though the fort was relocated to higher ground in 1883, the original Fort Macleod was the first North West Mounted Police (N.W.M.P.) post in Southern Alberta, and served as N.W.M.P. headquarters between 1874 and 1878. The fort enabled the N.W.M.P. to institute and maintain the law, and to suppress the whiskey trade. This helped gain the trust of the Blackfoot Confederacy, contributing to the peaceful settlement of southern Alberta.

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, May 1925, 1977, December 2007.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
- its location outside the Town of Fort Macleod in southern Alberta ;
- its agricultural setting on the western end of Macleod Island, overlooking the Oldman River;
- its low-lying composition, which led to the first fort’s relocation to higher ground;
- the integrity of surviving archaeological remains, features, and artifacts in their original placement and extent, including the ‘in situ’ vestiges, that date to the occupation of the fort between 1874 and its relocation in 1883;
- the viewscapes between the site and its surrounding landscape.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1923/05/25

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1883/01/01 to 1883/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Governing Canada
Security and Law

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Defence
Military Defence Installation

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

21

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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