The history of Canada’s national police force is showcased at The Fort—Museum of the North West Mounted Police in Fort Macleod, Alberta. The North West Mounted Police were originally formed in 1873 with the purpose of bringing law, order, and Canadian authority to present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan. Fort Macleod was established in southern Alberta in 1874. The museum focuses on life at the fort between 1874 and 1884.
NWMP Displays:
Displays at the museum include uniforms, tools, weapons and other items used by the North West Mounted Police in their daily duties. This includes displays of an officer’s quarters as well as a typical post.
Shown above is a model of the original fort.
Shown above is a Red River Cart. This form of transportation was originally developed by the Métis in Manitoba and was used by the newly formed North West Mounted Police to haul equipment to the west. The carts were made completely from wood. They were fairly light, strong, and easy to repair. The wheels were wrapped tightly with rawhide (shown in the drawing above) which prevented the wood from splitting. The wheels were not greased and the high-pitched sound of the carts could be heard for miles. Grease was not used because it would pick up mud and tiny pebbles which would, in turn, clog the hubs and cause the axles to wear down quickly.
The wheels of the Red River Carts faced outward from the hubs which meant that they would not sink into the soft ground when carrying large loads. The wheels were held in place by wooden pegs and could be easily removed, thus allowing the cart to be used as a raft when crossing rivers.
During their off duty hours, the officers engaged in a number of different recreational activities as can be seen in the pictures above.
This is Canada and, therefore, one major form of recreation (shown above) is curling.
Winter in Fort Macleod can be cold which means that water freezes and when water freezes it is time to strap on the ice skates shown above and enjoy.
Other Displays:
Also included at the museum are displays showing the early days of trade and commerce, ranching, transportation, and missionary work at Fort Macleod and southern Alberta.