Fort Whoop-Up opens for season with new mural by Siksika artist

By Lethbridge Herald on May 16, 2025.

Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Fort Whoop-Up officially opened for the season on a dreary Thursday, but both staff and community members didn’t let the moisture deter them from gathering to commemorate the beginning of the season.

Visitors to the fort will be welcomed by an eight-by-16-foot mural created to mark the Galt Museum signing of the Buffalo Treaty in 2024, coinciding with 10th anniversary of the treaty.

The mural titled “I’saap’isto’to’saohp Iniiksii: Reaching An Agreement With The Buffaloes,” was created by Sikapinakii Low Horn, an artist from the Siksika nation.

Low Horn said when they found out it was going to be a large mural in front of the fort, they were incredibly surprised, but also grateful for the opportunity.

“That relationship with the buffaloes in the painting is super crucial for Blackfoot people and I feel very grateful I was able to make something that commemorates the ten years of the Buffalo Treaty.”

Fort Whoop-Up was the most profound whiskey trading posts in southern Alberta in the late 1800s, with many of the trades being with buffalo hide, which contributed to the near extinction of bison on the prairies. The Buffalo Treaty was created in 2014 to help conserve the sacred animal and allow the Blackfoot and Blackfeet peoples to be able to live in harmony with the bison.

Sarah Newstead, chief executive officer and executive director of the Galt Museum, says with the Galt Museum signing the Buffalo Treaty, they have made it their focus to help educate visitors about the significance of the buffalo to the Nisitapi people.

“We are really leaning into what we’re calling buffalo consciousness…so, making sure our guests, our visitors and our associates learn more about the buffalo,” said Newstead.

This year the fort is also focusing on activating the space with skill-based activities, which will change from day to day.

The activities will focus on the Nisitapi-Blackfoot people, the Metis and the early settlers, and how the three groups interacted with each other. There are also demonstrations which will showcase skills and games the people participated in, such as lasso and making raw hide.

With many Canadians choosing to travel within the country instead of internationally, Connor Kenney, Fort Whoop-Up site co-ordinator, said he expects an influx of visitors at the fort and hopes to share the excitement with all tourist institutions throughout southern Alberta.

“This year we’re probably going to get quite a lot of different Canadian travellers from all over the country coming to our area, so, if we can them excited here and turn (them) into repeat visitors, that’s how we can share across all of our different tourist institutions here in Lethbridge.”

The fort is open daily from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. until Aug. 31.