O Canada!

A Chapter in the History of Canada--The "Mounties"

What is a mountie? you ask. It's a popular term for a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Do they really wear those red coats? Well, no, not usually. They're just for ceremonial purposes now. But they did wear them every day in the beginning. . . .

In the late 1800's, the government of Canada was searching for a way to prevent in the West, the kind of fighting and bloodshed that was going on between settlers from the East and Indians in the United States. They came up with the idea of a police force. They created the North-West Mounted Police in 1873. They had the responsibility of policing the Prairies between Manitoba and the Rocky Mountains. The first group went to Fort William by boat, and completed the long journey (725 km) from there to Winnipeg on foot.

One of their first missions was to shut down Fort Whoop-Up, because Montana whisky traders were selling liquor to the Blackfoot. It took them from July to September to complete the 1500 km voyage. It was a hard trip, with many horses dying and men suffering from extreme hunger. But they succeeded in their mission. They chased the whisky men back across the border. That fall, they built a post there for themselves, Fort Macloed. (named after Lt. Col. James Macloed). Some of them went back to Manitoba to set up headquarters in Swan River. some went to Edmonton. Most of them stayed at Fort Macloed.

Much of their first 10 years as a force was spent working with the Natives. The faith that the Blackfoot chief, Crowfoot, had in them led him to sign a treaty with the government. He said,"The Mounted Police have protected us as the feathers of the bird protect it from the frosts of winter. I am satisfied. I will sign the treaty."

They were part of the army that defeated the rebels at the Battle of Batoche in 1885.

There were divisions of the Northwest Mounted Police in all major towns and cities. The police patrolled much of the time. They travelled through the country on horseback, visiting reserves, farms and ranches, etc. Some of the tasks they performed were: collecting customs duties, carrying mail, taking censuses, inspecting livestock, and acting as 'Indian agents' and public health officers.

They started out wearing the red uniforms because the British army had red uniforms. When they found these uniforms impractical for the carrying out of their everyday duties, they wore brown uniforms on a daily basis, reserving the red ones as ceremonial dress.

In 1920, the name was changed to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, because it had grown to become a national police force.

Now, we still have the RCMP as a nation, but each city (or province, in some cases) has their own regular police force as well.


Bibliography:
Ordinary People in Canada's Past, by Nancy Sellars Marcotte


If you wish to see last time's article about the Loyalists, click here