Roadside attractions are a common sight while driving through Alberta, but few are as masterfully crafted as Stewart Steinhauer’s stone sculpture garden in Saddle Lake. It’s the location for AMA Insider’s Spring 2025 Where in the World feature.
The garden, which includes stone sculptures of bears, ravens and people, can be found at 32 North, South Road near Saddle Lake. In his artist statement, Steinhauer points out the difference between what we commonly refer to as “individual artistic talent” and what his Cree/Anishnabe/Mohawk ancestors call “a spiritual gift.”
He continues: “Coming to consciousness within many Indigenous cultures involves a journey out of the small me into the larger we; Creative individuals become conscious of the swirling pool of creative forces and recognize their (our) place in it.”
This First Nations community (Saddle Lake Cree Nation) is about two hours northeast of Edmonton. It has a unique governance structure of two separate councils with one chief governing the two Nations, Saddle Lake Cree Nation and Whitefish Lake First Nation, which they consider one nation.
The Saddle Lake Cree Nation Museum is the perfect place to learn more about the ancestral past of the Cree Nation and the surrounding area. Explore artifacts, photographs and other treasures from past to present. For an even more immersive experience of local Indigenous culture, take part in the annual Saddle Lake Cree Nation Pow Wow in June.
For another authentic Albertan experience, visit Saddle Lake during the summer—especially during the All-Pro Chuckwagon Races. Wagons and drivers from across the country come together in competition and community, and we encourage cheering loudly for the locals!