RCMP
Celebrates 150 Years
In 1973, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of
the founding of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Wellings Mint produced
48 Sterling silver as well as 48 bronze medals.
2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the RCMP so
I’d like to share four of the medals that helped define the early days of the
North West Mounted Police (NWMP) in the 1870s and 1880s.
The NWMP was founded in 1873 by an Act of the Canadian
Parliament shortly after American hunters and wolfers from Montana murdered
sleeping First Nations Assiniboines. The purpose of the mounted armed force was
to bring law and order to western Canada.
In the summer of 1874, a force of several hundred Mounties
rode west from the new province of Manitoba. They rode just north of the
Canada-U.S. border on what is now called the Red Coat Trail, named after the
colour of the coats that the Mounties wore. They were accompanied by a large
contingent of Red River carts that carried their provisions, plus horses, oxen,
cattle, mowing machines, and field guns.
After several months of travelling, they reached what is now
called Fort Macleod. There begins the story of four medals we mentioned
earlier.
The first medal depicts James Macleod of the NWMP. Born in
Scotland, Macleod moved to Ontario as a child along with his family. During his
education at Queen’s University, he joined the Volunteer Militia Field Battery
of Kingston as a lieutenant. By 1870, he was commissioned as a brigade major
and helped end the Red River Rebellion of Metis leader Louis Riel. Macleod
later served as the second commissioner of the NWMP from 1876 to 1880. Macleod
died in 1894. The city of Fort Macleod, Alberta is named after him.
The second medal shows the likeness of Samuel Steele. Steele
attended Royal Military College of Canada, participated in the Red River
Expedition and was the third officer sworn into the NWMP. During Steele’s
illustrious career, he met with American Chief Sitting Bull, participated in
the quelling of the Riel Rebellion, and rose to the rank of superintendent. He
later established customs posts to control the thousands of prospectors who
flooded into the Yukon Territory following the discovery of gold in what is
often called the Klondike Gold Rush.
In 1900, when the Boer War started in South Africa, Canadian
Pacific Railway tycoon Donald A. Smith, at his own expense, raised a cavalry
unit called Strathcona’s Horse. Smith asked Steele if he would become its
commanding officer. Steele agreed. After the war ended, Steele became one of
the leaders of the South African Constabulary.
In 1914, after the outbreak of the First World War, Steele
commanded the 2nd Canadian Division.
Steele died in 1918. Mount Steele, Canada’s fifth tallest
mountain, is named after him.
Crowfoot was born in 1830. After his father died, his mother
married another First Nations man and joined the Siksika First Nation, one of
several tribes in the Blackfoot Confederacy. He fought in 19 battles with other
First Nations and was wounded many times. His bravery helped him rise as one of
the leaders of the Blackfoot. His leadership was vital when interlopers such as
Hudson’s Bay Company fur traders and later the NWMP arrived in their territory.
He did not get involved in the Riel Rebellion and later signed Treaty 7 along
with other Blackfoot chiefs. His people were promised land, farming tools,
cattle, food, and $5 every year. The promises were not always kept. Crowfoot
died in 1890. At Blackfoot Historical Crossing Park, some of Crowfoot’s
possessions were repatriated from the Royal Albert Museum in England and are
now on display in Calgary.
The last medal depicts the likeness of Sitting Bull, a Lakota
Sioux Chief. He was born about 1831. Part of his claim to fame was the famous
1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn, where his warriors wiped out the 7th U. S. Cavalry
led Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. The U.S. government and army
were determined to either wipe out the Sioux or place them on reservations.
Deciding not to surrender, Sitting Bull led several thousand warriors, their
wives and children across the border to Wood Mountain, North West Territories,
now called Saskatchewan. He stayed there until 1881 when he and most of his
band surrendered to U.S. troops. He died in 1890 when authorities tried to
arrest him on Standing Rock Indian Reservation. Sitting Bull College is named
after him.
These and many more RCMP Centennial silver and bronze medals
will be on display at the Regina Coin Club Spring Show, April 22-23, 2023. The
show takes place at the Italian Club in Regina.
George Manz
George Manz is President of the Regina Coin Club and Fellow
of the RCNA.
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