Historic Battleford Walking Tour

Welcome to Battleford- one of the most historic communities in Saskatchewan!Battleford is located in the heart of the traditional territories of the Indigenous Peoples that were signatory to Treaty 6.  In the early 1800s, fur trading posts were established here by the Hudson’s Bay Company and other independent trading companies.  This was a strategic location because this is where the Battle River flowed into the North Saskatchewan River. In 1876, the Dominion Telegraph Company located its Western Terminus along the south shores of the Battle River, just below what is now known as Government Ridge.  They named the growing community Telegraph Flat.  That same year, the Government of Canada chose the settlement as the capital of the North West Territories and changed the name to Battleford.  Fort Battleford, a North West Mounted Police post, was established at that same time.  In the coming decades, the community of Battleford started to grow.    Many of the buildings that became part of the fabric of the young and growing community of Battleford have stood the test of time and are still standing to this day.  This tour will show you many of the public buildings and private homes that are still standing, and provide context as to their impact on Battleford’s history. The tour is about 5.1km long and takes approximately 1 hour and 41 minutes to complete.  We ask that you please respect homeowners’ privacy and stay off of private property by enjoying the buildings from a distance. We acknowledge the North West Historical Society and Fred Light Museum, on whose publications many of the information on this tour is based. Thank you, and enjoy the tour!