I jumped in the driver’s seat, started the engine, cranked up the heat and drove north up the #271 Alberta Highway bound for the Trans-Canada, praying that I wouldn’t be pulled over by an R.C.M.P. We had some problems to find this fort. For nearly a decade, this town outside Fort Walsh remained one of the largest permanent centres between Winnipeg and Vancouver. Outside the fort are two log cabins, a trade cabin and a Metis cabin. Here, tour guides, dressed in period garb, perform dialogue between Commissioner Macleod and his wife, and between American Army General Terry and Hunkpapa Sioux chief Sitting Bull. At the fort’s entrance, visitors are greeted by tour guides (many of them residents of nearby Maple Creek, Saskatchewan) dressed in period uniforms. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. We visited on a blustery day at the end of September. In the gift shop and café, tourists can purchase period-themed souvenirs, historical books and food. The museum. Another piece of folk wisdom that came to mind as I trudged through the wet prairie grass, my hands clamped protectively around my camera, was that lightning has a tendency to strike the tallest object around. the court is also lots of fun. Sask. There are pathways down to the Fort and the buildings are wheelchair accessible. Sask. Fort Walsh is a historic site of the North West Mounted Police, now the RCMP. Oldtimers' Museum & Archive, Hotels near Broken Spoke Fine Art Gallery & Gift Shop, Points of Interest & Landmarks in Maple Creek, Zipline & Aerial Adventure Parks in Maple Creek, Game & Entertainment Centres in Maple Creek, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park: Tickets & Tours, Fort Walsh National Historic Site: Tickets & Tours, Jasper Cultural and Historical Centre: Tickets & Tours, St. Victor's Petroglyphs Provincial Historic Park: Tickets & Tours, Broken Spoke Fine Art Gallery & Gift Shop: Tickets & Tours, S.W. Fort Walsh is well worth the visit, nestled in the beautiful Cypress Hills country of SW Saskatchewan. This was formerly a large region RCMP headquarters many years ago. Sask. The Non-Commissioned Officers’ barracks housed thirty men, and also served as the officers’ dining and recreation room. It's a very fun and educational way to spend a day trip from Medicine Hat area or any nearby towns or camping. The Armourer’s workshop was used by Fort Walsh’s armourer, who was responsible for the maintenance of the Mounties’ rifles and revolvers. It's a beautiful drive back to the fort. Museum in the Superintendent’s residence. May 17 – June 30, Tuesday – Saturday, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm, July 1 – September 1, Daily, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm. Fort Walsh has spectacular views of the Cypress Hills which can best be viewed from the red chairs. The courthouse was used to try those arrested for possession of alcohol, horse theft, assault, or other minor offenses. A wheel chair accessible shuttle is available to transport visitors from the parking area to the fort entrance. Take your time here - you won't regret it! Fort Walsh is well worth the visit, nestled in the beautiful Cypress Hills country of SW Saskatchewan. we've been there several times on our own and with family. A collection of short stories written by yours truly. In these trials, prosecutor, defendant, judge and jury were all members of the North West Mounted Police. “Watch out for cougars,” a staff member from the Fort Walsh Visitor Centre had advised me after giving me directions to the location of the Cypress Hills Massacre. Sask. The stable housed up to eighty NWMP horses, invaluable assets to Fort Walsh’s Mounties. Upon reaching the fort, shivering and thoroughly soaked with rainwater, I squelched my way back to my car- which, by that time, was the only vehicle in the parking lot (the Fort had closed about an hour and a half earlier)- stripped completely naked and draped my sopping clothes over the back seat. Location: Across from the Gazebo/Loch Leven in the Cypress Hills Visitor Centre. Fort Walsh was the first NWMP fort and was constructed in 1875. Sign up here for our newsletter and keep up to date with what’s happening in the Cypress Hill Destination Area. The bath house was used by Mounties most frequently during the cold winter months, when nearby Battle Creek was frozen over. Looking up at the sky now, I reflected that cougars were probably the least of my worries. The grave is located in Fort Walsh’s NWMP cemetery. The Mounties at Fort Walsh established good relations with Cree, Blackfoot and Assiniboine Indians, and later with Sitting Bull’s Sioux. Picnic sites are available. McKay, along with his family and employees, lived in, traded in, and hunted out of the cabin from 1872 until well after Fort Walsh was established. The store is stocked with various pelts and furs and a surfeit of trading goods typical of the period. p. 306.662.4381 or 306 661.8958 e. joel.fitzpatrick@gmail.com. Absolutely drenched, I left the cover of the bush and made my way back to Fort Walsh, taking advantage of the relative safety of the coulee for as long as I could. The family disputes the recorded history, at least in part, of the Graburn incident. He was fairly recently honoured on the monument at the Regina Depot. Previous post: Things to Do in Pincher Creek, To Recieve Info on Secret Sales and giveaways, please…. The workshop was also used to store surplus firearms and ammunition, as well as the fort’s heavier artillery.