Prior to colonization of the region, the area around what is now Fort Saskatchewan was a gathering place and home for many Indigenous nations, including the Cree and Métis.

[9] Inspector William D. Jarvis, who led a column of North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) during the March West, established Sturgeon Creek Post in 1875.

[10] However, Inspector Jarvis preferred the downstream site because he believed that its narrower and shallower river banks were better suited for a future railway crossing.

[10] The residents of Edmonton were enthusiastic about this proposal; they held a meeting to voice their support for the move, and submitted a 250-signature petition to the Minister of the Interior.

[10] However, the existing (temporary) NWMP barracks in Edmonton were so dilapidated that some officers mutinied in 1886 – an event known among police at the time as "the Big Buck".

[12] The hanging was delayed after locals used the trap from the scaffolding as fire kindling, and the hangman forgot straps to bind Swift Runner's arms.

[13][14] A second freight shed was built on the west side of the station in 1911; a sign of the growth in population and rail traffic that Fort Saskatchewan experienced.

[14] Declining rail traffic and safety concerns regarding the transportation of dangerous goods prompted the Canadian National Railway to divert the line away from the city's non-industrial areas.

[14] The station and its property, including the railway track directly in front of it, were sold to the Province of Alberta, which immediately re-sold it to Fort Saskatchewan.

[10] Minor leaks were detected throughout the next few months, and the plant was shut down in April 1912 after a washout at the penstock damaged the canal, a bulkhead, and parts of the natural riverbank.

[10] In response to the worsening Spanish Influenza outbreak, the local Board of Health placed Fort Saskatchewan under quarantine on October 30, 1918.

[18] Fort Saskatchewan did not have its own hospital, so a local home owner, Mrs. Graham, donated her house to be used as a temporary medical facility; four residents were treated there.

There were various additions to the jail throughout the next 70 years, including more cell blocks, a gymnasium, a stand-alone power plant, and carpentry, auto body, and license plate shops.

[8] The warden's house is the only remaining structure linked to the old gaol; the last building on the actual prison grounds, the facility workshop, was demolished in 2014.

[25] Dishes and furniture were thrown and smashed, and a store room in the bakery was destroyed by fire after the ringleaders torched clothing, boots, and other supplies that they found.

[8] As part of a royal tour during the XI Commonwealth Games,[26] Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip arrived in Fort Saskatchewan from Vegreville via a special train on August 2, 1978.

[27] The royal couple met with then-Premier Lougheed on the platform of the CNR station, gave a speech to local residents at Turner Park, and then traveled to Edmonton in a limousine.

[32] After the provincial government tried unsuccessfully to mediate an agreement between the two sides in late 1989, the Edmonton Metropolitan Regional Planning Commission voted in 1990 in favour of Fort Saskatchewan's bid, and rejected Strathcona County's counter-bid.

[32] As the dispute continued into late 1990, Fort Saskatchewan purchased a full-page advertisement in the Edmonton Journal, urging the provincial government to respect the Local Authorities Board's "non-political decision", regardless of what its verdict was.

[32] The province announced that Fort Saskatchewan's bid was successful in 1991, stating that the city would annex 1,144 hectares (2,830 acres) of land from Strathcona County on December 31, 1991.

[32] Mayor Pryce Alderson of Fort Saskatchewan, and Reeve Iris Evans of Strathcona County, issued a joint statement that welcomed the decision, stating that they would work together moving forward.

[38] Downtown is the city's oldest neighbourhood, and currently experiencing a larger commercial vacancy rate than the local average due to its low catchment area.

[74] The city has attracted a number of major retailers including Wal-Mart, The Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Safeway, Federated CO-OP, and Freson Bros.[74] Fort Saskatchewan has also developed as a regional hub for stores and services; in 2019 it served a catchment area of approximately 75,000 people, both locally and from communities to its north and east, including Lamont, Bruderheim, and Redwater.

[40] The original Fort Mall was located on a 49,000-square-metre (12-acre) parcel on the east side of downtown, and contained 16,000 square metres (170,000 sq ft) of retail space.

[78] A report commissioned by the City of Fort Saskatchewan noted: "As of 2019, there is another phase of the site, yet to be redeveloped, but the project continues to progress towards completion.

[80] The city has two other indoor ice arenas the Jubilee Recreation Centre and the Sportsplex, that are used during the winter months by hockey, ringette and figure skating associations.

[92] The historical society hosts a two-day event called "The Peoples of the North Saskatchewan" every May, which educates students about Métis and settler cultures.

[101] A local police official predicted that the new location, which provides direct access to Highway 21 (Veterans Way), would allow officers to cut emergency response times by 60–90 seconds.

[103] The city purchased property for a second fire station in 2017, reflecting the increase in call volumes coming from its newer neighbourhoods.

It is branded Mix 107.9 FM, and owned by Kenner Media Ltd.[133][134] Fort Saskatchewan had an internet radio station named FortRadio.com, which came online in November 2010.