Celebrate the 150th birthday of the mounted police at a special event in the Fort Heritage Precinct this Saturday.

Enjoy a free barbecue at the site, explore exhibits, talk to museum interpreters and watch RCMP demonstrations between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. that day.

Special guests will also be on hand to make some remarks honouring this milestone.

Fort Saskatchewan was founded by 20 members of the North West Mounted Police from the original march made one year after the force was officially formed in 1873.

While one part of the force went south to found Fort Macleod, another group led by Inspector William D. Jarvis, went north to spend the winter of 1874 at Fort Edmonton.

That winter Jarvis received orders to build a police fort on the south bank of the river anywhere between Fort Edmonton and the mouth of the Sturgeon River.

Some Edmonton residents then made the mistake of demanding that the new fort be built near their town, which only angered Jarvis, who therefore established his post as far from Edmonton as his orders would allow.

Thus it was that. Sub Inspector Sévére Gagnon arrived here on April 16, 1875, to erect a corral for cattle. The rest of the force arrived a few weeks later on May 5, 1875.