Fort Edmonton Park, Living history museum in Edmonton River Valley, Canada
Fort Edmonton Park is a living history museum on the south bank of the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, Alberta, covering 158 acres. It has five sections: the Indigenous Peoples Experience, a replica 1846 fur-trade fort, and three streets representing 1885, 1905 and 1920. A steam train runs from the entrance to the fort, where visitors continue on foot through the eras.
The Women's Canadian Club proposed preserving the 1830 fort in 1912, but it was demolished in 1915. Construction of the park began in 1969 under the Fort Edmonton Foundation, following a 1968 master plan that envisioned ten phases. The fort opened in 1974, 1885 Street by the late 1970s, 1905 Street in the early 1980s, and 1920 Street by the early 1990s; a steam train has run since 1977.
The park takes its name from the Hudson's Bay Company trading post that once stood in the river valley and served as a meeting point for fur traders. Visitors today encounter costumed interpreters who demonstrate old crafts and recreate daily routines from earlier centuries.
Entry includes use of the steam train and streetcar, which run between the themed areas. Visitors should allow several hours to experience all four historical sections and take part in demonstrations.
The park holds five sections, not four: the Indigenous Peoples Experience opened in 2021 after a three-year renovation, followed by the 1846 fort replica, 1885 Street, 1905 Street and 1920 Street. The fort replica was built from a scale plan drawn by British Lieutenant Mervin Vavasour in the mid-1840s, filled out with journals and Paul Kane's artwork.
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