Fort Victoria (2)

 (1864-1885, 1887-1898) - A small Hudson's Bay Company trading post first established in 1864 near present day Smoky Lake, Alberta. Abandoned in 1885, reestablished in 1887 and finally abandoned in 1898. Also known as Victoria Post.

History of Fort Victoria
Fort Victoria was established in the fall of 1864 in response to free traders successes in the area. George Flett opened the post before the clerks quarters were even complete, they were finished in 1865. By 1874 the post had grown to seven buildings inside a palisade.

Trade declined and the post closed in 1885. Two years later it reopened first as an outpost of Lac La Biche Post and continued later as an independent post. Trade again declined and the post was finally closed in 1897-98.

Current Status
Part of the Victoria Settlement Provincial Historic Site near Smoky Lake, Alberta. The original 1864-65 Clerk's Quarters is open with period furnishings. Displays include interpretive signs and posts that outline the palisade corners and gate.

See Also:
 * Hudson's Bay Company
 * Hudson's Bay Company Forts

Sources:
 * Melnycky, Peter, A Veritable Canaan: Alberta's Victoria Settlement, Friends of Fort Victoria Historical Society, Edmonton, 1997, ISBN 0-9682428-0-4, 48 pages.

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Victoria
 * Wikipedia - Fort Victoria
 * Alberta Culture - Victoria Settlement
 * HBC Archive - Fort Victoria