Fort George and Buckingham House

Fort George and Buckingham House, located 13 km southeast of Elk Point, Alta, were competing trading posts operated by the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company, respectively. These posts operated side by side between 1792 and 1800 at this site on the North Saskatchewan River, just west of the modern boundary between Alberta and Saskatchewan. The posts were developed both as trade centres and to collect provisions, particularly the bison meat and pemmican needed to feed the canoe brigades. The 2 fur-trading companies maintained a strong economic rivalry, but surviving documents show employees of the 2 companies often co-operated as well.

The archaeological remains of both posts have been identified and major buildings and palisades are indicated with ground-markings and interpretive panels. The site also includes a visitor reception centre with exhibits. These exhibits detail life at the posts and highlight the role Aboriginal people, particularly women, played in trading-post society and the business of the fur trade. The site is open to the public from mid-May to early September.