Cumberland House, Saskatchewan

Cumberland House is a community in Census Division No. 18 in northeast Saskatchewan, Canada on the Saskatchewan River. It is the oldest settler community in Saskatchewan and has a population of about 2,000 people. Cumberland House Provincial Park, which provides tours of an 1890s powder house built by the Hudson's Bay Company, is located nearby.

The community consists of the Northern Village of Cumberland House with a population of 772 and the adjoining Cumberland House Cree Nation with a population of 715. The community is served by the Cumberland House Airport and by Saskatchewan Highway 123.

The population of Cumberland House consists of mostly First Nations people, including Cree and Métis. Cumberland House was and is a Cree "n" dialect community, known in Cree as "Waskahikanihk".

On March 2013, Cumberland House Cree Nation had a registered population of 1387 with 814 members living on-reserve or crown land and 573 members living off-reserve. The First Nation has territory at five locations and is governed by a Chief and four councillors. It is a member of the Prince Albert Grand Council.

From its foundation in 1774, Cumberland House was one of the most important fur trade depots in Canada. To the east, the Saskatchewan River led to Lake Winnipeg and on to the French at Montreal or the English on Hudson Bay. To the west, the river led to the Rocky Mountains and a pass to the Oregon Country. To the north, the Sturgeon-Weir River led to the Churchill River which led to the Methye Portage and the rich Athabasca Country to the northwest. See Canadian canoe routes (early). Cumberland House was used as a depot for east-bound furs and west-bound trade goods. It was also a depot for pemmican used to feed the voyageurs on their long journey to Lake Athabasca. Since it was in the forest belt, pemmican was brought downriver from the prairies or upriver from Lake Winnipeg. It was about 40 days' paddling time from the Hudson's Bay Company base at York Factory but nearly five months' journey from their competitor's base at Montreal.

...
Wikipedia