A plaque to recognize the historic Metis community in Medicine Hat was unveiled at Saratoga Park on Thursday evening. Photo Courtesy Scott Roblin)

By Chris Brown

Home for close to a century

Historic Métis settlement at Saratoga Park recognized with plaque

Sep 17, 2021 | 11:17 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The city has taken another step toward reconciliation with the Indigenous community in Medicine Hat.

The City of Medicine Hat and Miywasin Friendship Centre, a plaque was unveiled Thursday to mark the historic and traditional Saratoga Park site at the bottom of Scholten Hill.

It’s on that site that the first Métis people in Medicine Hat settled and called home for close to a century.

“I think it was probably after World War One when they started gathering there and living in Saratoga Park and I know that last gentleman who lived there Henry Aaker he was living there when he was two months old up until the time he passed in 2010. He was one of the last people to be there,” says Miywasin cultural coordinator Brenda Mercer. “It’s just a fantastic area where they would gather and right now there’s no houses there but there used to be a little pony race track, there was a big garden, probably as many as 20 families at one point so it was a vibrant community.”

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Mercer says the Métis community is honoured and happy to have its contributions to Medicine Hat officially recognized.

Part of the plaque reads “although the houses are gone the core of Saratoga Park still conveys the feeling of the Métis community that helped make Medicine Hat unique.”

The plaque can be found nearby where Aaker’s house stood until it was demolished after he passed away.

The ceremony included memory tours led by former residents, a slideshow of historic photos and traditional music, dancing and food.

Council voted last fall to recognize Saratoga Park as a municipal historic area.