Indigenous Spruce Grove: Treaty 6, Nations and Community

About Spruce Grove

Spruce Grove is a city about 11 km west of Edmonton in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, surrounded by Parkland County and bordering Stony Plain. Cree and Tsuut’ina peoples used these lands before European settlement began around 1879, and the area lies within Treaty 6 territory. First incorporated as a village in 1907, Spruce Grove dissolved in 1916, re-formed as a village in 1955, became a town in 1971 and a city in 1986. The Yellowhead Highway and Highway 16A pass through the city, connecting east to Edmonton and west toward Jasper, and the CN rail line crosses it as well. Community highlights include the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre, the Horizon Stage performing arts venue and the Spruce Grove Grain Elevator Museum. Enoch Cree Nation lies to the southeast between Spruce Grove and Edmonton, and Paul First Nation has its reserves at Wabamun Lake farther west.

Spruce Grove history

Treaty 6 was negotiated in 1876 at Fort Carlton, Duck Lake and Fort Pitt, and its boundaries take in the Edmonton region. Chiefs such as Mistawasis and Ahtahkakoop, with interpreter Peter Erasmus, pressed for farming help, a medicine chest clause and famine relief. The City of Spruce Grove dates its own settlement to 1891, when French and Scottish families arrived. They named the place for the stands of spruce around them. The first hamlet grew at the crossroads of Century Road and Baseline, now Highway 16. It had a general store, livery stables, a blacksmith shop, a hotel and a Roman Catholic church. In 1908, the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway came through. The station was built on the north side of the tracks, in line with today’s Main Street. Businesses moved about three-quarters of a mile west to meet it, and Spruce Grove became a busy grain-trading centre. That same year, local farmer Dan Brox built the first grain elevator in the area. The last surviving elevator, an Alberta Wheat Pool building, stands 95 feet tall with 27 bins. It was saved from demolition when it closed in 1995. Spruce Grove later became Alberta’s 16th city.

Treaty and territory

Spruce Grove is on Treaty 6 territory, the lands of the Cree, Dene, Nakota Sioux, Saulteaux and Blackfoot peoples, and the homeland of the Métis.

Nearby: Stony Plain · Enoch Cree Nation · Paul First Nation · Parkland County · Wabamun · Edmonton

Indigenous Spruce Grove today

On September 30, 2025, the City of Spruce Grove proclaimed the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The proclamation names the city’s relationships with Paul First Nation, Enoch Cree Nation, Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, Michel First Nation and Alexander First Nation. It also names the Lac Ste Anne Métis. The city commits to relationships built on mutual trust and respect with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Enoch Cree Nation’s Cree name is maskêkosihk, which the Nation translates as people of the land of the medicine. The Nation works to preserve its culture, language and history while advancing education, health and economic well-being. River Cree Ventures is one of its operations. Parkland School Division keeps its division office in neighbouring Stony Plain. Its treaty acknowledgement names Alexander, Alexis Nakota Sioux, Enoch Cree and Paul First Nations. Students in grades 4 to 12 entered a 2020–2021 poster contest about treaty identity. Every school received acknowledgement posters for display. In 2026, the Confederacy of Treaty 6 Nations is marking 150 years since the treaty was signed.

Life in Spruce Grove

Spruce Grove is described by the city as one of Western Canada’s fastest-growing communities. Its 2023 municipal census counted 38,985 residents. The city is built for getting outside. More than 40 kilometres of all-weather trails link neighbourhoods and parks, and Heritage Grove Park is a favourite trail destination. Community calendars feature a Canada Day celebration and the Light Up event. Farm roots are still visible. The Spruce Grove and District Agricultural Society has served the community for more than 40 years. It cares for the 95-foot grain elevator and runs a market at the elevator site. The city’s story ties rail, grain and a growing suburban population together. The old station line along Main Street and the preserved elevator still show how the 1908 railway reshaped the town.

Spruce Grove seasons and weather

Winters west of Edmonton are cold and snowy, so a hoodie under a winter jacket is a staple. Summers are warm and pleasant for outdoor events in a tee.

More on the region: Indigenous Alberta · all of Canada.

Keep learning in the XUSI Journal

• Treaty 6 and Saskatoon: Where XUSI Comes From
• The Numbered Treaties, Explained
• Treaty Annuity Payments and Treaty Days, Explained
• Nêhiyawêwin: A Beginner's Guide to the Cree Language
• All Journal articles

Spruce Grove questions