Cypress Hills massacre
Encyclopedia
The Cypress Hills massacre occurred on June 1, 1873, in the Cypress Hills region of Battle Creek
, North-West Territories (now in Saskatchewan
), involving a group of American Bison hunters, American wolf hunters
or 'wolfers
', American and Canadian whiskey traders, Métis
cargo haulers or 'freighters', and a camp of Nakoda
(or Assiniboine) people.
A large number of horses had been stolen from the wolfers just across the Montana Territory
border. Angry over their loss, the wolfers attempted to track the horse thieves into Canada
, but soon lost their trail. Instead, the wolfers arrived in the Battle Creek valley where the trading posts operated by Abel Farwell and Moses Solomon were located, opposite a camp of some 200 to 300 Nakota people. Tensions were already somewhat elevated, alcohol had been flowing freely on all sides, and a misunderstanding over a missing horse led to a mixed group of wolfers, whiskey traders, and Métis freighters opening fire on the Nakota camp, resulting in 23 confirmed Nakota deaths and the death of one wolfer, Ed LeGrace. Both trading posts were subsequently abandoned and burned.
This incident outraged Canadians, who wanted Americans to respect their sovereignty
; Western Canada
was threatened. This incident led the North-West Territories government of the day (Temporary North-West Council
) to pass legislation advising Prime Minister
Sir John A. Macdonald
to create the North-West Mounted Police. Fort Walsh
was then established in the Cypress Hills region. It served as the NWMP headquarters
from 1878 until 1883, and is named after its NWMP (later RCMP
) superintendent, James Morrow Walsh
. All of the "wolfers" were arrested and tried, but none were ever convicted.
Part of the site of the Cypress Hills massacre has been preserved at Fort Walsh National Historic Site, along with reconstructions of Farwell's and Solomon's trading posts.
by Canadian
author Guy Vanderhaeghe
. The story focuses in part on the character of the "Englishman's boy", one of the members of the party of wolfers. While little is known of those involved in the actual event, the novel attributes the cause of the massacre
to one Tom Hardwick, the "lead" wolfer. The character of Ed LeGrace appears in the novel, though he is simply called Ed Grace. The book was made into a miniseries that first appeared on CBC Television
in March 2008.
The movie The Canadians
was another fictionalized version. In it the wolfers were depicted as meeting members of the North-West Mounted Police, which were actually formed after the incident and in part because of it.
Battle Creek (Milk River)
Battle Creek is a stream that begins in southeastern Alberta along the border with Saskatchewan, in the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park.It flows into the Milk River in Blaine County, Montana...
, North-West Territories (now in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
), involving a group of American Bison hunters, American wolf hunters
Wolf hunting
Wolf hunting is the practice of hunting grey wolves or other lupine animals. Wolves are mainly hunted for sport, for their skins, to protect livestock, and, in some rare cases, to protect humans. Wolves have been actively hunted since 12,000 to 13,000 years ago, when they first began to pose...
or 'wolfers
Wolfers
Wolfers was a term used to refer to both professional and civilian wolf hunters who operated in North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries....
', American and Canadian whiskey traders, Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
cargo haulers or 'freighters', and a camp of Nakoda
Nakoda (people)
The Nakoda are a First Nation group, indigenous to both Canada and, originally, the United States....
(or Assiniboine) people.
A large number of horses had been stolen from the wolfers just across the Montana Territory
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
border. Angry over their loss, the wolfers attempted to track the horse thieves into Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, but soon lost their trail. Instead, the wolfers arrived in the Battle Creek valley where the trading posts operated by Abel Farwell and Moses Solomon were located, opposite a camp of some 200 to 300 Nakota people. Tensions were already somewhat elevated, alcohol had been flowing freely on all sides, and a misunderstanding over a missing horse led to a mixed group of wolfers, whiskey traders, and Métis freighters opening fire on the Nakota camp, resulting in 23 confirmed Nakota deaths and the death of one wolfer, Ed LeGrace. Both trading posts were subsequently abandoned and burned.
This incident outraged Canadians, who wanted Americans to respect their sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
; Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
was threatened. This incident led the North-West Territories government of the day (Temporary North-West Council
Temporary North-West Council
The Temporary North-West Council more formally known as the Council of the Northwest Territories and by its short name as the North-West Council lasted from the creation of Northwest Territories, Canada, in 1870 until it was dissolved in 1876...
) to pass legislation advising Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Sir John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
to create the North-West Mounted Police. Fort Walsh
Fort Walsh
Fort Walsh is a National Historic Site of Canada that was a North-West Mounted Police fort and the site of the Cypress Hills Massacre. Administered by Parks Canada, it forms a constituent part of Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park....
was then established in the Cypress Hills region. It served as the NWMP headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
from 1878 until 1883, and is named after its NWMP (later RCMP
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
) superintendent, James Morrow Walsh
James Morrow Walsh
James Morrow Walsh, was a North West Mounted Police officer and the first Commissioner of the Yukon Territory....
. All of the "wolfers" were arrested and tried, but none were ever convicted.
Part of the site of the Cypress Hills massacre has been preserved at Fort Walsh National Historic Site, along with reconstructions of Farwell's and Solomon's trading posts.
Cypress Hills massacre in fiction
A fictionalized account of the events of the Cypress Hills massacre is told in the novel The Englishman's BoyThe Englishman's Boy
The Englishman's Boy is a novel by Guy Vanderhaeghe, published in 1996 by McClelland and Stewart. It won the Governor General's Award for English language fiction in 1996, and was a nominee for the Giller Prize...
by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
author Guy Vanderhaeghe
Guy Vanderhaeghe
Guy Clarence Vanderhaeghe, OC, SOM is a Canadian novelist and short story writer, best known for his two Western novels, The Englishman's Boy and The Last Crossing, set in the 19th century American and Canadian West...
. The story focuses in part on the character of the "Englishman's boy", one of the members of the party of wolfers. While little is known of those involved in the actual event, the novel attributes the cause of the massacre
Massacre
A massacre is an event with a heavy death toll.Massacre may also refer to:-Entertainment:*Massacre , a DC Comics villain*Massacre , a 1932 drama film starring Richard Barthelmess*Massacre, a 1956 Western starring Dane Clark...
to one Tom Hardwick, the "lead" wolfer. The character of Ed LeGrace appears in the novel, though he is simply called Ed Grace. The book was made into a miniseries that first appeared on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
in March 2008.
The movie The Canadians
The Canadians (1961 film)
The Canadians is a 1961 Anglo-Canadian CinemaScope Western film written and directed by Burt Kennedy. It starred Robert Ryan, John Dehner and Torin Thatcher....
was another fictionalized version. In it the wolfers were depicted as meeting members of the North-West Mounted Police, which were actually formed after the incident and in part because of it.
See also
- List of massacres in Canada
- List of conflicts in Canada
- Indian massacre
- Fort Whoop-UpFort Whoop-UpFort Whoop-Up was the nickname given to a whisky trading post, originally Fort Hamilton, near what is now Lethbridge, Alberta. During the late 19th century, the post served as a centre for various illegal activities...