Images of Progress

The construction of buildings is brought about for many reasons. Some are built out of necessity, while other buildings come about during periods of rapid growth. The North West Mounted Police arrived in the west and needed the protection of a fort, and so they built one using local wood.

One reason to construct buildings was the need for shelter, like the sod houses made by settlers. When the newcomers arrived on the prairies, they not only had to prepare the land for seeding but they also had to build shelters. Those on the plains did not have trees to build their homes so they used sod cut from their fields, which they layered up to form walls.