People heading to visit Fort Whoop-Up this summer will get a special experience.
A group of community members have gifted a cannon to the Fort.
A couple of local historians (George Kush & Bill Peta) from the Fort Whoop-Up Powder Society as well as Galt Museum Curator, Aimee Benoit were instrumental in making this happen.
Benoit says they also worked with D & D Machine Works to create a near exact replica of a cannon used at Fort Whoop-Up way back in the 1870’s. “The original Fort Whoop-Up had two cannons, one of which was mounted on a carriage and was fired to signal the arrival of trade goods from Fort Benton. This will help us interpret an important part the Fort’s history and bring back an exciting experience for visitors.”
Benoit notes D & D Machine Works Ltd. in Lethbridge donated their time, skills, expertise, labour and materials to design and craft a brand new replica of the cannon that was originally stationed at Fort Whoop-Up in the 1800’s.
The replica cannon will be fired off for the first time on July 18th.
