Welcome to Fort George and Buckingham House Provincial Historic Site!
Step through our doors to discover a fascinating time in Alberta's early fur trade.
Our modern visitor centre was opened exactly 200 years after the original fur trade forts were built. Inside you'll find an interactive museum gallery, travelling exhibits, activities, guided tours and modern visitor facilities.
After you've explored the visitor centre, it's time to step out to the wooded trails and into history to where Fort George and Buckingham House once stood.
Although the forts disappeared back into the landscape many years ago, archaeologists uncovered the remains of the buildings. We have marked out the perimeter of the structures that made up the two forts so that you can stand where history happened. Interpretive panels provide more information about the people and activities that made the bustling fur trade work.
History of Fort George and Buckingham House Provincial Historic Site
The Interpretive Center was opened by the Province of Alberta in 1992. The opening marked the bi-centennial establishment of the 2 fur trade posts on the site.
The site is operated by Alberta Culture, Heritage Division.
Friends of the Forts Society
The Friends of the Forts: Fort George and Buckingham House Society is a charitable co-operating society with the mission to support programming and operations of the site, including:
- Volunteering on the site
- Providing gift shop and concession services
- Fundraising for special projects
- Providing insight and expertise
- Building and maintaining positive relationships with the community
Donations
Help us preserve and interpret Fort George and Buckingham House!
Fort George and Buckingham House is looking for artifacts to support gallery displays and items for use in programming. All of our artifacts are carefully selected.
Some of the gallery items are original to the site, while others are reproductions chosen to represent original items. Even items in poor condition, if rare, may provide valuable information to help us interpret the story of the site more fully. In some instances, objects are borrowed so they can be used in temporary displays, documented, or reproduced.
We are not able to accept everything. If you have an item that you think will help us, let us know and we will tell you if it meets our needs and requirements.
Potential donors should contact our curator to discuss the criteria for donating or loaning artifacts for use on the site. It is recommended you attach a photo of your item to your email.
If you are interested in donating historic items, or have items to show, please contact:
Joy Schellenberg, Artifact Curator
Joy.Schellenberg@gov.ab.ca
780-431-2367 (for toll-free, dial 310-0000 first)
Employment
We're hiring!
Are you looking for a fun and challenging summer job where you can develop your skills, work in a team and meet people from all over Canada and the world?
As an Historical Interpreter, you will lead tours of the historic site area and landscape; participate in the planning, development, and presentation of educational program and special events; and coordinate craft and skill demonstrations. This job will allow you to develop a wide variety of skills including public speaking, customer service, program development, interpretation techniques, research, social media, and historical crafts and skills.
Other duties include the collection of admission fees and visitor statistics, event promotion, day-to-day administration, gift shop sales, and maintaining the general order of visitor facilities. This position requires weekend work, and on occasion working and traveling alone or scheduled off-site work. You will walk and stand for extended periods, and lift and carry moderate loads.
A successful candidate for this position will be able to speak confidently to large and small groups of people in a public setting and be able to assimilate large amounts of information quickly. You must have the ability to work effectively with a range of audiences, from young children to seniors, and actively contribute to a workplace team. The position requires a basic understanding of the history of Alberta, an interest in historical interpretation, as well as planning and organizational skills. Training is provided.
Qualifications
The successful candidate for this position will:
Be able to learn large amounts of information quickly and be able to confidently speak and work with a range of audiences with varying backgrounds, from young children to seniors, in groups both large and small.
Work collaboratively as a member of a small workplace team.
Be able to stand and walk for extended periods as well as lift and carry moderate loads.
Have a basic understanding of the history of Alberta, an interest in historical interpretation, as well as communication, creativity, and organizational skills.
Post-secondary education and/or experience in the following fields are desirable:
Education, Drama, Historical Interpretation, Canadian History, Aboriginal Studies and Recreation Administration.
Other assets include: Customer service experience; experience with children and seniors; fluency in French, Cree, Michif; knowledge of Alberta’s Metis history and heritage skills (beadwork, finger weaving, hide tanning, etc.).
Successful candidates must be able to provide a current Standard First Aid Certificate (including CPR-C) and a Class 5 driver’s license.
Successful candidates will be required to provide a Driver’s Abstract and to undergo a criminal record check.
Salary
Wage rate: Interpreter $19.51/hr - $23.56/hr (under review)
Nearest rental accommodations are in Elk Point. Shared staff accommodations may be available in the location (some conditions apply). Personal transportation is required to and from the work.
This position runs from May – September 2023.
How to Apply
Click on the “Apply Now” button. Candidates are required to apply for a job online. Please visit https://www.alberta.ca/navigating-online-jobs-application.aspx to learn more about creating a candidate profile and other tips for the Government of Alberta’s online application system.
If you are not currently an employee with the Government of Alberta, the first step in applying for a job is creating your candidate profile within our online application system, click here to access the main log in page where you are able to ‘Create an account’, reset your password (‘Forgot your password’) or ‘Sign In’ should you already have an account.
Existing employees should access the Career tile in 1GX to submit their application in order to be recognized as an internal applicant.
Once you have created your candidate profile, visit the Alberta Public Service job site to apply for jobs at https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-jobs.aspx Applicants are advised to provide information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements, including education, experience and relevant examples of required competencies.
Resources for applicants:
· https://www.alberta.ca/apply-for-jobs-with-the-alberta-public-service.aspx
· https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-hiring-process.aspx
· https://alis.alberta.ca/look-for-work/
It is recommended that applicants who have obtained educational credentials from outside of Canada and have not had them previously assessed, obtain an evaluation of their credentials from the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) https://www.alberta.ca/iqas-overview.aspx. Applicants are encouraged to include the assessment certificate from IQAS or any other educational assessment service as part of their application.
Applications close April 9, 2023.
For further information, please contact Suzanna Wagner, Program Coordinator at Suzanna.Wagner@gov.ab.ca or at 587-987-4754.
Closing Statement
Thank you to all applicants for their interest. All applications will be reviewed to determine which candidates’ education and experience best meets the needs of the position. Only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.