Fort Saskatchewan's history is far from boring.

The 150th anniversary of the founding of our town is a good time to remember just how exciting our history has been.

The fort was built here because of an argument, for example.

Inspector William Dummer Jarvis, commander of the local North West Mounted Police detachment, was wintering in Edmonton when he was given orders to establish his fort on the south bank of the river anywhere between Edmonton and the mouth of the Sturgeon River.

It seems a few Edmontonians took it in their heads to demand that Jarvis build his fort next to Edmonton.”They did not use much tact, and they were trying to coerce the wrong man,” says Sgt. Sam Steele in his autobiography. “Our O.C. was of a fiery temperament, and would carry out his orders as he pleased, and was the last man to let himself be browbeaten.

“I have no doubt that if the settlers had let him alone he would have built the new post on the opposite side of the river,” Steel concludes.

Officially, Jarvis chose this site for his fort because the river valley here had lower, gentler banks and was a more suitable location for a railway bridge than Edmonton, and thus was more likely to be chosen for the main rail line.

This proved to be the case, and the Canadian Northern line crossed the river here, rather than at Edmonton.

But given that this site is also just about as far from Edmonton as Jarvis' orders allowed, it is also pretty clear that pride and politics played a big part in our history a century and a half ago.

Be sure to enjoy the fun at the Historic Precinct Saturday.