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CA-K204History

The North-West Mounted Police, 1873

A North-West Mounted Police trail marker near Glen McPherson, Saskatchewan, on the former route between Fort Walsh and Wood Mountain, in 2021.
A North-West Mounted Police trail marker near Glen McPherson, Saskatchewan, on the former route between Fort Walsh and Wood Mountain, in 2021. NWMP trail marker Glen McPherson SK · Awmcphee · Photo source · Photo licence: CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.
Factual accuracy review: No recorded challenge

No recorded challenge is not proof of accuracy. A challenge under review is not a finding that the item is false.

The North-West Mounted Police was established in 1873 by Prime Minister John A. Macdonald’s government as a paramilitary force of 300 mounted constables, to assert Canadian control over the North-West Territories. Arriving in 1874 after a 1,300-kilometre trek from Dufferin, Manitoba, the force set up posts without the consultation or permission of First Nations and enforced laws that disregarded Indigenous laws and ways of life.

Scope & context

The force’s creation and early role as described in Parks Canada’s 2024 review, not the later RCMP.

Sources behind this record

1
Creation of the Northwest Mounted Police National Historic Event ↗

Parks Canada

Reasons for designation (reviewed 2024)