Fort Walsh National Historic Site - Visitor Centre Exhibit and Building Improvements

Fort Walsh is situated in the scenic Battle Creek Valley of the Cypress Hills of southwestern Saskatchewan. The reason for designation in 1924 was as follows: “The fort served from 1878 to 1882 as the headquarters of the North-West Mounted Police, and the fort played a key role in imposing Canadian law from 1875 to 1883, in implementing Canada’s Indian policy and in supervising the Lakota who fled to Canada under Tatanka Iyotanka (Sitting Bull) after the Battle of Little Big Horn.” 

The Fort Walsh Visitor Centre was opened to the public nearly four decades ago, and no significant renovations have taken place since that time. The wear and tear of the intervening years on the building envelope necessitated improvements. 

In 2016, infrastructure investment work began to enhance the sustainability of the Fort Walsh NHS Visitor Centre structure by replacing the wooden siding and addressing deficiencies in the building skirting and washroom areas. Improvements to address visitor flow and experience were also completed, including a new exhibit and film. Total costs for the project were approximately $4 million.

The brand new exhibit and film will present visitors with the story of Fort Walsh and the Cypress Hills Massacre. The new exhibits were developed in close consultation with Indigenous and community partners. The new interpretive film, which will also be presented in a renovated theatre, has been produced specifically for the Fort Walsh Visitor Reception Centre.         

Parks Canada is investing an unprecedented $3 billion dollars over 5 years to support infrastructure work to heritage, visitor, waterway and highway assets located within national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas across Canada. These investments represent the largest federal infrastructure plan in the history of Parks Canada. 

These historic investments will mitigate health and safety risks, halt the loss of nationally significant built heritage and stimulate the economy in communities across the country. 

These investments give our past a future. 

Investments in visitor infrastructure – such as trails, visitor centres and campgrounds, as well as highways, parkways and bridges – will ensure the quality and reliability of visitor facilities and continue to allow Canadians to connect with nature. 

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