There are a great many stories that flow through time with old places and buildings. Human curiosity, especially in this day and age when travelers hunger to learn local heritage in their experiences, is richly rewarded with a visit to Fort Steele Heritage town.

Five primary themes are contained in the stories told at Fort Steele. The most obvious is the
period dress and activities, related to the 1890s, all a part of daily life in a Victorian settlement.
From most of the structures in the sprawling settlement to the clothes, designed from 1898
styles, to the food served, a tour through Fort Steele is a walk back in time for sights, sounds,
smells, touches and tastes.

Another theme is law and order as the North West Mounted Police, government and military were central players at Fort Steele during its heyday.

The characters who brought Fort Steele to life, such as Sam Steele, Chief Isadore and John Galbraith, is another key theme. Their stories are passed along to visitors, with the living setting providing colourful backdrops that serve to stir imaginations and captivate minds.

Commerce began in the area with gold mining and mineral extraction, but agriculture, expanding trades and services created new opportunities for this frontier outpost. The settlement of the west required incredible fortitude, courage and an entrepreneurial spirit that makes up another of the story themes brought to life each day at Fort Steele. The times changed rapidly from 1864 when the fort was first established to the 1890s in its heydey, and on into the 1930s when activity at the fort began to subside.

Finally, transportation and technology is another key theme in the story of Fort Steele. The most popular aspects of the facility, managed and maintained by the Friends of Fort Steele, are the Clydesdale horses and steam train rides. Among the modes of transportation highlighted at the fort are those on water (from canoes to paddle wheelers) and on land (pack train, wagon, railway). Other technologies on display include telephones and telegraph and different electrical and steam‐powered devices.

All of that combines to make afascinating, ongoing story, related by knowledgeable staff and volunteers for thousands of annual visitors at Fort Steele. “It’s the authenticity,” that today’s visitors appreciate, noted Fort Steele chief executive officer Laura Williams. “People want to know it’s real. That’s what sets Fort Steele apart from other facilities.”

The Friends of Fort Steele, its directors and volunteers, as well its staff, all work at maintaining
and sharing the story of Fort Steele. Using a team approach, they recreate a genuine frontier feel, complete with period clothing and working livestock.

“People are interested in the actual nuts and bolts as to how things work. They want to know
how the horses are harnessed or how the blacksmiths do their work,” Williams said. With that
in mind, kids are allowed to do ‘chores,’ as young’uns from the 1890s would do, there are
period agricultural demonstrations, wagon and steam train rides, ice cream making, working
blacksmiths, period food preparation, gold panning and a myriad of interpretive displays
featured with the 60 heritage buildings on site, all serving to a tell a living story of a time long
past. And if visitors don’t ‘hear and see’ enough of a story that way, there is always the
popular Wild Horse Theatre.

A new addition this year that will enable visitors to step back in time at Fort Steele is costume
rentals, where people can dress up in period garb while they tour the facility.
To learn more about Fort Steele, call 250.417.6000, 24 Hour Visitor Info Line: 250.426.7352
Website: http://www.fortsteele.ca E‐mail: Info@FortSteele.bc.ca

Printed with permission of the Rockies Tourism Networker 2009

Fort Steele

Easy

All Ages