The Plains Cree people were
hunter-gatherers roaming the
Canadian plains. Once the
Hudson's Bay Company created forts, the First Nations largely embraced the
fur trade.
Chief Lapotac was the earliest known leader of the Enoch Cree; he was probably descended from the Strongwood Cree, the original people of the Beaver River area east of
Fort Edmonton. The Lapotac band was recognized by the Crown in 1842. When Chief Lapotac died in 1861, his son
Thomas Lapotac became the Chief of the “Tommy’s Band”. In 1883 Chief Tommy Lapotac died and his brother
Enoch Lapotac became chief. In 1884, Chief Enoch Lapotac joined other chiefs and signed Treaty 6. The result was the creation of "Tommy's Reserve". Tommy's reserve, which became Indian Reserve No. 135, the Stony Plain Indian Reserve, and finally Enoch Cree Nation, was originally 44 sections of land () including access to the
North Saskatchewan River on the southeast corner. The band's land mass was reduced by forced surrender in 1902 and 1908 to nearly half of its original size. On May 13, 1908, 10 additional sections on the east side, including river access, were surrendered. The legitimacy of the surrender was questioned and it took until July 29, 1908, for the government to officially accept it. It is disputed whether the band received fair market value for their surrendered land or were even compensated at all. ==Economy==