Saskatchewan Archaeological Society
The Saskatchewan Archaeological Society (SAS), founded in 1963, is one of the most active and effective volunteer-based archaeological organizations on the continent. We educate the public, promote research and advocate for heritage preservation and protection. Our members include professional archaeologists, avocational archaeologists and members of the general public that are curious about our province's first peoples and other cultures.
What does the SAS do?
- Offers all ages fieldschools, hands-on workshops, annual meeting and conference, annual bus tour, special tours and regional chapters across the province.
- Offers teaching and educational resources such as artefact replicas, "archaeo-kits", "Kiwetinohk"
- travelling rock art exhibit, videos, an extensive library of books, journals, theses, maps and photos, a quaterly newsletter on archaeology, history, natural history, geology and palaeontology news and publications for sale.
- Provides funding to individuals or groups for research projects and the annual Zenon Pohorecky Memorial Bursary to university students.
How do I join?
Contact the SAS!
#1-1730 Quebec Avenue
Saskatoon, SK S7K 1V9
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(306) 664-4124
Fax: (306) 665-1928
Email: saskarchsoc@sasktel.net
Web: www.saskarchsoc.ca
During 2013, the SAS celebrated its 50th Anniversary of the Annual Gathering and are placing a number of geocaches at archaeological and historically significant sites throughout the province.
SAS #21: Fort Esperance
*Please note that this geocache is located outside of Parks Canada property.
Fort Esperance was built in 1787 by Robert Grant of the Northwest Company on the banks of the Qu’Appelle River near Rocanville and named after Alexis L’Espérance, a famous guide and canoeist. It was ideally situated in the Qu’Appelle Valley with its proximity to the buffalo herds on the nearby Plains. The XY Company also built a fort to the east of Fort Esperance to take advantage of the good hunting opportunities. This fort was only occupied from 1801 until 1805.
In 1810 Fort Esperance I was moved upstream towards the Qu’Appelle lakes and then back downstream towards Big Cut Arm Creek. It was at this time that the name of the fort changed to Fort John. In 1816, employees at Fort John burned down a nearby Hudson’s Bay Company fort, called Fort Qu’Appelle but not to be confused with the one built in 1855, due to the rising tensions between the rival fur trade companies during this period. When the HBC men arrived, they found their fort burnt down. Threats flew back and forth between the rival companies culminating in another burning of the HBC fort and the taking of prisoners. Fort John employees later marched and captured Brandon House in the Selkirk Colony with Cuthbert Grant which led to the Battle of Seven Oaks in June of 1816. The Pemmican War, as the conflicts between the Northwest Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company in southeastern Saskatchewan and Southwestern Manitoba, lasted from 1812 until 1821 with the merger of the two companies.
In 1816, a new Fort Esperance (II) was built on higher ground above the original fort and slightly to the southwest in order to avoid flooding and improve defensive capabilities. Today, all that remains of this fort are collapsed chimney mounds and some cellar depressions. Fort Esperance was abandoned in 1819 due to hostile local groups in the area. No new forts were built on the Qu’Appelle River until Fort Ellice in 1831.
The significance of Fort Esperance is that it was one of the earliest and permanent Northwest Company forts in the Assiniboine basin and a crucial point in the Company’s supply change. It was the main pemmican depot for the Company and provisioned other forts and fur traders into the Athabasca and Churchill River regions.
References:
Canada’s Historic Places
n.d. Fort Espérance National Historic Site of Canada. Accessed from: http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=11713
Parks Canada
n.d. Fort Espérance National Historic Site of Canada. Accessed from: http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/sk/esperance/natcul/histo.aspx
Provo, Daniel J.
1984 Fort Esperance in 1793-1795: A North West Company Provisioning Post. In Reprints in Anthropology, Volume 28. J & L Reprint Company: Lincoln, NE.
Weber, Bob
1998 Saskatchewan History Along the Highway: A Traveler’s Guide to the Fascinating Facts, Intriguing Incidents and Lively Legends in Saskatchewan’s Past. Red Deer College Press: Red Deer, AB.