Culture

The Battlefords is a vibrant and culturally diverse community where many different cultural groups are actively involved in the community and are part of our identity - from our First Nations events to our Ukrainian culture clubs to our French Immersion schools.

The Battlefords encompasses a very diverse cultural community, which also makes it unique and welcoming to immigrants.

Some of the most noteworthy cultural attractions include:

• Fort Battleford National Historic Site - a storied North West Mounted Police Fort established in 1876.

• Chapel Gallery – a facility with a special focus on the visual arts in the Battlefords area. Through art exhibitions, special events and education programs the Chapel Gallery strives to encourage artistic growth and appreciation.

• Allen Sapp Gallery – the Gonor Collection, an award winning gallery featuring paintings by the renowned Cree artist.

• Western Development Museum - Heritage Farm and Village where you can experience a pioneer community and farm.

• Fred Light Museum - a delightful collection of memorabilia and one of Western Canada’s most comprehensive collections of firearms.

• Handcraft Festival Weekend- The Festival features the Market and Dimensions, attracting thousands of visitors. The Market has 70 plus Saskatchewan Marketers displaying and selling a wide variety of handcrafted items. The Dimensions features the juried exhibition of the award winning crafts and artists for the year. The Children's Area gives hands-on instructions and emphasizes fun with crafts.

• Chief Poundmaker Historical Centre - Experience the history of the Plains Cree people long before the European settlers arrived. Witness the culture, the people and the battles with the Blackfoot. View artifacts of Chief Poundmaker and learn the history of the battle of Cut Knife Hill in the 1885 Northwest Rebellion.

• Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame - The first recorded baseball game (May 31, 1879) played in what was then the North West Territories occurred in Battleford. The museum contains 4,000 artifacts pertaining to baseball in Saskatchewan.

• North Battleford Sports Museum and Hall of Fame - The museum and hall contains North Battleford Sports history on baseball, fastball, hockey, pistol and rifle shooting, bowling, track and field, golf, boating, swimming, football, soccer, and wheelchair racing.

• Battlefords Community Players – Sold-out supper and stage performances by this community theatre group testify to their appeal to audiences of all ages.

History

The Battlefords has a stong tradition of preserving the community’s heritage. Battleford boasts spectacular historic sites which have survived the passage of time.

Historic Battleford, named after an early settlement on a ford of the Battle River, became the capital of the North West Territories in 1876 until 1883 and is the oldest community in the Province. In 1882, a devastating flood wiped out the settlement of Telegraph Flats and resulted in a new town-site being surveyed on the high plateau between the two rivers.

The years 1910 – 1914 were boom years for the new settlement with the establishment of a modern business and shopping centre, the location of several small industries and the construction of fine homes, schools and churches.

An area in close proximity to the North Saskatchewan River on the north and along its banks became the business centre. Industries flourished by way of a brick yard, sawmill, Saddle shop and a ferry landing and became known as North Battleford.

Fort Battleford was home to the largest police force in Western Canada when the armed conflict surrounding the North West Resistance broke out in 1885. Some 500 people took refuge in the fort when they feared the Town of Battleford was about to be attacked.

As the population reached 5,000 North Battleford became incorporated as a city in May of 1913 with prospects of a bright future and continuing rapid growth. Urban communities had experienced rapid growth at that time. North Battleford doubled its population in 10 years. Since then, a steady growth has continued providing North Battleford with excellent business, cultural and recreational facilities.

For more information on the history of the Battlefords visit http://battleford.ca/buildings.html.