Tours
Motor Coach Tours — History on the Road
General Information
In 26 years of operating hosted motorcoach tours, SHFS continues to offer a unique glimpse at sites that are well recognized for their excellent exhibits. SHFS is also well known for offering visits to excellent sites which are ‘off the beaten path’. All tours include passenger pick up and drop off, in both Regina and Saskatoon. Time and place of pickup points will be provided with your detailed tour itinerary. The itineraries will be issued three weeks prior to each departure date.
The Society will be offering three tours for 2013:
Tour #1 Saturday June 15 to Sunday June 23, 2013
Peter Pond & The Early Western Fur Trade
SHFS’s first tour for the 2013 touring year will follow the exploits of the American fur trader Peter Pond and in the process we will also discover the story of the early fur trade in western Canada. Pond entered what is now known as western Canada in 1775 and successfully traded with the First Nations people of the area until 1778. To say that Pond was a colourful character is a bit of an understatement, as we will learn by following in the footsteps of this cunning, at times violent, and most definitely resourceful entrepreneur.
This tour will start off exploring Saskatchewan’s north west region as we travel to Ile a la Crosse and then Buffalo Narrows a community located on Peter Pond Lake. It is in this area that Peter Pond worked in partnership with Joseph Forbisher in 1877. The following year Pond struck out on his own and became the first white man to enter the Athabasca region of present day northern Alberta. For this tour we are not going to follow Peter Pond on his journey’s to Athabasca and Great Slave lakes, however we will pick-up the story of the early fur trade business in the Lessor Slave Lake and southern Peace River areas of Alberta.
We will spend several days exploring the region between the communities of Athabasca, Peace River and Grande Prairie. Although it is not definitely known whether or not Peter Pond ventured into this particular region, we do know for certain that the information he garnered from his time with the Chipewyan peoples of the Athabasca region was used by his contemporaries in furthering their exploration of the southern Peace River country and it is this aspect of the early fur trade that we will learn about in our time in the Peace River area of Alberta.
Tour cost $2,000 per person based on double occupancy. SHFS Member price $1,900. Single Occupancy add $520. Book before May 13, 2013 and deduct $100 per person.
Tour #2 Saturday July 13 to Sunday July 14, 2013
On the South Saskatchewan River
Our second tour of the season will see SHFS trying something different – we are going to spend the better part of two days in canoes as we paddle along a stretch of the south Saskatchewan river (we will be going with the current so the trip won’t be to overly strenuous). We will put our canoes in the River near Clark’s Crossing with some of the stops along the way being at Batoche National Historic Site, Petit Ville – a former Metis Community and South Branch House – one of the earliest trading posts along the river’s route and site of extensive archeological work. Our overnight stop will be in a modern hotel in Prince Albert. We recognize that not everybody has an interest or ability to travel in a canoe, so we are also looking at having a pontoon boat available for some of our travellers, therefore when registering please indicate your interest in travelling by canoe or not (phone the SHFS office at 1-800-919-9437 or 306-780-9204) for specifics as to how this tour will be organized).
Tour Cost $550 per person, based on double occupancy. SHFS Member price $500. Single Occupancy add $65. Book before June 17, 2013 and deduct $50 per person
Tour #3 Wednesday August 21 to Sunday August 25, 2013
140 Years of the Mounties
Our final tour for the 2013 season will tour the southern portion of Saskatchewan all the way from the Manitoba border to the Alberta border. Along the way we will learn about the early day of the NWMP in this area in celebration of the 140th anniversary of their formation, with stops at such places as Roche Percee, Wood Mountain and Fort Walsh. We will also visit such places as Cannington Manor, Grasslands National Park and the Cypress Hills.
Tour Cost $1,100 per person based on double occupancy. SHFS Member price $1,050. Single Occupancy add $260. Book Before July 22, 2013 and deduct $50 per person.
