Fort Saskatchewan
Fort Saskatchewan is a city along the North Saskatchewan River in Alberta, Canada. It is northeast of Edmonton, the provincial capital. It is part of the Edmonton census metropolitan area and one of 24 municipalities that constitute the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board. Its population in the 2021 federal census was 27,464.
The city was founded as a North-West Mounted Police fort and later home to a large provincial jail. The original fort was located across the river from the hamlet of Lamoureux, and Fort Saskatchewan opened a replica of the fort next to its original site in 2011. Fort Saskatchewan is bordered by Strathcona County to the south and east, Sturgeon County to the north and west, and the City of Edmonton to the southwest. Sturgeon County is across the North Saskatchewan River.
The city is best known for its proximity to chemical plants, including Dow Chemical, Sherritt International, Nutrien, Linde, and Shell Canada. It is also known for its flock of 50 sheep that roam the Fort Heritage Precinct throughout the summer months eating the grass.
History
Pre-colonization and founding
Prior to colonization of the region, the area around what is now Fort Saskatchewan was a gathering place and home for many Indigenous nations, including the Cree and Métis. Indigenous peoples of the region commonly travelled the North Saskatchewan River by canoe. The mouth of the Sturgeon River, located near modern-day Fort Saskatchewan's industrial business park, was an ideal location to gather the materials necessary to construct canoes. The Cree name of the area of modern-day Fort Saskatchewan is waskwayâhtik ispatinaw because birch bark was an important component for making canoes and scrolls with Cree syllabics inscribed on them.Inspector William D. Jarvis, who led a column of North-West Mounted Police during the March West, established Sturgeon Creek Post in 1875. The post was soon renamed "Fort Saskatchewan", and it became a key northern police garrison. Its location caused outrage among residents of Edmonton, who held a meeting voicing their concern that the police garrison was located far from their settlement. Chief Factor Richard Hardisty, in charge of Fort Edmonton, wanted the police garrison to be located across the river and slightly upstream from his fort. However, Inspector Jarvis preferred the downstream site because he believed that its narrower and shallower river banks were better suited for a future railway crossing.
The NWMP made Fort Saskatchewan the headquarters of 'G' Division in 1885, and considered moving it to Edmonton to accommodate an expansion. The residents of Edmonton were enthusiastic about this proposal; they held a meeting to voice their support for the move, and submitted a 250-signature petition to the Minister of the Interior. However, the existing NWMP barracks in Edmonton were so dilapidated that some officers mutinied in 1886 – an event known among police at the time as "the Big Buck". It was cheaper to expand Fort Saskatchewan at its current location than to rebuild and expand the garrison in Edmonton. Despite the efforts of Edmonton's residents, who would continue to protest and voice their discontent until 1888, Fort Saskatchewan remained where it was.
The palisade wall surrounding the fort was dismantled in 1886, and the fort was expanded for a second time in 1889. As headquarters of 'G' Division, it hosted patrols that extended as far as Fort Simpson and Chesterfield Inlet. The NWMP transferred the property to the Alberta government in 1911 for the construction of a provincial jail, and the fort was soon demolished. Artifacts and structural features have been discovered during subsequent digs, including clothing buttons, a possible privy deposit, and structural remains of the original palisade wall. The site of the fort has been partially damaged by the installation of underground utilities, and the construction of the provincial jail. Fort Saskatchewan was incorporated as a village in 1899, a town in 1904, and a city in 1985.
Hanging of Swift Runner
Five hangings were conducted at the fort between 1879 and 1914. On December 20, 1879, Fort Saskatchewan's police garrison conducted the first hanging in the North-West Territories.Swift Runner, a Cree man, was considered by locals to be smart and trustworthy, and he had previously served as a guide for local police. He was expelled from Fort Saskatchewan, and later his tribe as well, after developing a severe addiction to whisky. After he eventually arrived back at Fort Saskatchewan alone, it was discovered that he killed and ate his six children, his wife, his brother, and his mother. Possible motives for his acts have been proposed, such as trauma from previously being forced to eat a deceased hunting partner out of necessity, or being possessed by Wendigo – a flesh eating spirit in some Indigenous cultures.
Charged for murder and cannibalism, Swift Runner was sentenced to death in August 1879 by a jury consisting of three Métis residents, four locals who knew the Cree language, and a Cree translator. Scaffolding was built for his hanging in December, and an army pensioner was paid $50 to act as the hangman. Local Indigenous Chiefs were also invited to observe the execution to pacify rumours of unnecessary cruelty inflicted upon the condemned. The hanging was delayed after locals used the trap from the scaffolding as fire kindling, and the hangman forgot straps to bind Swift Runner's arms. At 9:30 am, Swift Runner was hanged in front of 60 onlookers and pronounced dead shortly after. Within an hour, his body was cut from the rope and buried in the snow outside the fort walls.
Early growth
Arrival of the railway
Prior to the arrival of the railway, travellers to and from Edmonton had to traverse a dirt trail that wound around woods and swamps.The Canadian Northern Railway reached Fort Saskatchewan in 1905, placing the town on what would eventually become a transcontinental rail line. The CNR station is a modified third-class station design ; a "special station" that was used by CNR at the most significant stops along their line. It has several unique features, such as a longer footprint than other third-class stations, and a freight shed; these reflected Fort Saskatchewan's status as the centre of an agricultural district and the largest community on the CNR line between Edmonton and North Battleford, Saskatchewan. A second freight shed was built on the west side of the station in 1911; a sign of the growth in population and rail traffic that Fort Saskatchewan experienced. The station is the only surviving model 100-19 railway station in Alberta. In the decade after the railway arrived, the town's population nearly doubled to 993.
The first bridge leading to Fort Saskatchewan, crossing the North Saskatchewan River, was also built at this time; CNR paid for it in exchange for free land for its station. It had a railway deck on its upper level and a wooden road deck on its lower level. Previously, the only method to cross the river at Fort Saskatchewan was via ferry. At the time of the bridge's construction, the Edmonton Bulletin described it as the second largest bridge in the CNR. The road deck was too narrow to allow more than one-way traffic, and traffic lights were later installed on each side of the bridge to help prevent collisions. Some drivers ignored the traffic lights at night, and proceeded if they did not see any oncoming headlights; even if they had a red light. A heavy vehicle struck the bridge in 1950, and a girder was forced out of alignment by the impact. The safety concerns illustrated by these two factors caused the province to open a new two-lane bridge downstream of the railway bridge. After it opened in 1957, the railway bridge's lower traffic deck was dismantled.
The railway station and line through Fort Saskatchewan were in use until the late 1980s. Declining rail traffic and safety concerns regarding the transportation of dangerous goods prompted the Canadian National Railway to divert the line away from the city's non-industrial areas. The station and its property, including the railway track directly in front of it, were sold to the Province of Alberta, which immediately re-sold it to Fort Saskatchewan. The 1905 bridge was demolished soon after the railway was diverted. The old piers still stand in the river as of 2022.
As of 1987, all freight and passenger rail connections occur in Edmonton, and a new bridge, downstream and northeast of Fort Saskatchewan's downtown, carries a rail line that goes through Fort Saskatchewan's industrial area without going through residential areas.
Combined fire and town hall
Town council, meeting in the Odd Fellows Hall, approved the construction of a combined fire and town hall in 1905. The building would also contain two cells for police use. Council originally voted to purchase land for the building behind the Queen's Hotel for $675, but a public petition successfully persuaded council to instead purchase land on the north-west corner of 100 Avenue and 103 Street for $1,250. Local taxpayers voted for $6000 to be spent on the construction of the building, and $7000 on fire-fighting equipment.The fire and town hall was completed in 1906; the fire department occupied the bottom level, and the town hall and council chamber were located on the upper floor. The fire department occupied the bottom floor until 1958, while the town hall was located in the building until 1970. The building is now privately owned and used as commercial space.
Hydroelectric dam
After purchasing the Fort Electric Company in 1910, Town Council voted to purchase land near the mouth of the Sturgeon River, and construct a $30,000 wooden hydroelectric dam and power plant which were expected to last approximately 20 years. The town had to take over construction of the dam and plant in 1911 after the contracted firm went bankrupt. There were two separate instances in June 1911 where water rose above the dam and flooded the construction area. By its completion in December 1911, Fort Saskatchewan had spent $80,000 on the project. Minor leaks were detected throughout the next few months, and the plant was shut down in April 1912 after a washout at the penstock damaged the canal, a bulkhead, and parts of the natural riverbank. This incident was blamed on faulty construction.The town decided in September 1912 that there was no cost-effective way to repair the dam. It instead retrofitted its old power house for $3000, and absorbed the financial losses associated with prematurely decommissioning the dam. The power plant on the grounds of the jail supplied the entire town for eight years, during-which Fort Saskatchewan faced numerous issues with residents neglecting to pay their power bills. The town finalized an agreement for Calgary Power to purchase the town's equipment for $26,000 in June 1928, and supply the town with power for ten years.