Registration Now Open for 150 Years Later: Reflecting on Fort Calgary’s Legacy

Press Release

Calgary – August 25, 2025 – Registration is now open for an event series at The Confluence commemorating 150 years since the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) first arrived at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers and established Fort Calgary in 1875. The announcement comes on the day formerly declared Calgary’s birthday in 1975.

Jennifer Thompson, president of The Confluence Historic Site & Parkland, said that even though city hall now celebrates Calgary’s anniversary relative to its 1894 incorporation as a city, commemorating the arrival of the NWMP is an important opportunity to reflect on their impact to life on this land.

“The Mounties getting here meant the arrival of the Canada’s colonial project to this area,” she said. “For the 50th and 100th anniversaries, we omitted many important Indigenous perspectives from a narrative that celebrated the beginning of settlement and our city. For the 150th, we will hear more from Indigenous voices about what was lost and the truth of our city’s history.

The event series, titled 150 Years Later: Reflecting on Fort Calgary’s Legacy, will connect community with experts, historians and artists. Events will encourage thoughtful discussions about local and Canadian history through a lens that acknowledges the historical and contemporary impacts of colonialization on Indigenous Peoples and our society.

EVENT SERIES LINEUP

Unfamiliar Perspectives: The NWMP and Canada’s Colonial Project | Sept. 9: Curated by The Confluence Historian and Adjunct Curator Kay Burns, this exhibit takes a look archival documents and real writings from NWMP officers that reveal insights into the culture and complex histories during their occupation. The exhibit will be open from Tuesday, Sept. 9 into the fall.

We Are All Treaty People | Sept. 30, Oct. 10 & 11: A Quest Theatre production of this one-act play runs for two weeks in the Burnswest Theatre for school programs and public performances.

The Confluence Symposium | Oct. 3-5: Presented in partnership with the University of Calgary, The Confluence Symposium brings diverse experts together to discuss and reflect on the historical and contemporary impacts of colonialization on Indigenous Peoples and our society. Keynote speakers are The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Arian Stimson, Sarah Carter and Brenda McCafferty.

Dark Chambers: Artistic Photographic Interventions | Oct. 3-31: Siksika artist, Adrian Stimson, responds to four archival photos of Fort Calgary and North-West Mounted Police Officers through artistic photographic interventions.

Light Art Projection | Oct. 4-14: Presented in partnership with the Urban Society of Aboriginal Youth and Emmedia and through a sponsorship from Calgary Arts Development Authority, Indigenous youth will project their artistic responses on the northwest corner of the Barracks building at dusk every evening.

Circle Camp at The Confluence | Sept. 30: On National Indigenous Peoples Day, the parkland at The Confluence will fill with lodges representing each of the Treaty 7 nations and community organizations.

Hot Dogs & Hot Takes on History | Monthly: Every month in 2025, a historian or specialized expert shares their research and offers new perspectives on local history. So far in 2025, approximately 500 people have attended the program.

Complete event details are available at theconfluence.ca/150.

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