Steele's Scouts

Book excerpt: After a fatal encounter between Louis Riel's Metis rebels and the North West Mounted Police at Duck Lake in March 1885, the Canadian government mobilized forces in both Ontario and Alberta to suppress what became known as "The Northwest Rebellion." The western force was assembled in Calgary by Gunner Jingo Strange, a retired major general who readily knew the right man to lead an advance unit: Samuel Benfield Steele. He called them "Steele's Scouts." Steele's Scouts patrolled through bush and swamp, under the constant threat of ambush. They were vital to the furious battles near Frenchman Butte and Loon Lake, where the scouts alone fought the Cree warriors. Their actions contributed significantly to the defeat of Canada's last rebellion. Wayne Brown, a long-time admirer of Sam Steele, knows well the landscape and rebellion battle sites of the Northwest Rebellion and has followed the trails of Steele's Scouts. With each stage of Steele's journey, Brown gives detailed directions so that history buffs or the curious can visit these heritage sites.