Fort Whoop-Up

Fort Whoop-Up
Fort Hamilton
EtymologyNickname adopted as official name
LocationAlberta, Canada
Nearest cityLethbridge
Coordinates49°41′31″N 112°51′24″W / 49.69194°N 112.85667°W / 49.69194; -112.85667
Area1.6 km (0.99 mi)
FounderJ.J. Healy, A.B. Hamilton
Built1870 (1870)
Original useFur and Whisky Trading
Demolished1915
Rebuilt1967
ArchitectWilliam S. Gladstone
OwnerCity of Lethbridge
Important eventsBattle of the Belly River, NWMP March West 1874
Websitefort.galtmuseum.com
Fort Whoop-Up is located in Alberta
Fort Whoop-Up
Location of Fort Whoop-Up in Alberta

Fort Whoop-Up was the nickname (eventually adopted as the official name) given to a whisky trading post, originally Fort Hamilton, near what is now Lethbridge, Alberta.[1] During the late 19th century, the post served as a centre for trading activities, including the illegal whisky trade. The sale of whisky was outlawed but, due to the lack of law enforcement in the region prior to 1874, many whisky traders had settled in the area and taken to charging unusually high prices for their goods.

Fort Whoop-Up is also the name of a replica site and interpretive centre built in Indian Battle Park.

  1. ^ Sharp, Paul Frederick (1955). Whoop-Up Country: The Canadian-American West, 1865-1885. University of Minnesota Press. p. 48.