in the illegal whisky and buffalo trade lessened the need for a fortified outpost in the area, resulting in the fort's detachment to decline to four constables by 1880. However, the situation would reverse in the early 1880s, with several plans drafted to develop the area surrounding Fort Calgary. In August 1882, the outpost was designated as a "district post," and its detachment was reinforced to provide a permanent police presence as well as enforce legal ordinances for the Canadian Pacific Railway reserve adjacent to the fort. James Walker, a former NWMP member and owner of the Bow River Saw and Planing Mill was contracted to expand the outpost. The contract called for the construction of a barracks, a guardroom with 12 holding cells, a hospital, officers' quarters, a sergeants' mess, and facilities for tradesmen. To accommodate the outpost's expansion, the fort's palisades were taken down, and several of the outpost's older buildings were razed. The expansion cost the government approximately C$35,000. From 1882 to 1902, a number of changes were made to the site, with buildings being torn down and built to address contemporary needs. Police operations at the fort ended in 1914, after Grand Trunk Pacific Railway bought the site for C$250,000. All the fort's remaining buildings were demolished by Grand Truck Pacific Railway to make way for a rail terminal. Post-demolition history On 15 May 1925, the site where Fort Calgary stood was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. In 1973, the municipal government purchased the site, intending to develop it into a historic site. The city launched an archaeological study of the site to determine the exact location of the demolished fort. In 1975, during Calgary's centennial year, archaeologists unearthed parts of the original wooden fort and its artifacts. However, they were forced to quickly re-cover them due to their rapidly uncontrolled disintegration while exposed to the open air. After an interpretive centre was built in 1977, the site was officially reopened as a historical museum in 1978. Initially, the museum's exhibits were focused on the NWMP and their relationship with the First Nations, and the force's perception in popular culture. The museum's operations were reoriented in 1995, changing the museum's focus to one oriented towards the history of Calgary. The reconstruction of Fort Calgary's stables and wagon shed was also constructed during this period. In 2000, a replica of the NWMP's two-storey barracks