| Fort Pelly | |
|---|---|
 Fort Pelly in 1887 (second fort) | |
| Type | Fort, Military Structure,fur tradingpost |
| Etymology | Sir John Pelly, governor of theHudson's Bay Company |
| Location | Pelly,Saskatchewan,Canada |
| Nearest city | Yorkton, Saskatchewan |
| Founder | Hudson's Bay Company |
| Built | First fort 1824 Second fort 1856 |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
| Website | Parks Canada official website |
| Designated | 1953 |
Fort Pelly was aHudson's Bay Companyfur tradingpost located in theCanadian province ofSaskatchewan. The fort was named after SirJohn Pelly, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. The current village ofPelly, Saskatchewan, takes its name from the fort,[1] and is located approximately 8 miles north of the site of the fort.
Before Fort Pelly was built there was a Fort Hibernia in the general area.[2]
The first Fort Pelly, at51°46′42″N102°00′19″W / 51.77833°N 102.00528°W /51.77833; -102.00528, was constructed by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1824, in the northeast corner of the elbow of theAssiniboine River. It was situated at a convenientportage point between the Assiniboine andSwan Rivers. Since the upper Assiniboine is shallow and crooked the area was most easily reached from the Swan River. The route was Lake Winnipegosis - Swan River - Snake Creek - Miry Creek - portage to the Assiboine River.[3] It was the administrative centre of the Hudson's Bay Company'sSwan River District.[4][5]
Fort Pelly consisted of a dwelling house, and Indian house, several staff houses, a store, and stables, all enclosed within a squarepalisade, 120 feet a side. Its first chief trader wasAlan McDonell, who had selected the site and oversaw construction. The fort traded withCree andSalteaux Natives from the surrounding area, along with recruiting employees from both nations.[6] In 1841 Fort Pelly had four employees, along with theirMétis families.[6] The first fort was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1842 and rebuilt immediately by chief trader Cuthbert Cumming. In 1849Thomas McKay, who would become first mayor ofPrince Albert and a prominent territorial politician, was born at Fort Pelly.
Fort Pelly was moved to51°46′35″N101°59′51″W / 51.77639°N 101.99750°W /51.77639; -101.99750 in 1856. This move, to approximately one quarter mile southeast of the original position, was due to problems with occasional flooding at the old location. The old fort was however still used in some capacity until at least 1859. On July 15, 1870, the Hudson's Bay Company surrendered its lands to Canada, while retaining its posts and some land immediately surrounding them. The fort was now located on block 17 of the Fort Pelly Reserve. Around 1871Fort Ellice succeeded Fort Pelly as district headquarters. In 1909 theCanadian Northern Railway was built 6 miles north of Fort Pelly, and trade at the fort all but ceased, and it was abandoned in June, 1912.
During the summers of 1971 and 1972, the former fort sites were excavated by theSaskatchewan Museum of Natural History, at which time all known buildings were located, and 7,000 objects were recovered.
The first Fort Pelly site was designated a Historic Site by the Province ofSaskatchewan in 1986 and is operated by the Saskatchewan Parks Service.[7]
The site of the second fort was purchased by theFort Pelly Historical Society and was designated aNational Historic Site of Canada in 1953.[8]
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