Racette's Crossing

Here lies the trail from Fort Ellice to Fort Qu'Appelle, part of the famous Carlton Trail, that crossed the Qu'Appelle River.

Racette's Crossing Monument - click for larger view

From the 1870's, it was known as Racette's Crossing, after a former servant of the Hudson's Bay Company who had settled here and was often called upon to assist travelers attempting to forge.

In 1882, Joseph H. Ellis arrived from Eastern Canada and established his homestead south of the river.  The following year he opened a store and a post office named Ellisboro.  In succeeding years, the crossing came to be widely known as the Ellisboro Crossing.

For the last two decades of the nineteenth century, this crossing was the principal means of access to the rich farmlands north of the valley.  This site remains an important transportation link.

 This digital collection was produced with financial assistance from
Canada's Digital Collections Initiative, Industry Canada