The North-West Resistance

• culmination of discontent of Métis, Indians (Cree, Blackfoot, Blood, Peigan, Saulteaux) and white settlers
• Plains Indians were at the point of starvation since the disappearance of the buffalo
• 1880 – Cree Chief Big Bear and Blackfoot Chief Crowfoot worked for Indian confederacy – confrontations with the Indian dept. over rations almost became violent
• Métis found transition from hunting to farming difficult, and still felt their rights would never be recognized
• white settlers who had settled along the Saskatchewan River believing they would be along the railway, were upset when the CPR had chosen a more southerly route
• delegation brought Riel back from exile in US and on July 8, 1884, he held a public meeting urging all dissatisfied settlers (including whites) to unite and put pressure on Ottawa; John A. MacDonald’s gov’t had failed to address any of the groups
• fall 1884 – Riel drafted a petition and urged settlers to sign it
• 8 March 1885 – St Laurent SK, 10-point “Revolutionary Bill of Rights” passed, asserted Métis rights of possession to their lands and made other demands
• 18 March 1885, Métis formed provisional gov’t and armed force at Batoche – Riel as president, Dumont as military commander
• prisoners were taken by Métis; occupied Duck Lake – between Batoche and Fort Carlton, expecting a police advance
• a.m. March 26 - NWMP and citizen volunteers moved towards Duck Lake under Superintendent Crozier; Métis and Indian force met them on the Carlton Trail; battle ensued: 9 volunteers and 3 police killed; 5 Métis and 1 Indian killed
• Riel persuaded rebels not to pursue retreating force; police evacuated Fort Carlton and retreated to Prince Albert
• swift reaction from gov’t: militia mobilization began day before Duck Lake confrontation (March 25); CPR manager Van Horne arranged for almost 3000 troops to be transported across railway gaps, and they reached Qu’Appelle by April 10; with troops from West, Middleton’s army reached a total of just over 5000 troops
• Duck Lake encouraged contingent of Cree to move in on Battleford, and settlers flocked to safety of Fort Battleford; March 30, Assiniboines killed 2 settlers and joined Cree forces;
• Frog Lake – Big Bear’s band last to take treaty and reserve, wanted a better deal; gov’t cut off rations to force them to settle; April 1, Big Bear’s band took several white and Métis prisoners; shortly after church on Sunday, Apr.2, war chief Wandering Spirit shot and killed Sub-Indian Agent Thomas Quinn; Big Bear tried to stop the violence, but the warriors took over killing 8 men, including 2 priests.
• Middleton sent Otter group from Swift Current to relieve the troops at Battleford; pressure from Alberta led to formation of army in Calgary under Strange
• Apr.14 – Cree from Frog Lake took Fort Pitt; Apr.15 allowed the NWMP detachment to flee downriver