Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-05
BAPTIZED IN BLOOD
Scene of the Riel Rebellion
of 1885.
RESULTS OF THE WAR
GOOD THAT FOLLOWED THE
CRUSHING OF THE REVOLT.
Justice Given to the Aggrieved-Par-
hamentary Representation Granted
and the North Country United.
Special from a STAFF Correspondent.


BATTLEFORD, Saskatchewan, Northwest
Territory, June 30 1905.
The northland has had it's baptism of
blood and we are now in the region
where the hostile bullet dealt out death
to those who would rule the land. 1t was
hereabouts that the half-breed Riel and
his Indian allies fought the Canadian
militia in 1885.
For the moment the place has a greater
interest to us, however, from the fact that
it is the last west" and the newest spot
in the northwest. The new town of Bat
tleford, opposite the old trading post. is
just two weeks old, and the end of traf-
fic on the Canadian Northern railway.
The railroad, we We're told, came in only
two weeks ago. 1t looked it. For fifty
miles our special train of heavy Pullmans
crept along a grapevine track that sag
ged and dipped. while the cars creaked
and groaned and seemed likely to topple
over any moment The sight of a dozen
or so freight cars scattered in the ditch
did not reaSSure us.
Over a high trestled bridge spanning
the mighty Saskatchewan river the train
toiled, and when the opposite shore was
reached the superintendent of construc-
ton. who was in the observation end OF
our hotel car. heaved a gratified little
sigh of relief and remarked:
Il was a little curious to see how that
bridge would stand these heavy cars"
Fine.
No doubt about New Battleford being
new; three or four stores, a half-finished
hotel, an Indian tepee on the hill ana
scores of tents containing settlers, mer-
chants and workmen. AT 8 O'Clock at
night it as light as day, and the carpen-
tiers can see to hit a nail The din of
building resounds until far into the night,
for the one object now is to get under
shelter.
oil C. and a.
looms, no dance halls, no faro banks; IN
fact, nothing that enlivens the frontier
town of the United States If COWBOY
should ride into camp. and, after emitting
a few whoops of joy, endeavor to shoot
up the town. the settlers would look on
amazed until a gorgeously uniformed
northwest mounted policemen stroiied
up and took him into custody.
Across the river we see the old town OF
Battleford, which has been here, to use
the phrase of the country. since peIore
the buffalo 1t was Hudson Bay COM
pany's post with a trail leading thou
sand miles southwestward to W1nnepes
and another northeast to the fur country.
The Saskatchewan Rebellion.
This brings to mind the tragic events OF
the second Riel rebellion. 1t will be re-
membered that Riel revolted at Winnipeg
In 1901, but was driven out OF the
country He spent some time in Montana
and when trouble broke out again in 1885
in the northwest came on to head the
movement. A brief account is given by
DIR. d. NJ. Duncan, one or the historians
of Manitoba as follows:
I'm 1881 Lieut. Gov. Laird was succeeded
by the Hon. Edgar Dewdney. So rapidly
was the country filling up with se.tiers
that In the following year, 1t was round
advisable to carve out of the territories the
four districts of Assiniboa, Alberta, Sas-
katchewan and Athabasca. This division
did not, however, involve any change III
government, but the whole country cohtili-
ued to be governed from Regina, In ASslnl-
boa.
But like Manitoba, the territories were
TO experience in rebellion an unfortunate
check to their peaceful progress. The half-
breeds who in discomfort had lett the Red
river in 1870 and had joined their near reia-
tives, the Crees of the Saskatchewan, be-
gan to feel the hated civilization creeping
in upon them once more, ana were again
ripe for rebellion. 1t only required the
presence of Louis Riel to fan the smolder-
ing discomfort into flame of rebellion He,
having completed his term or outlawry, re-
turned in the summer OF 1854 from Mon
tana where he had been quietly teaching
school Riel was at first moderate, striving
to secure recognition of the half-breed
claims by political agitation. Their first
claim was that they should be placed on the
same footing as the Manitoba half-breeds,
who were receiving grants of 24O acres
They demanded also that they should be
granted patents, or title deeds, OF the lands
upon which they had settled. They 1urtner
protested against the form of dominion
land surveying, as interfering with their
system of long narrow farms facing the
river.
'Riels moderation was short-lived for the
intense vanity which had led him to excess
in 1870 again overcame his Judgment He
had made Batoche, the center of the Metis
settlements, his headquarters. Had he con-
fined his intrigues to the half-breeds. the
danger would not have been great; but the
of whom there were about 80 900 in Mani
toba and the territories.
Riel Hampers With the Indians
''Of these, the Crees and Ojibiways were
regarded as friendly, but Riel's influence