Wood Mountain Regional Park
| Wood Mountain Regional Park | |
| Regional park | |
| Countries | Country, Canada |
|---|---|
| States | Province, Saskatchewan |
| Districts | Rural Municipality, Old Post No. 43 |
| Cities | Nearest Village, Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan |
| Coordinates | 49°19′15″N 106°22′45″W / 49.32083°N 106.37917°WCoordinates: 49°19′15″N 106°22′45″W / 49.32083°N 106.37917°W |
Wood Mountain Regional Park is a conservation area in its natural state set aside for recreation located in southern area of Saskatchewan, Canada on Highway 18. Within the park are Rodeo Ranch Museum, Homestead museum, Sitting Bull monument, Ball Diamonds, campsites, play area, concessions, swimming pool, hiking and bicycling trails. This is a local park administered by local funding.
The North West Mountain Police were sent to the Wood Mountain area to establish the Queen's Law in the frontier west of early Canada. It was the 1870s, and Sitting Bull had led his large Sioux tribe away from The Little Big Horn after defeating Custer's incursion upon their native land. The Canadian government was concerned that the Sioux would cause problems, and charged Walsh of the NWMP with maintaining control of what amounted to Canada's first attempted peace keeping mission. Walsh succeeded, as he and Sitting Bull became close friends over the years, and there were never any serious problems caused by the Native American settlers. Members of the tribe remain in the Wood Mountain area to this day, including several families who live on the Wood Mountain First Nations reserve.
In 1890 the Wood Mountain Stampede was established, and it became an annual event held even through the World War years of 1914-1918 and 1939–1945, which has allowed it to attain the title of the longest-running annual rodeo in Canada. It is held each year, the second weekend in July.
The Rodeo Ranch Museum features exhibits about the cowboys and ranchers who settled the area in the 1880s. Exhibits include photographs, pioneer, rodeo and Western artifacts.
Also known as Wood Mountain Post Provincial Park, the Historic Park is a partially restored 1870s post of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP). The two post buildings include displays about the history of the NWMP and its activities in the area, as well as the history of the Sioux tribe members and its chief medicine man, Sitting Bull, who came to the area after the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn.
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