Saskatoon – A New Energy

DAY 1: Trails of 1885 – Saskatoon – Batoche – Fort Carlton

We begin our adventure at the Batoche National Historic Site, which was once the center of Métis settlement in Saskatchewan and served as the last battlefield in the Northwest Resistance of 1885. Down the road at the Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre we’ll find artifacts pertaining to the 1885 Métis Resistance. You have to climb the 80-foot tower and take in the 360° view of the surrounding area. The Fort Carlton Provincial Park was the original site of a Hudson’s Bay fur trading post that operated between 1810 and 1885. Visiting the reconstructed palisade, provisions store, clerk’s quarters and tipi encampment takes you back in time. The Saskatoon Station Place provides casual, fine dining in the design of the building and dining cars dating back to the early 1800s. Perhaps most impressive of all are the C.N.R. dining cars that are annexed to the building and offer diners a real glimpse into the past.

DAY 2: Saskatoon’s Roots – Saskatoon

Beginning our day at the Western Development Museum, which features Boomtown 1910, provides you with what life was like in a typical prairie town in 1910. Stroll along Main Street and hear the clang from the blacksmith shop and laughter of children as they race down the street with their favorite dog barking behind them. To capture the feel, have your picture taken in the Boomtown Photo Studio, then board the simulated train and begin your journey to a new family homestead. Participate in a walking tour of the downtown area, which shows a variety of buildings, sculptures and memorials starting with Saskatoon’s history at the Meewasin Valley Centre. The University of Saskatchewan is home to the Diefenbaker Canada Centre, where you can learn all about Canada’s 13th prime minister, John G. Diefenbaker, and then take a campus tour and visit the many museums and galleries. Learn about the hardships of Ukrainian immigrants and share in their cultural heritage that is displayed at the Ukrainian Museum of Canada, one of Canada’s foremost cultural heritage museums. Carver’s Steakhouse in the Sheraton Cavalier Hotel offers AAA beef, Saskatchewan-raised meat and fresh local produce.

DAY 3: Linkages from the Past – Saskatoon

Over 6,000 years ago, the Northern Plains Indians settled on the land of Wanuskewin Heritage Park. Aboriginal history throughout the river valley was a way of life as many First Nations communities gathered. Walk in their footsteps at the buffalo jumps, tipi rings and a medicine wheel.

Your visit would not be complete without a tour of the historic “Castle on the River,” the Delta Bessborough Hotel, which was originally a Canadian Pacific Railway hotel. Guided tours highlight the history and some little known features and facts about the grand hotel’s past.

A true taste of Saskatchewan flavor is waiting for you at The Granary,which boasts all the features one could wish for in an upscale casual dinner house—in a unique old-fashioned prairie atmosphere.