history
At the Confluence of Then and Now
Built in 1906 on the Fort Calgary site, Deane House was built for Captain Richard Burton Deane, the last serving North West Mounted Police Superintendent in Calgary. Steeped in history, Deane House is located in Inglewood, at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers, in the heart of Blackfoot territory, once known as Moh’Kinsstis. The site was an important meeting place for the Indigenous peoples who have used this area for thousands of years as a place to hunt, camp and cross the river. This is a sacred place within Treaty 7 and the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi from the Blackfoot Confederacy, including the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai Nations; the Îyârhe Nakoda of the Chiniki, Bearspaw,
and Wesley Nations; and the Dene of the Tsuut’ina Nation. Southern Alberta is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3. In the heart of this Treaty 7 territory, we acknowledge that we have ongoing responsibilities to protect and honour all of life within our shared reality as treaty people.
Deane House garden, grounds and historic house was redeveloped in 2015 by Fort Calgary Historic Preservation Society. The restaurant opened in 2016, redesigned and carefully curated by Sal Howell, founder of the iconic River Café, and long-time champion of seasonal, local, and sustainable food.
Deane House on the Move
In 1929, Deane House was moved across the Elbow River from Fort Calgary to its current location facing 9th Avenue—such a major undertaking at the time, the project was featured in a 1930 issue of Popular Mechanics.
Meet Captain Richard Burton Deane
The first resident of Deane House, a North-West Mounted Policeman, an avid gardener, an accomplished magician, a skilled theatrical actor, a collector of recipes, and a writer.
The Hunt House and Metis Cabin
The Hunt House, Calgary’s oldest building still standing in its original site, was built in 1876. The fully restored structure is one of Fort Calgary’s most important permanent artifacts. The one-room log cabin was the original outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company.