Grouard Historical Village
Historical Overview:
During the 1875-1885 time span, Grouard was known as the Lesser Slave Lake Post. At the time, it was home to fur traders, missionaries and, primarily, the Aboriginal people whose lifestyle is the focus of our Project. By the 1880's, First Nations occupants had adopted the use of European materials and technologies - adapting them to be used in conjunction with their own. Their traditional hunting and gathering lifestyle had evolved to include trapping - a pursuit that provided them with a means to acquire European trade goods. Metis people either were born here or they moved into the area with the fur trade. Taking on lifestyle aspects of both their forebears, their culture became a combination of the two. Hunting, fishing, trapping and trading provided their livelihood. The initial phase of the Grouard Historical Village, an era-authentic aboriginal camp consisting of 2 tents and 4 tipis, pertains to the essential qualities of everyday life during that era.
Vision "The Grouard Historical Village will be a world-class heritage site commemorating the history of the Grouard region".
Mission "The Grouard Historical Village provides opportunities for visitors to experience Grouard's past".
Elder Interviews:
Accounts of local history have been collected by means of interviews with Elders that have connections to Grouard. Life stories and information have been collected from John & Marguerite Giroux of Grouard, Mrs. Clara Anderson of Grouard, Elsie (Dumont) Stenstrom of Slave Lake, Mabel & Russell Grey of Whitefish River , Dee Dee and Jim Thomas of Faust, Arthur Lamothe of Joussard, Joe Willier of Sucker Creek, Flora Campbell of High Prairie, Doris Nichols of Salt Prairie, and Cecile Sylvestre of Edmonton. Some of these stories are now available in book format in the museum gift shop.
Buildings:
Some of the buildings that will be part of Phase II of the Grouard Historical Village have been moved here and placed in a holding area at the Grouard Campus to await restoration. These structures include RCMP livery stables from High Prairie, the Hudson's Bay post from Atikameg, and the 2-storey Pottage building and its annex, which began its life in Grouard as the first law office in the Peace country. These moves have been exciting events in the history of the Village. Most recent moves to our site have been the Atikameg log church and a Hudson's Bay Company building. The latter was donated by Doris Nichols of Salt Prairie and it is believed that it dates back to 1881.
Volunteers:
If you have skills, interest and abilities that you would like to share, we would like to hear from you!
For further information contact:
Louise Myre, Programs Coordinator 780-751-3306 or email myrel@northernlakescollege.ca