Sask. Red River cart gives visitors a glimpse into Métis trade history

WATCH: An important piece of Canadian history has been added to the Western Development Museum's artifact list. Damian Smith reports.

In a venue showcasing Canada’s rich history of trade and transportation, a new artifact at Moose Jaw’s Western Development Museum is offering a glimpse into the 1800s – as settlers made their way across the Canadian Prairies.

Red River carts helped the Métis carry all sorts of goods around the rugged prairie landscape. A rebuilt example was introduced to the public over the weekend.

“It’s the economic driver of all commerce before steam engines and motorized technology on the prairies,” said Darrell Hawman, the president of New Southern Plains Métis Local #160.

In their heyday between 1850 and 1870, the carts could carry up to 1,000 pounds of essential items all over the prairies.

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Carts would carry traders as far north as the Athabasca River, and as far south as St. Louis in the American Midwest.

“The Métis homeland is huge, but it’s five times the size of the continent of Europe,” Hawman explained. “It takes up parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta and parts of British Columbia, as well as the Northwest Territories.

A group of local volunteers came together to build the cart, looking to create the most accurate replica possible, as most real Red River carts have been lost to time.

“We sourced the wood locally, and we put it all together. and ended up with the cart,” volunteer Rich Pickering told CTV News. “Our biggest challenge was getting everything set properly. There’s no screws, there’s no bolts. Everything’s put together with joints.”

Pickering says the process took about two months to complete.

The group behind the cart hopes this can be the first of more Métis artifacts in the museum.

New Southern Plains Métis Local #160 hopes to see a Chippewa freighter canoe and a York boat added to the collection in the future. The two vessels made Métis trade routes possible in the 1800s.