THE RURAL HISTORY & CULTURE ASSOCIATION
OF SASKATCHEWAN

Riding the Historic NWMP Trail near Wood Mountain

The sixth and final Celebrate the North-West Mounted Police Trail festival was held at Fort Walsh National Historic Site on August 2, 2009. Over 350 people took in the events at Fort Walsh, which brought the total attendance at the six  festivals to over 1600 people.  The other  festivals were held at Wood Mountain, McCord, Val Marie, Shaunavon and Eastend starting on July 1.

The Fort Walsh event was special because of the participation of the Fort Walsh interpretative staff in the Spirits of the Trail dramatic remembering.  This included six interpreters attired in period NWMP uniforms and the firing of the Fort’s cannon to signal the beginning of the Trail ride (the horses were of course a good distance away when the cannon was fired).

Pictures, videos and more information on each of the six festivals will be posted on the RHCA site later in August.

Over 1000 people have already attended Celebrate the NWMP Trail festivals in Wood Mountain, McCord, Eastend and Shaunavon and there is still time to catch part of the excitement in Val Marie on July 24 and Fort Walsh on August 2.   Events in Val Marie will include the opportunity to ride into town from parts of the original NWMP Trail that lies outside the town.  Both events will conclude with a storytelling and sing-along circle and at Fort Walsh you are invited to participate in a Potluck picnic while in Val Marie their will be a beef and bean supper served by the local committee dedicated to saving the Val Marie elevator. 

Pictures and videos from the first four Celebrate the NWMP Trail events have been posted on the RHCA website and more will be coming soon!

The first two Celebrate the NWMP Trail events  at Wood Mountain (July 1) and McCord (July 4) were great successes.  The Wood Mountain festival organized by the Wood Mountain Historical Society drew around 180 people, while the McCord event, staged by the McCord and District Museum attracted around 240 people.  Both events featured Ken Mitchell’s “Spirits of the Trail,” historian Garrett Wilson’s “History and the Trail,” “Everett Baker’s Trail” by the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society and First Nations performances led by Errol Kinstino.  Saskatchewan country singer/songwriter Tommy-John Ehman provided a concert at Wood Mountain including his new song “The North-West Mounted Police,” written specifically for these festivals.  Ragtime Don and the Word Junkie’s history inspired songs and Norm Walker’s quirky tributes to Saskatchewan entertained audiences in McCord.   The next festival is set for Eastend on July 11. 

Pictures above were taken at Wood Mountain by Ray Bell. They feature the actors and other riders participating in the Ride the Trail aspect that precedes each Festival and leads into the “Spirits of the Trail” performances. Featured in the picture on the left are (l-r) Ken Mitchell, Geordie Grassick, Errol Kinstino and Bob Smoker.