Swift Current Resident John Froese is leaving his mark on the Southwest.

Froese has built from scratch a traditional red river cart in honour of Canada's 150 celebration, to be placed at Lac Pelletier Regional Park.

"It's an exact replica of the red river cart,” he said. "It's synonymous of how the Metis settled this country. this being the 150th year of Canada, I thought it would be fitting if we could have something to show the people how the Metis got there, so I thought I would build this cart and put it on display in the park.”

Froese says that the wagon was built using as many southwest materials as he could.

"I used as much local materials as possible,” he said. “I went down to the Swift Current Creek, and I harvested the stays for the wagon box from the willows that grow locally, and the slabs for the floor and the walls are from the Cypress Hills Mills, so there's a lot of Saskatchewan content in it."

A long-time cabin owner at Lac Pelletier for many years, Froese says he is happy to give back to the community that has helped in during his time there.

"It's one of my legacies,” he said. “I feel like the community that has given me so much in my life, I feel that we needed to offer something back to them in retribution for what they did to us, so we would like to donate this cart to the park.

While the location for the wagon is unknown, Froese would like to see it placed near the Meadows Campground.