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My Edmonton
By Kat Flannery
It is a place of timeless value. Beautiful and rustic, Fort Edmonton Park takes you back to years long past. The tall wooden fences of the fort surround the magnificent Rowan house where John Rowan, the chief factor for the Hudson Bay Company lived.
A narrow foot path outside the gates leads you to the North Saskatchewan River, where the Cree nations once rowed their canoes ashore to trade their furs. I can close my eyes and see them there. The pungent smell of a fire wafts towards me and I inhale the sweet smell of the bannock bread being made by the Cree women. The clanking sounds of a hammer ring in my ears, as the men work in the blacksmith shop pounding out the metal to make tools and shoes for their horses.
I have been to Fort Edmonton Park many times. Living a half hour outside of the city lets me experience this fascinating place whenever I want to. I can escape the tedious life I live in the 21st century and come here … and pretend. I can forget that my minivan doesn’t run properly and needs gas, and I can imagine myself on top of a horse riding bareback, sitting in a covered wagon, or resting aboard the steam powered locomotive.
I can walk down 1885 street to Jasper House Hotel and feast on their homemade soup and scones. I can tour the barracks of the Northwest Mounted Police, and lock myself inside one of the cramped cells. I can stroll down 1905 street and take pity on those who lived in tent city during the housing shortage in Edmonton. I can march with the ladies to outlaw the devils rum.
I can wander 1920 street in awe, where the famous Hotel Selkirk stands. Its Mahogany Bar beckons an invitation to sit down and wet your whistle. I can take my children to the midway and watch as they ride the old time Ferris wheel, while sucking on a root beer flavoured candy stick.
It is here, I can be a part of the world that lived so long before me. It is where I can bring my children to learn the history of Edmonton; to experience a life they would never have known existed, except in the pictures of their textbooks. It is where I can learn to appreciate my minivan, my electric stove, and my gas furnace. It is where I can laugh and have fun. And best of all, it is where I can be a time traveler and still keep my Nike sandals on.
