Elk Point’s biggest-ever celebration of heritage paid glorious homage to the two hundredth anniversary of the establishment of Fort George and Buckingham House fur trading forts this past weekend. Vast numbers of visitors from as far away as New York City, Whitehorse, Yukon, Toronto, Ontario and Seaside, Oregon travelled here for the weekend’s activities, which included a packed schedule of events ranging from reunions to a black powder rifle shoot.
Camping and motel space throughout the area was at a premium, and local businesses were kept hopping with the influx of visitors. The Agricultural Society Fairgrounds was host to numerous activities, including the very well attended Buffalo Barbecue, beerfest and a country style dance featuring Danny Hooper, as well as. the pancake breakfast, the midway and the wagon train circle.
Fidler Reunion
Close to five hundred people made the Peter Fidler Family Reunion the highlight of their trip to Elk Point. While 241 pre-registrations for the event had been sent in, reunion organizer Louis Verhagen said that close to a hundred more had registered at the Peter Fidler Centre on Friday evening alone, and that many more had joined the ranks on Saturday.
The official welcoming ceremonies for the reunion took place late Saturday morning, when descendants and special guests gathered around the statue of the fur trader and explorer to hear greetings from local dignitaries. Louise Crane, a Fidler descendant who is the Supervisor of Visitor Services at Fort George - Buckingham House Interpretive Centre, was the morning’s Mistress of Ceremonies. Louis Verhagen wore several hats, bringing welcome on behalf of the Town of Elk Point in his capacity as a member of Town Council, as well as reading a letter of greeting from Member of Parliament Deborah Grey and extending his own warmest wishes as host and organizer. “I never, in my wildest dreams, thought this possible,” he said of the large attendance.
MLA John Drobot brought greetings from Premier Don Getty and the Province of Alberta, and presented Verhagen with a flag to be presented to the oldest descendant attending the reunion. Bob Smith, Division I Councillor for the County of St. Paul, added his greetings and told the Bicentennial Society “it is fantastic what you have done here” in celebration of the 200th anniversary.
Historical Society President Sheila Thompson congratulated the Reunion- organizers, and said that the Bicentennial “has given us alla chance to learn what the Fidler family has always known’”’ about the contributions of their ancestors to this part of the country. She welcomed the opportunity for the various branches of the widespread family to get to know one another during the reunion.
Chamber of Commerce President Millie Orr led a round of applause for Bicentennial Coordinator Billie Milholland, “who has worked her heart out for this event.” She listed the many activities which would fill out the weekend, and suggested that the reunion be repeated every few years, and that Elk Point would definitely welcome the Fidlers for such an occasion in the future.
Billie Milholland told the descendants “how we came to honor your many-times-great grandfather on our hill,” noting that today’s children seemed to have no idea about the history of the area. “Any person in buckskin was identified as Davy Crockett. We needed. a folk hero of our-own. In our research, the name of Peter Fidler kept coming up.” Reading more about the man, she had found that he came to Canada young and eager, and had fallen in love with our country, marrying a native woman and staying in the Canadian west for the rest of his life.
‘The plaques grouped near the statue show that he had many accomplishments which made him a man to look up to. In addition to his explorations of the west, Fidler helped to build Buckingham House, as well as Hudson’s Bay posts at Meadow Lake, Lac La Biche, Empress and Fort Chipewyan, and to help the Selkirk settlers to establish their homes in what is now Manitoba.
The reunion continued with tours of the Fort George - Buckingham House Interpretive Centre, the Artisans Festival and the Frog Lake Massacre site, a special family worship service at the Peter Fidler Centre on Sunday morning, and evenings filled with entertainment by family members and special guests such as Deputy Prime Minister Don Mazankowski, who took bow in hand to play a few fiddle tunes on Sunday evening.
Those attending the reunion came from Wakaw, Prince Albert, Rosetown, LaRonge, Cumberland House, Saskatoon, Asquith, Canora, Birch Hills, Carrot River, Melfort, Tisdale, Meadow Lake, Island Lake, Nipawin, Waterhen Lake and Kinistino, Saskatchewan; Victoria, New Westminster, Castlegar, Surrey, Kelowna, Vancouver and Campbell River, BC; Selkirk, Poplar Point, Winnipeg, Macdonald, Lorette, FlinFlon and Teulon, Manitoba; New York, New York, USA; Whitehorse, Yukon; and Lloydminster, Athabasca, St. Albert, Mannville, Frog Lake, Ardmore, Vermilion, Red Deer, Onoway, Viking, Hubbles Lake, LaCorey, Edson, Coleman, Spruce Grove, Olds, Tofield, Valleyview, Sherwood Park, Edmonton, Grand Centre, Cold Lake, Devon, St. Paul, Calgary, Cochrane and Elk Point, Alberta.
Artisans Festival
Considerably more than the usual crafts were on display at the Western Canadian Artisans’ Festival, which was attended by over a thousand people on its first day alone.
Bleached cattle skulls with the story of Peter Fidler’s historic journeys delicately painted on each were displayed at “Fidler’s Fountain,’ along with other crafts reflecting yesteryear, and, in true oldfashioned general store style, soda pop and big jars of penny (now nickel and dime) candy. Just down the row, to go with the sasparilla, an enterprising group from Frog Lake was doing a volume business in deep fried bannock, bannock burgers and huge Indian Tacos. Other concessions offered muffins, ice cream and other treats.
Local artisans Carol Hellquist and Sharon Kuhn, who helped substantially in contacting fellow crafters for the show, had a fine display of homemade soaps and jams, applehead dolls, afghans and even fresh-picked saskatoons. At “The Indian Paintbrush,” southern Saskatchewan artist Nona Foster offered art on antlers and prints of her detailed pencil drawings of western and native life. “Trapline Crafts” of Lac La Biche had moosehair tufting, whitefish scale pictures and unique jewellery among their wares. Next door were “AgriGifts by Lucien,” with jewellery made from native woods. Kelsey’s Studio offered handpainted figurines, next to a booth filled with knitted and crochet items.
Margo Legasse-Langlois of Horseshoe Bay drew large crowds with her pottery demonstrations, as did Geoff Burtonshaw of Calgary, who demonstrated hand sash weaving.
Early Canadian Crafts of Roblin, Manitoba had everything from buckskin shirts and dresses to handcarved antler earrings among their large display. Local artist Dawn Bruins had both modern and traditional art on display, and was painting more as she tended her booth. The ODS Framing booth had an excellent array of framed art, focusing on the wonderful western art of Bernie Brown.
Gracefully curved willow furniture filled another booth, looking rustic and comfortable, while an broad range of subjects painted on saw blades was just across the divider. Designer Patricia Piche had a wall filled with gorgeous appliqued duster coats as a backdrop for her fashions, across the lane from a booth filled with exquisitely carved moose horns. Several booths offered beadwork, while others had appliqued t-shirts, silk scarves, gemstones, Ukrainian eggs, bone handled knives, leather goods and sweaters.
Antler Art
This figure of a moose carved into an opening in a moose antler shows careful attention to detail. The carvings, by a Hylo artist, were a unique addition to the Festival. Displays by Bonnyville and Vermilion museums, Bonnyville Wetlands Society and the Alberta Trappers’ Association were interesting and informative. Pat Swedgan’s great display of dolls and doll furnishings brought back many childhood memories.
Door prize draws were made at the close of the show on Monday afternoon. Winners were: Carla Domstad, Elk Point - Bicentennial hat; Ron Walker, Lloydminster n Jam and Jelly Collection; Marie Brabant, John Pankow, Andy Mikitka and Heidi Kozicky, all of Elk Point, Donna Gulley, Winnipeg and Jean Hall, Edmonton - Bicentennial Posters; Anne Palynchuk, Elk Point - Child’s Sash; Marie Magnusson, Lloydminster z Envelope Set; Ross Beecraft, Vermilion Licence Plate; Louise Severin, St. Paul, Nadine Weir, Elk Point, Jack Ingraham, Grand Centre, Bonnie Thomas, Edmonton - Coin Crests; Paul Jablonski, Vegreville – Pumpkin Cookbook; Katherine May, Ardrossan, Carol Lee and Don Conrad, Elk Point - Peter Fidler Buttons; Anne Uchman, Elk Point Peter Fidler T-shirt; Sherry Oszust, Elk Point - Grand Prize collection of Cree-Ations Rug, Fidler Hat, licence plate, pin, button, sash, mural t-shirt, cookbook and crest.
ODS Framing’s draw for a framed coin set was won by Lynn Boyko, Elk Point.
Wagon Train
Saturday afternoon saw 50th Avenue lined with a growing crowd, all eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Great Western Wagon Train. The fourteen wagons hove into view shortly after 4 p.m., with the first, driven by wagon master Roy Scott and accompanied by wagon train organizer Dennis Jonker of Fort Saskatchewan, on horseback, coming on ahead of the others to deliver their precious cargo: a thousand numbered commemorative envelopes which had been delivered to the train at their starting point, near Bruderheim.
Elk Point Postmaster Bill Currey was on hand to accept the mail, and opened the pouches so several special guests could assist in the ceremonial cancelling of the stamps on arrival. MLA John Drobot, Chamber President Millie Orr, Bruderheim Postmistress Laura Kupsch, Scott and Jonker each had a turn before Currey was left with the balance of the pouch to mark with the symbol indicating the date of delivery.
The letters were later autographed by Scott and Jonker before being turned back over to the Bicentennial Society for distribution.
The wagon train, with numerous outriders alongside, then filed through town and northward to the Fair Grounds, drawing much applause from those along their route. Town Councillor Adele Mandryk was among those who made the ten day, 200 km journey, and felt it was an experience of a lifetime.
A number of the wagons continued on to the Fort George - Buckingham House site on Sunday afternoon, before dispersing for home. Those making the journey in the wagons came from Fort Saskatchewan, Gibbons, Bruderheim, Andrew, Elizabeth Settlement and St. Brides, as well as Elk Point.
At The Forts
The old days, even in the heyday of the fur trade, when a total of perhaps a hundred men in the two forts served the needs of the native population from a wide area round about, were never like this. Over 1200 visitors filed through the Fort George - Buckingham House Interpretive Centre on Saturday and Sunday alone, enjoying tours of the Centre’s displays and continuing on to the sites of the original forts.
The Buckingham House site was the weekend home of a large contingent from the Edmonton House Brigade, who set up their tents and teepees in true fur trade style and spent the weekend living much the same lifestyle as the residents of the same site two centuries ago. Black powder rifles hit many a mark on the targets and drew many questions from the numerous onlookers. The black powder enthusiasts are both enthusiastic and knowledgeable and were eager to impart facts and legends about their sport.
The arrival of the Wagon Train was eagerly anticipated by a good crowd, who gathered to ask about the journey along the historic route, as horses were unharnessed and cargo moved to more modern vehicles for the return trip.
