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Fort Normandeau
celebrates 125 years
Historic Central Alberta site
originally constructed
during the Riel Rebellion
reprinted from Red Deer Advocate May 29, 2010
One of Red Deer's oldest and
most interesting historic sites is Fort Normandeau. Originally
constructed 125 years ago during the North West or Riel Rebellion.
It is one of only three forts constructed in Alberta during a time
of war.
The original portion of the Fort was constructed in 1884 by Robert
McClellan as a two-storey stopping house or hotel near the spot
where the old Calgary-Edmonton Trail crossed the Red Deer River.
In March of 1885, an armed rebellion by a large number of Metis and
First Nations broke out against the Canadian government. The first
battle was fought at Duck Lake, Sask.
A group of militia and volunteers was organized as the Alberta Field
Force, under the command of a retired and eccentric British officer,
Major General Thomas Bland Strange. This military group headed
northwards to secure the Calgary-Edmonton Trail and provide armed
support to any residents along the way who had not already fled to
either Calgary or Edmonton.
As the Field Force made its way north, a party of twenty men of the
65 Mount Royal Rifles, under the command of Lieutenant J.E. Bedard
Normandeau, was left at the Red Deer Crossing settlement.
They commandeered McClellan's stopping house and proceeded to
fortify it. The log walls were strengthened will a shell of planks
filled with clay. Loopholes were cut into the wall of the upper
storey. A palisade with three bastions was constructed around the
building.
When completed, the structure was dubbed Fort Normandeau, in honour
of the officer in charge of it.
After the Riel Rebellion was over, the militia departed and the fort
briefly reverted to its original ownership. However, Fort Normandeau
was taken over by the North West Mounted Police in 1886 for use as a
post for the policing of the district.
In 1890-91, when the Calgary-Edmonton Railway established a new
townsite on the Leonard Gaetz farm to the east, the Red Deer
Crossing settlement was largely abandoned. The NWMP moved their
operations to the new townsite in 1893, having already sawn up the
palisade for firewood in the preceding winter.
The barracks building (McClellan stopping house) was later moved to
a nearby farm belonging to the Cornett family. In 1938, the newly
formed Central Alberta Pioneers and Old-timers' Association moved
the main floor of the old building back to a spot near its original
location. The structure was restored as a meeting hall for the
Old-timers Association.
The site was acquired by the provincial government and turned into a
provincial public campsite and picnic area. However, after the
Old-timers Association built a new lodge next to the Red Deer
Fairgrounds in 1957, the Fort building fell into disuse and suffered
a lot from vandalism.
In 1974, as part of the celebration of the centennial of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police, a much larger reconstruction of old Fort
Normandeau was built on a higher piece of land. As much of the old
barracks/stopping house was salvaged as possible, including the logs
where the soldiers stationed at Fort Normandeau in 1885 had carved
their names. The new two-storey structure was completed surrounded
by a palisade.
In 1983, the City of Red Deer purchased Fort Normandeau and nearly
nine acres of land from the Alberta Government for $1. Some
necessary repairs were made to the 1974 reconstruction. A
substantial interpretive centre was also constructed to the north
and west of the replica fort.
The official opening ceremonies for the new Fort Normandeau
Interpretive Centre were originally set for Aug. 5 (Heritage Day),
1985. However, due to very dry weather conditions, the landscaping
around the site had not had much of a chance to catch. Hence, the
official opening was delayed to the following year.
Weather again caused problems for the official opening in May 1986.
A terrific spring blizzard struck the week before the ceremonies.
When the opening event took place, there were still drifts of snow
around the site despite the bright and warm weather.
Nevertheless, nearly 2,000 people turned out for the festivities. A
particular attraction was the demonstration by the 65 Carabiniers
Mont Royal, a commemorative contingent established to continue the
memory of the original regiment which had built Fort Normandeau in
1885.
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