The Development of the West

We have recently started a new History unit on the Development of the Canadian West. Last week we discussed the Gold Rushes in British Columbia which led to the creation of that province. This week we are learning about the events which led to the formation of the North West Mounted Police. The Cypress Hills Massacre was one critical incident. American wolf hunters who believed an Assiniboine man had stolen one of their horses, burst into an Assiniboine Camp and killed 36 men, women and children. It turned out that the horse had just wandered away. The government believed that the new police force would help to bring law and order to the west and bring a stop to the illegal whiskey trade. The force started as a small group of 300 recruits and they established their presence during The Great March, a long and difficult trek from Manitoba to Alberta. They were paid $1.00 a day and eventually would receive a small plot of land to settle once they had completed three years of service.