The Métis—a people of mixed First Nations and French heritage—migrated to the area around Batoche, in the valley of the South Saskatchewan River, around 1870. They built a settlement along the riverbank, but conflict arose with a Canadian government that was determined to settle the country's western reaches. Although the Métis petitioned for rights to the land, their requests were ignored. Batoche National Historic Site chronicles the history behind the events that led to armed conflict in 1885. Learn More...