The Battleford area, dating from the 1770s, was the site of fur trading houses of numerous independent companies as well as the Hudson's Bay Company (that opened its Battleford, or Battle River post circa 1868[5]).

[6] William Holmes[7] operated a trading post for the North West Company just above the confluence of the Battle and Saskatchewan rivers in 1784.

[9] The town itself was founded in 1875 as a fur trading post and North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) fort.

It was the first residential school operated by the Government of Canada with the aim of assimilating Indigenous people into the society of the settlers.

[11]: 57  The senior officials of the Department of Indian Affairs arranged for various religious denominations to administer and operate the schools.

[12] The federal government delegated responsibility for the Battleford school to an Anglican minister.

[5] On March 30, 1885, during the North-West Rebellion, the town of Battleford was looted by a party of Cree, who were short on food due to declining bison populations.

Climate data is taken from North Battleford Airport located 5.41 km (3.36 mi) northeast of the town.

The Battlefords are served by CFQC-TV-2 channel 6, an analogue repeater of CTV station CFQC-DT Saskatoon.