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Remembrance in the Fort Reverend Dr. Peter Ream
3 September 2001
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

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Fort Saskatchewan entered the period following the First World War much changed and reduced. The mounted police were gone, and law enforcement was now in the hands of the Alberta Provincial Police. But that force placed just one officer at Fort Saskatchewan, housed on the main floor of the courthouse.

The mounted police headquarters site was occupied by the new Provincial Gaol, built in 1915, which provided needed employment and support in the difficult years ahead.

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Over the years of its growth, the federal police force continued to succeed in maintaining peaceful relations and establishing order in the entire western region.

By the early 1880's it patrolled and established detachments reaching as far as the Yukon and Arctic coast. During this period, even after the government showed signs of doubt regarding its continued use, the spirit of the force was unfailing.

Men stayed enlisted regardless, even when the federal government decreased their salaries from 75 cents per day to forty cents. Recruits still trained, maintained community justice, patrolled the far north, fought prairie fires, and delivered treaty monies to Indian reserves.

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At the turn of the century, its name received the prefix Royal, as ordered by King Edward VII. The expansion of the force continued to grow and by 1905, it assumed the policing contract for the new provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The strength and policing spirit increased further and in 1912, its responsibilities encompassed northern Manitoba. However, the impact of WWI on the embodiment of the force gave way to a provincial level of law enforcement.

Dwindling government resources and the lack of man power due to war were the major contributing factors of changing to a provincial management system for the police force.

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The Fort Without the Mounted Police The Alberta Provincial Police take over
8 March 1917
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

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The Alberta Provincial Police assumed responsibilities of the Royal North West Mounted Police on March 1, 1917 and maintained control of the province's policing services until April 1, 1932. Although the majority of police detachments changed to their federal authority, Fort Saskatchewan's detachment remained under the provisions of a local authority of Town Police until the 1970s.

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The Gaol

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The Fort without the Mounted Police The Reverend Dr. Peter Ream
19 March 2004
Fort Saskatchewan, Aberta

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Many problems plagued Fort Saskatchewan following the end of the First World War.

The 1912 failure of the power dam on the Sturgeon River left the town with a huge debt that was not paid off until 1932.

The business district had not completely recovered from a terrible fire of 1913. Every family had been touched by the war, which claimed 41 local young men. At least three deaths also followed during the flu epidemic of 1918.

Says local historian Peter Ream: "The dreams of a glorious future for the Fort had evaporated by this time, and the people settled down to face stern reality. This was the age of retrenchment, consolidation, and the eking out of the dollars."

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The Fort Without the Mounted Police
1964
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

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The loss of the mounted police headquarters, its security and employment had been partly helped by the building of a Provincial Gaol on the same site.

Employing some 200 people, the new institution brought needed stability to the struggling community.

12

The Alberta Provincial Police

13

The Fort Without the Mounted Police The Alberta Provincial Police take over
8 March 1917
Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta

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Life went on despite the losses. The Alberta Provincial Police took over law enforcement duties here as elsewhere following the establishment of the force in 1917. However, Fort Saskatchewan rated just one officer, who was housed on the main floor of the local courthouse.