Well...we got to Edmonchuk around 4:00 pm and ran into our first excitement!
We had planned on turning at the first set of lights on the highway to get to my niece's [Chelly]place and found that new construction made that impossible! Seems the 3 years that we have been away, Edmonchuk decided to change it's look! Roads that we once used are now being developed into overpasses and made into new Freeways!
PoD had been driving [her new car and I wasn't allowed to drive it...yet] and had wanted to get used to BIG CITY DRIVING but coming into that "Construction Hell" made her change her mind quick! There was nowhere for her to turn off and let me drive so she had to contend with all of the excitement of the "Fast Paced" city! Needless to say by the time we found Chelly's place she was DONE!
We stayed and chatted with Chelly for a bit and got to meet Jaydabug. Chelly had company at the time so we decided to go and visit FortEdmonchuk but we had to hurry as it closed at 6:00 pm. With her new experience of the city still strong in her mind...PoD handed me her car keys!
Thankfully Fort Edmonchuk was still in the same place where I had seen it last and finding it was quiet easy, although we still had massive construction to contend with!
The beginning starts with a train ride to the fort. The first train ride for the kids!
Fort Edmonchuk has some history with our family. My great, great, great, great grand father helped build the fort!
We are not sure what part of it but we do know that he did some of the construction. I guess that's where I get some of my "Jill" abilities from. In the pamphlet, that they give you for the tour, it stated that the Fort's construction design originated from Middlesex, England and that's where my ancestor came from!
I have toured through this place before and always feel a kinship for the place...kind of like I belonged there? This time was no different!
Fort Edmonchuk is a living history site that covers 158 acres and displays over 75 original and reconstructed historical buildings. The site traces the development of Edmonchuk from the early 1840's to the 1920's highlighting 4 historical periods. The fort that is recreated now represents the one in 1846 as it's been moved 4 times with different changes. The fort shows a "Trading Store", the "Married Men's Quarters", "Rowand House", "Blacksmith Shop" and a "Boat Builder's Shop".
I did manage to take some photos of the places and found that the kitchen in "Rowan House" [commander's residence] had some "Orbs" in it! Other than that it felt pretty empty of ghostly spirits.
Leaving the Fort you came upon the "Native Camp" which showed the long association between the "Cree" [also part of my heritage] and the "Hudson Bay Company Traders". The traders depended on the natives for food and the natives depended on the traders for manufactured goods.Beside the "Native Camp" was their garden and it showed how the natives planted and shored up their plants. I had a "deja vu"moment when I saw this method and flashed back to a site in our garden when I was a young child. The shoring-up of their plants reminded me of how my parents did their garden and I have never seen anyone else use this method. It gave me kind of warm feeling!
The rest of the Fort acres were covered by a "1885 Street" which showed how the settlement began and the "Hudson Bay Company" selling it's land to the Canadian Government in 1870. The next area was called "1905 Street" which depicted "A City Is Born"...between 1900 & 1914 it became the capital city of Alberta and then "1920's Street" where the city entered into the roaring 20's.
Some of the interesting sites were the houses that moved on site instead of being demolished...one in particular looked familiar to me and PoD though she remembered reading somewhere about being haunted! I asked one of the staff in this house and she said that none of the buildings where haunted! I didn't believe her for a moment! They were probably told to say that!
One of the houses had a barn that I found to be quite unique in that it was "round". It was reported to be one of the strongest designed barns.
We had to hurry through most of the sites as it was getting ready to close for the night. Another note made was to make time next time to leave more time to see it all and get to see some of the displays as they went on...we got to miss that part!
This is a great place to go and see if you are into history! The kids weren't too interested as they couldn't relate to history....yet!
The other thing is to carry lots of cold water for hot days and go when it's not too hot/sunny out...and be prepared to walk A LONG WAY!!!
Gluttons for punishment we decided to hit another well known site for Edmonchuk..."West Edmonchuk Mall"...another story to be told!
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