The beginnings of human activity in this area of the province are lost in the mists of time. However we can find find out quite a bit about the changes that occurred over the last few million years by studying the geology of the area. Most of the landforms and water features were formed after the last ice age that ended about 10,000 years ago.
It is difficult to be precise about the history of indigenous people in Alberta, before the fur trade. The early fur traders kept some records, (especially the Hudson Bay Company) when they arrived in 1792 to build Fort George and Buckingham House, two of the first European settlements in Alberta.
Although there was some non-indigenous activity in the Elk Point area from 1808 to 1905, it was mostly people following the Carlton Trail along the North Saskatchewan River from Edmonton to Winnipeg, stopping along the way. After 1905, when Alberta became a province, much more history was written down by pioneering families. Businesses flourished as settlement began.
