Fort Edmonton Park

Fort Edmonton Park is organised as a walk forward in time: a reconstruction of the 1846 Hudson's Bay Company fort, then 1885 Street with the settlement era, 1905 Street for the year Alberta became a province, and 1920 Street with a midway and a cinema. A steam locomotive and a streetcar carry visitors between them. A major redevelopment completed in 2021 added the Indigenous Peoples Experience, developed with First Nations and Métis advisors, which tells the region's history from those perspectives rather than as a footnote to the fur trade, and reworked how the fort itself is presented.

History

The idea goes back to 1912, when the Women's Canadian Club proposed preserving Fort Edmonton, which had stood since 1830 just south of the Alberta Legislature Building, but the old fort was torn down in 1915 despite citizens who wanted it moved and kept. The Fort Edmonton Foundation drew up its master plan in 1968 and began building in 1969: the fort opened first, in 1974, the steam train has carried visitors since 1977, 1885 Street followed by the late 1970s, 1905 Street in the early 1980s and 1920 Street by the beginning of the 1990s, and the Indigenous Peoples Experience opened in 2021 after a three-year renovation (Wikipedia, Fort Edmonton Park).

The main sights

• The four streets - 1846 fort through to the 1920s in sequence.
• The steam train and streetcar - working transport between the eras.
• The Indigenous Peoples Experience - First Nations and Métis history in its own pavilion.
• The 1920 midway - period rides and a cinema at the far end.

When to go

May to September for full operation; the park runs a Christmas season with limited areas open and closes otherwise. Weekdays outside school holidays are calmest.

What to expect

The park closes for most of the winter. It is large and involves considerable walking, though the train helps. Not all buildings are staffed on quieter days.

Nearby

West Edmonton Mall lies west; the Muttart Conservatory is east.