Dear Editor
At a meeting March 16, members of the Battlefords North West Historical Society supported a motion introduced by Richard W. Hiebert to authorize the writing of letters of commendation and support for the institutions and agencies that preserve and promote history in our communities. It was agreed Larry Romanow, president of the society, and Hiebert, member and writer in history, should put their names to these letters and forward them to the editor of the News-Optimist.
This letter is to commend past staff and current staff of Fort Battleford national historic park for the wonderful work that has been done, and is being done, in preserving, promoting and enhancing the late 19th century history of the Battlefords and area.
The North West Mounted Police Force was created by John A. Macdonald, prime minister of Canada, in 1873. Three hundred members of the force were trained and organized immediately. They marched west in 1874 with the “impossible task” of bringing law and order to a half million square miles of plains and forest.
Fort Battleford was the fifth of the great bastions of law and order to be constructed by the mounted police. It was built by Sub-inspector James Walker in 1876. Under the command of James Walker, members of the force built various log buildings out of cottonwood. The quarters of the commanding officer and his family were built by the Department of Public Works in 1877-78. In 1879, Walker was convinced trouble was brewing and asked permission to fortify the fort with a palisade. He was refused but went ahead anyway. A stockade 10-feet high was completed the following year.
By 1885, the fort was in a dilapidated condition and was inadequate for the needs of the police force. The fort staffed 13 officers when it was first built. By the end of the 1885 conflict, the force numbered 199.
In 1886, the famous Superintendent Sam Steele (later Major General Sam Steele) recommended the post be expanded. With the exception of the commanding officer’s residence, an entirely new fort was constructed – quarters for non-commissioned officers and men, mess hall and kitchen, hospital, guard room, stables and sick horse bay. Superintendent John Cotton had planned the building and expansion and was adamant the new construction was temporary and all of the frame buildings should be replaced with brick. It never happened. The force gradually withdrew and the post was finally abandoned in 1919. The Fort became prey to souvenir hunters and vandals. Outraged citizens put an end to this by establishing, with provincial assistance, a Memorial to the North West Mounted Police that included saving five of the buildings. Then, 75 years from its establishment, Fort Battleford became a National Historic Park on July 1, 1951.
In the spring of 2008, Tourism, Culture and Sport minister Christine Tell proclaimed that the 125th commemoration in 2010 of the 1885 North West Resistance would be an excellent opportunity to tell the story of the Prairie Métis and First Nation peoples’ struggles with the government forces and how it shaped Canada today.
So there we have it. Management and staff have faithfully preserved the buildings and resources dating back to the difficult time of the 1885 conflict. But more than that, they have recreated and retold the story of the North West Mounted Police, the Plains Cree and the Métis. Now you can walk into a building and watch an audio-video documentary of the Plains Cree replete with original photographs. And there are many wonderful displays depicting the way of life in the Northwest from more than a century past. Personable young summer students (both genders) will escort you through the buildings, explain everything and answer your questions. When you walk into the commanding officer’s residence, it’s like being transported back 130 years to when James Walker and his family occupied the house. A walking tour through the rest of the buildings brings a sense of history. It’s truly remarkable.
To conclude, the Battlefords North West Historical Society is profoundly appreciative of the management and staff of Fort Battleford and gives a heartfelt thank you and commendation for its exceptional and important work.
(Sources: Fort Battleford National Park, Honourable Arthur Laing; Wikipedia)
Larry Romanow
President
Richard W. Hiebert
Principle writer
Battlefords North West Historical Society
