Fort Macleod

The North-West Mounted Police marched west in 1874 to stop the American whisky trade that was devastating Blackfoot communities, and their first post was built here on an island in the Oldman River, giving the force its foothold and the town its name. A reconstructed fort houses a museum, with the Musical Ride performed by students in summer. The town has one of the better preserved main streets on the prairie, mostly brick and sandstone from 1900 to 1920, protected as a provincial historic area after a 1980s restoration. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO site used for around six thousand years, is eighteen kilometres away.

What you actually see

• The fort museum - a reconstruction of the 1874 NWMP post with a summer Musical Ride.
• The historic main street - brick and sandstone frontages from 1900 to 1920.
• The Blackfoot context - the whisky trade and its impact told at the museum.
• Head-Smashed-In nearby - the UNESCO buffalo jump eighteen kilometres west.

When to go

May to September for the fort and the Musical Ride; the museum closes or reduces sharply in winter. Head-Smashed-In is open year-round and worth pairing with a visit.

Honest expectations

The fort is a reconstruction, not the original. The Musical Ride runs only in summer on a schedule. The town is small with limited services.

Nearby

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump lies west; Lethbridge is southeast.