Self Guided Historic Walking Tour of Edmonton - Edmonton's Business Entrepreneur

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In the 1870s, Fort Edmonton was poised on the precipice of great change. The far-reaching Hudson's Bay Company had just sold the vast tract of territory known as Rupert's land to the British Crown, representatives of the Plains First Nations were poised to reluctantly surrender their traditional lands under the terms of Treaty 6, and one of Edmonton's most important figures had just set foot in the fort upon which he would leave an unforgettable mark.

This is the story of John Walter. A genial, enterprising Orcadian, from Scotland's Orkney Islands, who was one of many who helped take Fort Edmonton from its adventurous, fur trading infancy into Alberta's foremost city,through sheer skill, determination, and entrepreneurial spirit. But, it is also the story of those who laboured, traded, settled, lived and died, on the Western frontier, and of those who were forced to make way for them to do so.

This mini-tour follows the southern banks of the North Saskatchewan, where we will learn about Edmonton’s fur trading past and visit the former site of Walter's Yard and learn about his journey from boatbuilder to business owner. Then we cross 105th Street where we reflect on a streak of misfortune that threatened Walter's business, and on the destruction of an important gravesite situated right across the river from Walter's Yard. Finally we cross the Walterdale Bridge for a view of the Alberta legislature to discover how Walter, and many others, helped Edmonton become Alberta’s capital.

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• Learn more about On This Spot onthisspot.ca
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On This Spot

On This Spot​ guides people on a tour back in time, showing & telling the history that surrounds them. On each spot, users will find themselves standing in the footsteps of a photographer who took a historic photo. On site tourists/users can use the built-in camera feature to create their own then-and-photos, which can be shared on social media and saved as a digital souvenir. Selections of these photos are chained together into walking tours that take a deep dive into local history.

On This Spot​ strives to make history engaging, educational, and accessible to all with a focus on easy to use features and a succinct writing style. The aim is to create an intuitive user experience that provides historical unparalleled depth without overwhelming or confusing users.