Construction of Fort Edmonton

Background. Fort Edmonton was the name of a series of Hudson's Bay Company trading posts established from 1795 to 1914, all situated on the north banks of the North Saskatchewan River in what is now central Alberta, Canada. The post's founding in 1795 occurred amid competition with the North West Company, which had just built Fort Augustus in the same vicinity.

Construction of Edmonton House. In the summer of 1795, the North West Company constructed Fort Augustus at the confluence of the Sturgeon and North Saskatchewan rivers, northeast of the final Fort Edmonton site. A few months later, on October 5, 1795, the Hudson's Bay Company began constructing Edmonton House close by, using the same two rivers. The two posts stood a described "musket-shot" apart, a proximity reflecting rivalry yet also offering mutual security to traders of both companies.

Later Development of the Post. From 1795 to 1830, Fort Edmonton occupied four successive locations. The post later became a significant waypoint on the Carlton Trail for Metis freighters and on the York Factory Express route linking London, via Hudson Bay, with Fort Vancouver in the Columbia District.