Fort Walsh

Fort Walsh
Fort Walsh is a National Historic Site of Canada that was a North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) fort and the site of the Cypress Hills Massacre. Administered by Parks Canada, it forms a constituent part of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.Fort Walsh

The fort was built in June 1875, and was named for its builder, inspector James Morrow Walsh. The fort was intended to curb the illegal whiskey trade, protect Canada's nearby border with the United States, and aid with native policy. These factors had been brought to public attention following the Cypress Hills Massacre of 1873, and resulted in Sir John A. Macdonald's establishment of the North-West Mounted Police. Fort Walsh served as the NWMP headquarters from 1878 to 1882. In 1883 the fort was closed and dismantled.

The site of the fort was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924. The fort was later reconstructed in the 1940s to breed horses for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Musical Ride.

For more information on Fort Walsh please visit:  http://www.pc.gc.ca/en/lhn-nhs/sk/walsh