Culture and history

Historic drawing of the Town of Frog Lake, 1885
© Glenbow Archives

History

Frog Lake is of national historic significance because:

• Of its associations with the tragic events of 2 April 1885;
• Its meanings for the various parties involved;
• Its association with the events and tensions which led to, and arose out of that event of 1885.

Frog Lake National Historic Site is situated along the south boundary of the Unipouheos 121 Indian Reserve, which is part of the Frog Lake First Nation. The area encompasses the cemetery, the archaeological remains of the historic Frog Lake Settlement, and the sites of the Woods Cree and Plains Cree camps in 1885. Most of the land within the historic area is owned either by the Province of Alberta or the Frog Lake First Nation. Parks Canada looks after the plot of land that encompasses the cemetery of the nine men who were killed in 1885.