 The geography of the hills helped to demarcate the boundaries of the land controlled by different tribes, and the river valleys provided trade routes.The first European to explore the region was Henry Kelsey, who travelled with a group of Cree traders from York Fort to the Red Deer River to encourage the aboriginal people there to trade with the Hudson's Bay Company.Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the fur trade brought many europeans to the region who established trading posts and communities.