Little Bighorn and not a shot
was fired. The Mounties peaceful relations with the Sioux were helped
in no small part by the fact that Sitting Bulls grandfather had fought
shoulder-to-shoulder with other Redcoats against Americans during The
War of 1812. The Sioux were allowed to remain while protracted
negotiations were conducted between Canada and the US retro 4 jordans
on their status. Between 1881 and 1885, the European population of the
Canadian plains grew from 7,000 to 23,000. In 1883, the government
increased the strength of the Mounted Police from 300 to 500.
A detachment under the command of the legendary Sam Steele3 was also assigned to police the railway construction gangs, an assignment which led to the Forces first experience of managing labour unrest. The North-west RebellionAs 1885 opened, the North West was pregnant with the expectation of a Métis 4 rebellion. In the early spring, the Mounted Police made a desperate march toward Battleford Saskatchewan, where rumours had it that the Métis, joined by the Cree, were on the verge of taking up arms. On 26 March the Mounted Police, supported by a unit of the Prince Albert Volunteers, encountered a far larger body of rebels at Duck Lake. The Police and Volunteers were forced to retreat with the loss of 12 of their 99 men.
Three of the dead were Mounties. On 2 May, the newly-arrived Canadian Militia and a force of Mounties attacked an encampment of Cree at Cut Knife Hill. In the battle another three Mounties lost their lives. The messianic political leader of the Métis, Louis Riel, was hanged. The military leader, Gabriel Dumont, fled to the US The Cree Chief Big Bear, who tried desperately to keep his people out of the rebellion, and Poundmaker, Crowfoots adopted son and leader of the Cree at Cut. |