Fort George and Buckingham House Provincial Historic Site

09/05/2026

Last chance to visit Fort George & Buckingham House in 2026!

Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on:

Saturday, September 5
Sunday, September 6
and Labour Day Monday, September 7

09/04/2026

Getting ready for back to school? Stop by the visitor centre to grab a nifty notebook from the gift shop!

09/02/2026

What were the men at Buckingham House up to on September 1st, 1793?

September 1st was a Sunday, and the journal doesn’t record any work happening that day.
But for the past four days the men had been cutting wood for winter. And they would continue cutting wood on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

7 days of wood cutting wouldn’t be nearly enough to get the Fort through the winter. The men would spend many, many more days during fall and winter cutting firewood.

Photo shows a modern wagon filled with cut up wood and sticks used for programs at the Fort George & Buckingham House visitor centre. It’s a tiny amount of work compared to our fur trading ancestors.

Archival reference: Buckingham House Journal, B.24/a/2, HBC Archives.

08/29/2026

Summer season at Fort George & Buckingham House is quickly coming to an end.

Be sure to stop by for a visit during the last week of the year. Fort George & Buckingham House will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on these days:

Saturday, August 29
Sunday, August 30

Wednesday, September 2
Thursday, September 3
Friday, September 4
Saturday, September 5
Sunday, September 6
Monday, September 7

08/28/2026

Lots of images of fur traders show able-bodied men paddling canoes or hauling impossibly heavy cargo.

But just like today, illness, injury, and disability were realities of the fur trade.

The records from Hudson’s Bay Company employees travelling from York Factory to Buckingham House report that William Tate was experiencing some sort of serious disability during the trip.

August 14, 1792: “Wm [William] Tate in a very bad situation, cannot put his cloathes [clothes] on or off and carried out and into the canoe.”

August 16, 1792: “Wm Tate is still unable to help himself.”

August 27, 1792: “William Tate still continues helpless.”

The records don’t give us any more clues, so we can only imagine how difficult the canoe trip across western Canada must have been for a man who couldn't dress himself or get in and out of canoes.

Journal excerpts from: HBC Archives, B.24/a/1.

Image: “Shooting the Rapids” Frances Anne Hopkins, 1879. Library and Archives Canada, 2894476, 2895750.

08/26/2026

How did paddling a canoe and carrying heavy cargo affect fur traders’ skeletons?

This is the second of two blogs about some of the unique evidence of early boating in Alberta. The first blog explores First Nations boats and the second discusses the earliest Euro-Canadian vessel…

08/21/2026

What’s your favourite memory of visiting Fort George & Buckingham House?

08/19/2026

On Saturday, August 22 and Sunday, August 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fort George & Buckingham House will be hosting our annual Water Transportation themed weekend. Come on by to learn all about the boats that made the fur trade possible and see if you can portage bales of furs faster than these small and adorable voyageurs.

08/16/2026

Birch rind and buffalo flesh. These were two items that were brought to Buckingham House this week in 1793.

The hunter – who would likely have been an Indigenous man contracted by the fort, and his whole family – brought meat back to the fort on August 14, then again on August 17, and once more on August 19.

2 Cree people arrived at Buckingham House with “birchrind” to trade. That birch rind would be made into canoes.

08/14/2026

Finger weaving is beautiful, historic, useful….It can cause inexperienced fingers to cramp. But we promise it’s worth learning.

Next time you’re in the area, stop by the visitor centre for a mini finger weaving lesson and try for yourself how the colourful sashes so popular with fur traders were made.