Photo: Welcome Sign Buildings Last Mountain House Provincial Park Saskatchewan

A large welcome and interpretive sign greets visitors when they arrive at the Last Mountain House Provincial Park a Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post in Saskatchewan, Canada.

A provincial park steeped in history, Last Mountain House Provincial Park is situated in the province of Saskatachewan, Canada.

The Hudson's Bay Company, the first company in Canada to begin a trading scheme and a staple in the Canadian consumer identity for as long as most Canadian's can remember, built this Last Mountain House in this location in Saskatchewan for two reasons. One was because they were starting to feel some competition from other trading companies and so they decided to build themselves a base from which to work so that they would have a place to store supplies and trade for a stationary point. Second, was that the buffalo herds were starting to move southwest in the province. The buffalo was the main animal skin traded by the Hudson's Bay Company and if they moved away business would be gone. ... continue below the picture...

... Therefore they needed a place to not only hunt the buffalo from, but also a place to store skins and fur.

These buildings were built in 1869, and visitors can come and see them today and get a glimpse of what life was like in a 19th century trading post. As the drawing illustrates on the sign, there are a number of buildings with openings leading to a central area that could be used for meetings and recreation time for the people staying there. These residences were not meant to be lived in permanently by anyone - they were a place to come, stay, do some business, make some contacts and move on. Trading in those days was hard and this was merely a stop on the way to somewhere else.

Large sign at and buildings at the Last Mountain House Provincial Park, Saskatchewan, Canada.