Fort Macleod | Alberta - 1000 Towns of Canada

Top 11 Places to Visit in Fort Macleod | Alberta

Region:

Southern Alberta

Known For:

Historic frontier town | North-West Mounted Police history | Fort Museum | Heritage Main Street | Rodeo culture | Home town of Joni Mitchell

Best For:

Western History | Cowboy Culture | Prairie Road Trips | Heritage Architecture | Old West Atmosphere

The Fort – Museum of the North West Mounted Police

Red-coated precursors to Royal Canadian Mounted Police were dispatched to Fort Macleod in the 1870s to stop American whiskey traders from abusing Blackfoot First Nations and defying Canadian sovereignty on the Prairies.

The Home Town of Joni Mitchell

Rolling Stone called Joni Mitchell “one of the greatest songwriters ever”. Roberta Joan “Joni” Mitchell was born in Fort Macleod. As she told Billboard magazine in 1995, the first memory she can recall took place in Fort Mac: Dust bunnies floating in a stream of sunlight above her crib.

Empress Theatre

The Empress Theatre was built in 1912 as a venue to entertain the Northwest Mounted Police through vaudeville and theatrical productions. The Empress has films, hosts concerts, and several film festivals.

Fort Macleod Main Street

Main Street is one of only two locations in Alberta to be a Designated Historical Area. In 1982 a government grant assisted Fort Macleod in restoring the original buildings of the 1910-1920s era.

The Home Town of 18 Movies

Upon visiting Fort Macleod, you will recognize many buildings or attributes from movies like Ghostbusters, Interstellar, and Brokeback Mountain. Fort Macleod has had up to 18 films shot in or around the town.

Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump | World Heritage Site

At the place known as Head-Smashed-In in southwestern Alberta, Aboriginal people practiced a form of group hunting for nearly 6,000 years before European contact.

Northwest Mounted Police 1884 Barracks

The original NWMP Fort Macleod was torn down and re-erected in 1884 in what is now the present-day townsite.

River Valley Wilderness Park

The Oldman River Valley Wilderness Park is a natural phenomenon.

Fort Macleod Golf Club

Golf was first played in Fort Macleod in 1890; this was the first course to be built between Winnipeg and the West Coast.

Homestead Bakeshop

We are committed to showcasing Artisan Baking in both Bread and Pastries, ensuring that flavour and baking from scratch are priorities.

Windy Rafters Barn Dance

Experience a Western Canadian barn in a historic 100 year+ old work-horse barn, with Country music and a country-style meal of roast beef.