Saskatchewan - Fort Battleford

Fort Battleford



Before I go inside, there's a windmill to the north. Must see.


Barracks No. 5 was built in 1886 and now houses the main museum exhibit for the fort. The fire hydrant is unrelated but you'll see it before you walk in.


Check out these gaudy officers' uniforms. You have a choice to top it off with a saucy chapeau or the classic safari helmet, and don't forget the bejeweled binoculars case so you can spot your target.


I rotated this flag but I think it's supposed to be hung from the "right" side at top. No. 2 HG must refer to the North-West Mounted Police company that flew it.


This rifle and war club were the property of Poundmaker, a First Nations (Cree) chief who was captured during the Métis rebellion. Interestingly, it looks quite a bit like a tomahawk.


Wandering the grounds, mostly in ruins save for the buildings in the back: commanding officer's residence, officers' quarters, sick horse stable, and guard house (left to right). As for the ruins? The first photo is the site of the quartermaster's stores and men's barracks, the third photo is the original site of the sick horse stable before it was relocated (probably for convenient museum purposes), and the fourth is the site of the first men's barracks ("men" was the general term for non-officers, also known as Mountie "constables"). I didn't caption the 2nd photo because the guide was washed out in my photo so that I couldn't read it. More ruins.


The commanding officer's residence is the only building original to the 1876 construction of the fort. No word on the commanding officer's wagon.


There is a small exhibit in the residence with some commanding officer artifacts. I'm tickled by the dual use of the umbrella and bayonet holder. You don't want to grab the wrong one in the heat of battle - or under threat of rain (unless you want to threaten the clouds right back). Click on the chandelier for a closeup.


Next up is the 1886 officers' quarters, the most interesting part of which is the old stove inside.


On to the relocated sick horse stable, originally built in 1898 and the most stylish of the buildings.


Looking up the stable tower, which only existed to house a lantern to light the stable. The vet/surgeon lived here, so it had to be made livable.


The building also appears to have an old fire wagon.


Last but not least, the 1887 guard house, which clearly also doubled as a prison. (It was once used for unruly civilians in the growing town of Battleford.)


The guard house also has an interesting old stove.

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