Read all the Heritage Trails transcripts:

1. Archaeology and Pre-Contact

• 389 - Hopi Rock art at Grotto Canyon,Part One: The Discovery
  Summary: Hopi Rock Art in Alberta? The Hopi are from Arizona. Read the tale of how this amazing discovery was made.
• 390 - Hopi Rock Art at Grotto Canyon, Part Two
  Summary:Hopi Rock Art in Alberta? The Hopi are from Arizona. Read the continuation of this fascinating tale.
• 391 - Hopi Rock Art at Grotto Canyon, Part Three
  Summary:Hopi Rock Art in Alberta? The Hopi are from Arizona. Read the conclusion of this tale.
• 402 - Old Aboriginal Sites at Lake Minnewanka
  Summary:Lake Minnewanka is one of the biggest lakes in Banff Park - and is a very good record of the time period from 9300 years ago as far back as 10 400 years ago! Read to learn more about this ancient site.
• 403 - Lake Minnewanka, Part Two
  Summary:Lake Minnewanka is one of the biggest lakes in Banff Park - using radiocarbon dating, archaeologists find that First Nations people camped here for more than 10 thousand years! Read to learn more about this ancient site.
• 404 - Lake Minnewanka, Post-Glacial Environment
  Summary: Lake Minnewanka is one of the biggest lakes in Banff Park - and the encampments are at least twice as old as the pyramids in Egypt! Read to learn more about this ancient site.

2. First Nations and Métis

First Nations in Alberta

• 28 - The Iroquois in Alberta
  Summary:During the late 1780s the fur trading companies began to recruit from Iroquois communities around Montreal - in particular Kahnewake. Read to learn how the Iroquois came to Alberta.
• 324 - The Métis, Part One
  Summary:Who were the Métis? Historian David Leonard gives a brief history.
• 325 - The Métis, Part Two
  Summary:More Métis moved to Alberta after the Métis Rebellion of 1870. Louis Riel once again challenges the dilution of the culture of the West.

Place Names in Alberta

• 24 - Naming the Peace River
  Summary:The Peace River is one of the longest in Canada - but how did it get it's name? Historian Merrily Aubrey discusses.
• 29 - Naming Fort Chipewyan
  Summary:Historian Merrily Aubrey relates the history of this community - and where it's name came from!
• 62 - Naming Medicine Hat
  Summary: Which story is the one that gave the southern Alberta town of Medicine Hat its name?
• 71 - Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
  Summary:Read the legend of the naming of this United Nations world heritage site.
• 171 - Akamina Pass and South Kootenay Pass
  Summary:Akamina Pass's name is descriptive of the area's appearance. What does "akamina" mean?
• 172 - Athabasca Pass
  Summary:This amazing pass takes it's name from the nearby natural features in the Rocky Mountains between Alberta and British Columbia.

Trade and Early Contact

• 28 - Iroquois in Alberta
  Summary:During the late 1780s the fur trading companies began to recruit from Iroquois communities around Montreal - in particular Kahnewake. Read to learn how the Iroquois came to Alberta.
• 297 - Origin of Grouard
  Summary: Learn the history of this small Métis community that once was referred to as the "Edmonton of the North".
• 372 - Smallpox Epidemics, Part One: Early Explorers and Fur Traders Bring Disease to New World, 1520 - 1726
  Summary: Three centuries after the arrival of the first Europeans to North America the population of First Nations was reduced from 1 or 2 million to barely more than 100,000 people - often due to illness from new diseases.
• 373 - Smallpox Epidemics, Part Two: First Recorded Epidemic in the West, 1736
  Summary: The first known epidemic of smallpox in the West occurred in 1736 in the Lake-of-the-Woods area, as far as historians know. What more do we know about this time?
• 374 - Smallpox Epidemics, Part Three: Epidemic of 1781-82 wipes out Native villages across the West.
  Summary: Read the excerpts from the journal of Samuel Hearn and others regarding these terrible and terrifying times in Alberta's history.
• 375 - Smallpox Epidemics, Part Four: David Thompson's Journals and the tales of Sokumapi.
  Summary: Tales from David Thompon's journal - his collections of stories contained the stories of how the epidemic spread. How did the arrival of this terrible disease change the faith of the First Nations people?
• 376 - Smallpox Epidemics, Part Five.
  Summary: The population already incredibly decimated, a new epidemic breaks out. This time, a vaccine was made available out West by the Hudson's Bay Company. What after-effects did this disease leave?
• 383 - Ateesh-Ka-Sees, Indian Trade Captain, Part One
  Summary:This Woodland Cree man was a famous trading captain who guided Anthony Henday. Read to find out more.
• 384 - Ateesh-Ka-Sees, Cree Trader, Part Two
  Summary:This Woodland Cree man was a famous trading captain who guided Anthony Henday among others and helped set up trading partnerships. Read to find out more.
• 385 - Peace for a Thousand Miles, Part One
  Summary:Read to learn about the great truce made between the Cree and Beaver First Nations - and facilitated by Captain James Knight of the Hudson's Bay Company.
• 386 - Peace for a Thousand Miles, Part Two
  Summary:Read to learn about the great truce made between the Cree and Beaver First Nations - and the extraordinary woman guide Thanadalthur.
• 387 - Peace for a Thousand Miles, Part Three
  Summary: Read to learn about the great truce made between the Cree and Beaver First Nations - and Swan, the prominent Cree trading captain who made the expeditions to Southern Alberta and made the peace.
• 388 - Peace for a Thousand Miles, Part Four
  Summary:Read to learn about the great truce made between the Cree and Beaver First Nations. The trading captain Swan also discovered tar sand in the south while attempting to achieve peace between the nations.

Treaties in Alberta

• 125 - Alberta Treaties Overview, Part One
  Summary:Find out what historians think treaties meant to the government and the First Nations who negotiated them. Begin your study of treatymaking here!
• 130 - Treaties Part Two, The Terms, Treaties 1, 2, 3
  Summary:What were the early treaties like? Historian Michael Payne explains.
• 135 - Treaties Part Three, Treaty 6
  Summary: While Treaty 4 was the first to affect an area in what is now Alberta, Treaty 6 had a much greater impact. Read to find out more!
• 140 - Treaties Part Four, Treaty 7
  Summary: Treaty 7 covers most of southern Alberta and was very controversial at the time. Read to learn more.
• 144 - Treaties Part Five, Treaty 7, Crowfoot and Red Crow
  Summary: Crowfoot and Red Crow. How did these important leaders affect the Treaty 7 negotiations? Read their story.
• 145 - Treaties Part Six, Treaty 7, Crowfoot and Red Crow
  Summary: Find out more about the fascinating man who was Red Crow, chief of the Kainai, and his position on the signing of Treaty 7.
• 155 - Treaty 8, Part One
  Summary: After Treaty 7, the government had secured all the land it considered valuable ... until a century later when gold was discovered in the Klondike.
• 160 - Treaty 8, Part Two: Finding Leaders and Electing Chiefs
  Summary: The First Nations people of Northern Alberta did not have chiefs. How then did the government expect to negotiate treaty? Read to find out!
• 165 - Treaty 8, Part Three: Early Dissension Among the Natives
  Summary: The treaty was agreed to, but under pressure from the Government and an unexpected group. Read to learn more.
• 170 - Treaty 8, Part Four: The Negotiation
  Summary: The signing of Treaty 8 on the shores of Lesser Slave Lake drew dignitaries from government, church and First Nations. What were the benefits to the clergy? Read to find out.
• 175 - Treaty 8, Part Five: The Terms
  Summary: The treaty was not unanimously incorporated. Find out what happened!
• 179 - Treaty 8, Part Six: Scrip
  Summary:The Métis make a strategic mistake. Read to learn.
• More on the Métis:
  • The Métis, Part One
  • The Métis, Part Two
• 180 - Treaty 8, Part Seven: Treaty Commission of 1899 and 1900
  Summary: Commissioners were sent out to meet with the natives who couldn't make it to the negotiations. What happened next?
• 185 - Treaty 8, Part Eight: Finale
  Summary: How did the First Nations people who signed the treaty select their reserve land? What about the Métis?

3. Fur Trade and Mission History

Traders:

• 381 - Tronquil, Beaver Trader
  Summary:The fascinating story of a trader's life in the north, and his responsibility to the fort.
• 382 - Tronquil, Fort Hunter, Part Two
  Summary:Not only was he a trader, he supplied the fort at Dunvegan with meat for many years.
• 33 - Twelve Foot Davis
  Summary:The Hudson's Bay Company's greatest competition was not another powerful corporation, but one determined man. Find out more!

Missionaries:

• 26 - Author and Missionary: Alfred Campbell Garrioch
  Summary:Not only was he a skilled translator and linguist, this missionary also wrote Alberta's first mystery novel.
• 68 - Reverend Forbes Homestead in Grande Prairie
  Summary:Hear the fascinating tale of a family's journey to their new home in northern Alberta.
• 329 - Ethnic Settlement in Alberta: Francophones
  Summary:The Oblate missionaries came west in the mid-1800s and created the second set of French-speaking people to settle the land.
• 353 - French Oblate Names, Part Two: Father Vegreville
  Summary:This Ukrainian settlement was originally settled by the French. Find out about this fascinating community.

Explorers:

• 156 - Early Mountaineers
  Summary:Mountaineering was a sport for the idle and adventurous - and the person who named a number of features in the Lake Louise area was only a teen.
• 380 - Akka Makkoye, Indian Mapmaker: Part Two
  Summary:The person to map the territory from the Red Deer River south to Wyoming and west from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean was Akka Makkoye, or Many Swans.

Traders at Work:

• 33 - Twelve Foot Davis
  Summary:The Hudson's Bay Company's greatest competition was not another powerful corporation, but one determined man. Find out more!
• 38 - Corporate Wars in the North: Hudson Bay Company versus the North West Company
  Summary:The North West Company had been the monopoly controlling the fur trade in the Peace Country. In 1815, though, an expedition to open a new trading post lead to the first real fur trade war in the northwest.
• 43 - The Beginning of the Fur Trade in thePeace Region
  Summary:Who brought the fur trade to the northwest? Read to find out!

Traders at Rest:

• 8 - Early Book Collections at Fur Trade Posts in 1700s
  Summary:Learn more about the remarkable libraries built by voracious readers - fur traders.
• 18 - Fur Trade Subscription Libraries
  Summary:Books and magazines were collected and shared by the well-educated men at the various fur trading posts. Read to learn more!
• 50 - Fur Trade Christmas, Part One: Feasting
  Summary:How did they celebrate Christmas during the fur trade?
• 51 - Fur Trade Christmas, Part Two
  Summary:After the Christmas feast, what kind of festivities took place during the 19th century fur trade holiday season?
• 57 - Fur Trade New Year
  Summary:New Years Day celebration during the 19th century.
• 14 - The Origin of Athabasca
  Summary:This area of the province has had many names, how did it come to be named Athabasca? Read to find out.
• 24 - Naming the Peace River
  Summary:The Peace River is one of the longest in Canada. But how did it get it's name? Historian Merrily Aubrey discusses.
• 91 - Naming Crowsnest Pass
  Summary: The name Crowsnest was first recorded in 1858. But how did it get that name? Read to find out!
• 257 - Origin of Fort Macleod
  Summary: This town was first established in 1874 as a post of NWMP - on an island in the Bow River! What happened as the town grew?
• 258 - Old Bay House in Fort Vermilion
  Summary:The only building left of the Hudson's Bay complex near Fort Vermilion has an interesting history. Read to find out!

Mission:

• 27 - Poundmaker Residential School
  Summary:The alcohol and drug treatment centre in St. Albert was a residential school from the 1880s to the 1960s.
• 32 - St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church
  Summary: The St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church in Medicine Hat, Alberta. The church was built in 1912-14 by the Sacred Heart Fathers.
• 65 - Father Lacombe Chapel in St. Albert
  Summary:Historian Dorothy Field discusses the history of the chapel and its importance in the presence of the mission in the West.
• 68 - Reverend Forbes Homestead in Grande Prairie
  Summary:Hear the fascinating tale of a family's journey to their new home in northern Alberta.
• 129 - St. Nobert's Roman Catholic Church at Provost
  Summary:The architecture of this building makes it remarkable, but the story of how it came to be built is equally interesting. Read on!
• 174 - Church of the Nazarene in High River
  Summary:The church in High River took many years to come about - find out why!
• 238 - Christ Church at Millarville
  Summary:Find out about this church, whose presence in the village dates back to 1896.
• 283 - Notre Dame Convent in Morinville
  Summary:Find out about the many incarnations of this building.
• 313 - St. Luke's Anglican Church in Red Deer
  Summary:The construction of this church took almost a decade! Read historian Dorothy Field's explanation.
• 317 - Pre-1900 Buildings: St. Augustine'sChurch and Mission, Peace River
  Summary:What remains of the mission presence in the north?
• 322 - St. Paul's Anglican Church at Fish Creek, Near Calgary
  Summary:Who was the wonderful benefactor that helped this church flourish?

Lakes and Rivers:

• 141 - Southesk River Near Jasper
  Summary:The Southesk River was named after one of Alberta's earliest and most eccentric travelers. Who was he?
• 142 - Bear and Boyer Rivers
  Summary:Which name is it?
• 146 - Oldman River
  Summary:The name of this river is based on native legends of a famous Cree trickster.

Mountains:

• 171 - Akamina Pass and South Kootenay Pass
  Summary:Akamina Pass's name is descriptive of the area's appearance. What does "akamina" mean?
• 172 - Athabasca Pass
  Summary:This amazing pass takes its name from the nearby natural features in the Rocky Mountains between Alberta and British Columbia.
• 176 - Healy Pass
  Summary:This pass was named after a colourful adventurer and explorer. Find out more about him.
• 177 - Kicking Horse Pass
  Summary:This pass was named after an incident on one of the side trips taken by a member of the Palliser expedition.

Historic Trails:

• 191 - Edmonton to St. Albert
  Summary:Find out about the history behind this well travelled trail, and now highway!
• 192 - St. Albert to Athabasca Landing
  Summary:The continuation of the trail from Edmonton to St. Albert led to the hub of Athabasca.
• 196 - Edmonton to Fort Saskatchewan
  Summary:When travelling between Fort Saskatchewan and Edmonton, you had two choices. Historian Merrily Aubrey discusses.
• 201 - Calgary to Edmonton Trail, Before 1883
  Summary: The main highway between Calgary and Edmonton was once a footpath.
• 202 - Calgary to Edmonton Trail, 1883 to Present
  Summary:The railway's introduction in the West created great changes. How did it effect travel between Edmonton and Calgary?
• 206 - Calgary to Morley Trail, Part One
  Summary:Calgary has many historic trails surrounding it. Find out about this trail that was once abandoned.
• 207 - Calgary to Morley Trail, Part Two
  Summary:Find out how the towns and villages in the area around Calgary were named.
• 211 - MacLeod to Calgary Trail, Part One
  Summary:This trail dates back to the days when the NWMP first arrived in southern Alberta.
• 212 - MacLeod to Calgary Trail, Part Two
  Summary:The trail boasted several communities and stops along it. This is the tale of how they were named.

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