The answer from an aboriginal perspective can be supplied because local bands have kept careful oral history of the event over three generations. Mr. Calette has asked Mr. Tootoosis to co-ordinate the involvement of area aboriginals in bringing their side of the story into future programming. The Cree have finally won the "siege" of Fort Battleford - 125 years after the battle was fought. Mr. Whiting does acknowledge the "siege" of Battleford is widely misunderstood. During the "siege," scouts from the fort often couldn't find any Cree for dozens of kilometres around. All the public buildings were sacked, including the Battleford Industrial School (located in the Old Government House). Tyrone Tootoosis points out there was no siege, just hungry and desperate people come to ask for help, and he's tired of Parks Canada posters that present the encounter as an armed struggle. That's kind of over the years how that story's been told.". They looted and burned several homes and emptied the Hudson's Bay depot. History Established in 1876, Fort Battleford presided over some of the most pivotal events in the history of western Canada.The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) at Fort Battleford assisted during the negotiations between First Nations and the Canadian government at the time of the signing … 351 King Street East, Suite 1600, Toronto, ON Canada, M5A 0N1, Just $1.99 per week for the first 24 weeks, var select={root:".js-sub-pencil",control:".js-sub-pencil-control",open:"o-sub-pencil--open",closed:"o-sub-pencil--closed"},dom={},allowExpand=!0;function pencilInit(o){var e=arguments.length>1&&void 0!==arguments[1]&&arguments[1];select.root=o,dom.root=document.querySelector(select.root),dom.root&&(dom.control=document.querySelector(select.control),dom.control.addEventListener("click",onToggleClicked),setPanelState(e),window.addEventListener("scroll",onWindowScroll),dom.root.removeAttribute("hidden"))}function isPanelOpen(){return dom.root.classList.contains(select.open)}function setPanelState(o){dom.root.classList[o?"add":"remove"](select.open),dom.root.classList[o? [9], On March 30, Poundmaker asked for a meeting with the Indian agent J. M. Rae. Civilians were armed to add to the detachment of 25 Mounties and the fort's stockade was beefed up for the attack that settlers were sure was coming. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. In the spring of 1885, the region of what eventually became Saskatchewan was in turmoil as Metis and some Cree led by Louis Riel fought what they saw as settlers encroaching on their lands. He objected. Many crossed over an unstable ice bridge on the Battle River leaving most of their possessions behind in the Old Town. But Tyrone Tootoosis, a member of the Poundmaker band, finally tired of promotional ads saying, "Follow townsfolk and settlers as they seek shelter in the Mounted Police fort to wait out the Siege of Battleford." Cree bands sympathetic to the Métis cause and with grievances of their own began raiding stores and farms in the western part of the District of Saskatchewan for arms, ammunition and food supplies while civilians fled to the larger settlements and forts of the North-West Territories. On March 29 they killed their farm instructor John Payne and raided homesteads on the way killing a farmer by the name of Fremont. "We don't want to use any wordings that could give people the wrong idea," said Mark Calette, Parks Canada's supervisor of historic sites in southern Saskatchewan. During the night of March 29 nearby homesteads were raided their horses and cattle rounded up by the bands. [10] Most homes were burned, including the imposing home of Judge Charles Rouleau. That means: Comments that violate our community guidelines will be removed. During the night of March 29 nearby homesteadswere raided their … [1] Both bands were signatories of Treaty 6 and were unhappy in the way it was implemented by the Canadian government. One of the West's first reporters, P.G. A policeman was killed. We aim to create a safe and valuable space for discussion and debate. Mr. Whiting insists that the tour guides will leave nobody in doubt about what really happened. Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. "It's a very confusing time for everyone involved.". Fort Battleford employees dressed as North-West Mounted Police officers fire a cannon at the National Historic site of Canada located in Battleford, Sask. "They need to indicate that.". By the end of March, whites had already been killed at Duck Lake and Frog Lake and rumours were spreading like a prairie fire that Cree from Chief Poundmaker's band were massing to join the revolt. But he says that's not how it felt to the isolated settlers of Battleford. While John L. Tobias says that the Crees tried to demonstrate their "peaceful intent" by including women and children in their group, simply took food to sustain themselves after finding the town abandoned, and then withdrew to avoid conflict with the police. Tobias, John L., "Canada's Subjugation of the Plains Cree", This page was last edited on 18 July 2020, at 18:47. "We see this as being a really positive step forward in improving that program.". Battleford West Properties is offering a unique opportunity to have large lot living near Battle River. Historian Douglas Hill characterized the Cree group as a "war party ... ready to take revenge for a winter of incalculable suffering" who "swooped on Battleford, killing six whites". [9], Also on the trail to join Poundmaker in Battleford were the Assiniboine from the Eagle Hills approximately 30 km south of Battleford. Laurie, filed regular dispatches from inside the stockade. Scott Whiting, director of Fort Battleford National Historic Site, agrees that "siege" doesn't really describe what happened. A policeman was killed. Learn More. "There was a siege mentality. "It's a story that's not been well told over the years and perhaps it hasn't always been fairly told.". If you are looking to give feedback on our new site, please send it along to, To view this site properly, enable cookies in your browser. On March 30, the Cree did come. But the fort was never attacked or surrounded, nor was its surrender demanded. The Cree have finally won the "siege" of Fort Battleford - 125 years after the battle was fought. Battleford is nestled between the banks of the scenic North Saskatchewan and Battle Rivers and offers an abundance of recreation opportunities. Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s comment community. 351 King Street East, Suite 1600, Toronto, ON Canada, M5A 0N1, Just $1.99 per week for the first 24 weeks, var select={root:".js-sub-pencil",control:".js-sub-pencil-control",open:"o-sub-pencil--open",closed:"o-sub-pencil--closed"},dom={},allowExpand=!0;function pencilInit(o){var e=arguments.length>1&&void 0!==arguments[1]&&arguments[1];select.root=o,dom.root=document.querySelector(select.root),dom.root&&(dom.control=document.querySelector(select.control),dom.control.addEventListener("click",onToggleClicked),setPanelState(e),window.addEventListener("scroll",onWindowScroll),dom.root.removeAttribute("hidden"))}function isPanelOpen(){return dom.root.classList.contains(select.open)}function setPanelState(o){dom.root.classList[o?"add":"remove"](select.open),dom.root.classList[o? [11], On May 2 Colonel Otter's column attacked Poundmaker's camp at Cut Knife Creek but was forced to retreat to Battleford. Out of respect for social distancing, and in consultation with local … At the same time, tour guides will give visitors the full perspective unavailable to people at the time. [3][4], The largest settlement and the capital of the district was Prince Albert with about 800 people[5] followed by Battleford with about 500 people "divided about equally between French, Métis and English". It is rich in history and provides many amenities to arts, culture, leisure, parks and recreation. "If there was no siege at Fort Battleford, what are they doing?". They were starving.". That's what we're representing.". An aboriginal historian had pointed out that while settlers gathered in the fort in fear, no attack ever came and there was no siege. Many settlers left accounts of their experience. After the defeat of the Métis force at the Battle of Batoche and the surrender of Louis Riel to Middleton on May 15 Pitikwahanapiwiyin (Poundmaker) surrendered to General Middleton at Fort Battleford on May 26.[12]. Stolen vehicles and horses carried away the supplies of the Hudson's Bay Company and the other merchants. This is a space where subscribers can engage with each other and Globe staff. Mr. Whiting does acknowledge the "siege" of Battleford is widely misunderstood. Prominent leaders of this uprising were Chief Poundmaker and Chief Big Bear. Occasional shots were fired. "Our elders call this the white man's truth," says Mr. Tootoosis, a member of the Poundmaker band, curator of the Wanuskewin cultural park in Saskatoon and performer who calls himself a story-keeper. Terrified, hundreds of people from the town of Battleford poured into the North West Mounted Police fort. Between 1876 and 1883, Battleford was the territorial capital of the North-West Territories (now Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, northern Quebec, northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories) and the NWMP fort (Fort Battleford) located there played an important role in the 1885 North-West Rebellion. This article was published more than 10 years ago. Established in 1876, the fort assisted in negotiations between government and first nations and a refuge for area residents during the North-West Rebellion/Resistance of 1885. The Battle of Cut knife A Great Canadian Prevents a Massacre Col. William Otter's troops had left the railway and marched north to Battleford which had been raided by Pounmaker's Cree looking for food. Laurie, filed regular dispatches for The Saskatchewan Herald from inside the stockade. The Prince Albert sub-district located in the centre of the district had a population of 5,373 which included the Southbranch settlements with about 1,300. Within days of the Métis victory at the Battle of Duck Lake on March 26, 1885. Click here to subscribe. © Copyright 2020 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2020 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved. For years, Parks Canada has re-enacted the fort's role in the Northwest Rebellion and advertised the confrontation on posters and other material as the "Siege of Fort Battleford.". On the south side of the Battle River was the Old Town and on the north side nearest the North Saskatchewan River was the New Town and Fort Battleford.