Historic Morleyville Outdoor Interpretive Trail Signage
the project
The Morleyville: Stories of the Land and People Interpretive Trail is a partnership between the McDougall Stoney Mission Society and a group of Îyârhe Nakoda elders. The trail features signs in both English and Stoney, sharing the stories of the people and the land that transcend the historic site’s 150-year-old history.
Our role was to fabricate a series of outdoor signs for the interpretive trail, entranceway arch, and donor recognition display. All of the displays required materials that would endure against weather, UV exposure, and high-volume touch points from the visitors for years to come.
What We Did
The Solution
Using supplied graphics, we produced 18 interpretive panels in-house using a dye-sublimation print process on powder-coated aluminum. This was chosen so that graphics stay vibrant without chipping, fading, or peeling — even with heavy foot traffic and direct exposure to the elements. Each panel was set into a custom steel sign pan, supported by wooden posts and sleeves designed for a clean, durable finish.
For the entranceway, we refreshed the existing arch with new ACM panelling and added back structure for long-term stability, along with an updated donor recognition sign to honour the project's supporters.
One challenge we ran into was that the existing arch structure wasn't level. Rather than replacing or modifying the original posts, our team engineered a custom brace to compensate for the uneven height — keeping the new sign properly aligned without the added cost of rebuilding the structure.
On site, we coordinated vendors for the post hole augering and concrete as part of the installation process by our team. We took care of all the details for fabrication through final installation to bring the trail experience together, sign by sign.
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