Location: East of Fort Saskatchewan on Hwy 15, turn left (north) on Hwy 830. Turn left (west) on Hwy 38, cross the Vinca Bridge, and continue west until you see the sign for Victoria Trail. Turn right onto Victoria Trail and follow the directional and interpretive signs along its length.
Info: www.kalynacountry.co m/Victo ria-T rail.
The 58-kilometre Victoria Trail is the oldest road in Alberta still in use. Aboriginal people first used the trail along the North Saskatchewan River banks. Explorers, fur traders, and Ukrainian settlers followed, travelling by foot, horse, cart, or buggy to reach their new homesteads.
No longer a primitive route, the Victoria Trail winds through scenic farmland from Highway 38, southeast of Redwater, to the Victoria Settlement Provincial Historic Site in Smoky Lake County. It is a beautiful, meandering drive with a number of interesting landmarks along the way. Follow Victoria Trail west of Highway 855 to the Pine Creek Post Office, the area’s first post office, which operated from 1907 until 1920. You will also see the house built by an early Metis settler in the middle of the trail. The house is a landmark for those who appreciate the difficulties encountered by the early road builders who worked without machinery. The Victoria Park Cemetery, about three kilometres west of Victoria Settlement on the north side of the trail, has a nice view of the valley. Although the gravel road is narrow, there is room to turn around at the top.
Victoria Trail, Smoky Lake County
Victoria Settlement Provincial Historic Site
Location: 10 km south of Smoky Lake on Hwy 855, and then 6 km east on the historic Victoria Trail.
Info: Open daily from Victoria Day weekend to Labour Day weekend, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Admission is charged. Tours are always available. 780-656-2333 (mid-May to Labour Day); 780-645-6256 (winter).
Victoria Settlement was one of the first three provincial historic sites to be named in Alberta and is home to the province’s oldest building that is still in its original locationthe fully restored and furnished 1864 Hudson’s Bay Company clerk quarters. The HBC established Fort Victoria to trade axes and other staples with Aboriginals who brought pelts, hides, and bison meat. The settlement is also the site where Reverend George McDougall founded a Methodist Mission in 1862 to serve the Cree. The mission and fort became the centre of activity for Metis who lived on lots along the North Saskatchewan River.
The interpretive centre is located in the 1906 Methodist Church and HBC clerk quarters. Costumed interpreters explain area history, such as the terrible smallpox epidemic of 1870, in which 55 members of the community perished. Historical demonstrations may include wood-stove baking, making licorice by hand, or other early skills and crafts.
The Victoria Settlement Jamboree, Victorian Geocache Murder Mystery, Field and Fort Day, and other special events are offered on various summer weekends.
Victoria trail Edmonton Map Photo Gallery
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