Students from the Lloydminster Public School Division (LPSD) are trading their textbooks for paddles as they prepare for a historic 348-kilometre journey down the North Saskatchewan River to mark a major anniversary.
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The Treaty 6 150 Year Commemorative Canoe Voyage, an eight-day expedition scheduled from May 27 to June 3, will trace the historic route between Fort Pitt and Fort Carlton. The journey marks the upcoming 150th anniversary of the negotiation and signing of Treaty 6 in 1876.
Taylor Weaver – Meridian Source
Participants from E.S. Laird Middle School, Bishop Lloyd Middle School, College Park School, Avery School and Lloydminster Comprehensive High School took to the water last week at Bud Miller All Seasons Park for team orientation.
“Today is just a practice run, getting the students familiar with working together as a team to be able to operate the voyageur canoe, especially in the water and the winds,” said Sandy Chocan, an expedition leader.
For Chocan, the upcoming trip carries immense personal and cultural significance.
“It’s in regards to the 150th commemoration of Treaty 6 signing at Fort Pitt,” Chocan said. “But it also has a personal meaning for myself. I am the descendant of (a Chief) who signed Treaty 6 for Onion Lake … It’s about reconciliation, making the connections and building the bridges.”
The expedition will run the traditional route in reverse, launching from Fort Pitt and concluding at Fort Carlton. Luke Maw, principal at E.S. Laird Middle School, explained the choice was a matter of logistics.
“The river flows from west to east,” Maw said. “In order for us to do this, it’d be pretty tough to come against the current from Fort Carlton to Fort Pitt.”
Maw lent his own custom-built family voyageur canoe for the trip. The vessel was crafted five years ago by Western Canoe and Kayak in Abbotsford, B.C., and has previously been paddled through historic fur trade routes on Ontario’s French River and Lake Superior.
Bud Miller All Seasons Park Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
The trip will feature three legs to accommodate the rigorous journey. Six student representatives from LCHS and Avery School will paddle the first leg. Seven students from E.S. Laird Middle School will handle the middle leg, and seven representatives from College Park and Bishop Lloyd will complete the final leg. Each school will also send a staff representative, alongside three individuals who will remain on the water for the entire duration.
Maw noted that students were selected through an authentic application process, seeking out individuals with a passion for Indigenous and treaty education who can bring leadership back to their schools.
“Individuals are changed when they come back from a canoe trip,” Maw said. “Everybody’s paddle in the water, going in the same direction, working towards a common goal. They’re coming from different schools … different cultural backgrounds, and that won’t matter when we get in the canoe.”
Allie Hillis, a Grade 8 student at E.S. Laird Middle School, secured her spot in the boat by writing an essay demonstrating her commitment to hands-on history.
“You can learn as much as you can learn in a textbook, but you can do it hands-on, and I wanted opportunities like that,” Hillis said.
Hillis added that she is eager to dive into the deeper history of Treaty 6, learn directly from Chocan, and experience the rugged conditions of the river.
“I’m super excited about staying overnight on the banks in the tents,” Hillis said. “It’s not like camping … you’ve got to actually do it like they used to.”
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