Showing the Flag: The Mounted Police and Canadian Sovereignty in the North, 1894-1925

257 Pages·2002·24.649 MB·English

by  William R. Morrison

SHOWING THE FLAG
This page intentionally left blank
SHOWING
THE FLAG
The Mounted Police
and Canadian Sovereignty
in the North,
1894-1925
WILLIAM R. MORRISON
University of British Columbia Press
Vancouver, 1985
Showing the Flag: The Mounted Police and Canadian Sovereignty in the North,
1894-1925
© The University of British Columbia Press 1985
All rights reserved
This book has been published with the help of a grant from the Canada Council.
All photographs included in this book are from the Public Archives of Canada.
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Morrison, William R. (William Robert), 1942-
Showing the flag
Includes index.
Bibliography: p. 209
ISBN 0-7748-0245-6
1. Royal Canadian Mounted Police - History. 2. Canada,
Northern - History. 3. Canada - Politics and government
- 1896-1911.* 4. Canada- Politics and government,
1911-1921.* 5. Northwest, Canadian - History - 1870-
1905.* I. Title.
FC3216.2.M67 1985 363.2'09719 C85-091556-2
HV8157.M67 1985
International Standard Book Number 0–7748-0245-6
Printed and bound in Canada by John Deyell Company
To Elizabeth, Linda, Catherine,
John, Claire, and Ruth Morrison
This page intentionally left blank
Contents
Illustrations ix
Maps x
Acknowledgements xi
Introduction xiii
1. The Mounted Police 1
2. The Yukon: The Early Period 10
3. The Police and the Gold Rush 28
4. The Police as Civil Servants 50
5. The Police and Yukon Politics 61
6. North of the Arctic Circle 72
7. To Hudson Bay and the Eastern Arctic 87
8. Expanding Activities in the Mackenzie Delta 102
9. Hudson Bay 120
10. Patrols and Patrolling 132
11. The Police and the Native Peoples of the
Northern Frontier 142
12. Ultima Thule 162
13. The End of the Frontier 174
Appendix 181
Notes 187
Bibliography 209
Index 217
This page intentionally left blank
Illustrations
following page 108
1. A. Bowen Perry, Commissioner of the Mounted Police
2. Sgt. Lee inspecting the guard, Whitehorse
3. The N.W.M.P. on duty in the Yukon
4. Sheep camp on the Cnilkoot Pass
5. Frederick White, Comptroller of the Mounted Police
6. N.W.M.P. detachment at Stewart River
7. The "Goddesses of Liberty"
8. The N.W.M.P. on duty in the Yukon
9. Superintendent Constantine's post at Forty Mile
10. Sir Samuel B. Steele
11. The N.W.M.P. on duty at the Chilkoot Pass
12. N.W.M.P. officers in Dawson
13. Placer mining operations at Hunker Creek
14. Police Barracks at Fort Cudahy
15. Police at Whitehorse
16. Police expedition to Fort McPherson
17. Members of the Neptune expedition
18. R.N.W.M.P. barracks at FuUerton
19. Members of the Fullerton detachment
20. Mrs. S. G. Clay
21. Settlement and police detachment at Herschel Island
22. Scottie, Inuit employee of the police at Fullerton
23. Superintendent J. D. Moodie
24. Fullerton detachment
25. On patrol, Dawson to Herschel Island
26. Inspector F. J. Fitzgerald
27. Corporal W. J. D. Dempster
28. Burying the members of the "Lost Patrol"
29. Graves of the "Lost Patrol"
30. Last page of Inspector Fitzgerald's diary
31. Inspector Fitzgerald's will
32. Churchill detachment
33. Hauling wood on patrol at Dease Bay
34. Sinnisiak and Uluksuk, on trial for murder in Alberta
35. Sinnisiak and Uluksuk
36. Trial of Alikomiak and Tatamigana
37. R.C.M.P. detachment at Craig Harbour
38. Landing supplies at Craig Harbour detachment
39. R.C.M.P. detachment at Dundas Harbour
40. Inspector Alan Belcher