North Saskatchewan River: One of the world's great rivers

I must disclose my bias towards the beauty and majesty of the North Saskatchewan River. Having lived in Edmonton from 1952 – 1964, and 1979 – 1986, the River dominated every day for 19 years. For nine of those years I crossed the river twice every school day and most of my recreation was provided within its forested river valley. In my view only Quebec City and Ottawa are so dominated by their respective waterways as they cleave a deep swath through the heart of the broader city.

Those portions of the North Saskatchewan River I have been blessed to see to date are beautiful. The River twists and turns at the bottom of a sharply sculptured valley as deep as any I have seen. Except those occasions where I have crossed the river en route between Saskatoon and Edmonton by road and rail, my experience rests with that part which dominates the City of Edmonton and from Saskatchewan Crossing in the Rocky Mountains east to Rocky Mountain House.

I must confess that canoeing such a deep and twisting river can be frustrating because my vision is limited to the valleys walls and further it is hard to determine where I am short of using a GPS. My trip down the River by canoe from Saskatchewan Crossing to Rocky Mountain House in 2006 was without a GPS and I can only say: “Never again!”

My experience canoeing large rivers such as the North Saskatchewan has been increased greatly by having knowledge of the geography and human history of the river. It is so helpful in supplying context to the location. Rocky Mountain House to the confluence with the South Saskatchewan River forming the Saskatchewan River is 1150 km.  Apart from Edmonton and Prince Albert, there are only the smaller communities of Drayton Valley, Fort Saskatchewan, and North and South Battleford on the banks of the River. On this portion of my trip I will be using two sources principally to embellish the spirit of the river:  

1/ Myrna Kostash and Duane Burton ‘Reading the River: A Traveller’s Companion to the North Saskatchewan River”, 2006, Coteau Books

2/ George Monro Grant ‘Ocean to Ocean’: Sanford Fleming’s expedition through Canada in 1872: being a diary kept during a journey from the Atlantic to the Pacific with the expedition of the engineer-in –chief of the Canadian Pacific and intercolonial railways.

The latter is one of the best travel books I have read. The part that is germane to my imminent trip is the description of their travels along the Carlton Trail from Winnipeg through to Edmonton, and particularly from Fort Carlton, Saskatchewan to Fort Edmonton. It is almost surreal to follow along with the writer as they travel west along first the south bank and then the north bank of the virtually unpopulated River.

They and other sources will help identify and describe the historic communities (from west to east) of Fort George, Buckingham House, Heinsburg, Fort Pitt, Fort Battleford, and Fort Carlton.

My sense of history and spiritual connection will be heightened as I reach that place along the Carlton Trail where travelers crossed from the south bank to the north bank of the River, for I know that my paternal great grandfather Dr. Daniel Hagerty passed this way in 1879 as he traveled to Saint Paul (de Métis) on Upper Thérien Lake, Alberta from Portage La Prairie, Manitoba to deal with an outbreak of smallpox.

My next blog will outline those highlights of the Edmonton River Valley I look forward to seeing again, albeit from a unique perspective.