Article courtesy of Wally Lazaruk

If you are travelling in the Edmonton area, consider exploring the Métis Crossing, a new heritage site portraying the Metis contributions to Canadian History.

Métis Crossing is the first major Métis cultural interpretive centre in Alberta and is a premier centre for Alberta Métis cultural interpretation, education, gatherings, and business development.

Sitting on 512-acres of land, comprised of river lot titles from the original Métis settlers to the region in the late 1800s, the crossing is designed to engage visitors through an exploration of Métis cultural experiences.

“The primary site lies on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. It was a major meeting site for the Métis, Europeans, and other Indigenous Peoples. To the north, the Métis used the crossing to access the fishing grounds. In the south, the crossing led to plains and grasslands that were home to buffalo. In the mid-1800s, a Methodist missionary named George McDougall established a mission at the crossing. The next step in the Crossing’s evolution was the arrival of a Hudson’s Bay Trading post. Thanks to a robust trading market, Métis emigrated to the Crossing from Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Indigenous peoples started cultivating the land for farming and traded fur in high volume. This region never looked back and became a permanent river lot community.” (Source: Alberta’s Iron Horse Trail).

Métis Crossing is located 1.5 hours northeast of Edmonton and 10 minutes South of Smoky Lake on the Victoria Trail.

See links below:

Métis Crossing Cultural Heritage Gathering Centre in …

Métis Crossing | Alberta Canada

The Incredible History of the Métis Crossing- Alberta

– Wally Lazaruk