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Show CANADA'S NOTED MOUNTIES ARE NOW SIXTY YEARS OLD Efficient Police Force Observes Ob-serves Its Anniversary Washington, Canada'6 romantic and efficient -police force the Royal Canadian mounted police Is observing, this year, its sixtieth anniversary. an-niversary. A band of men, small In number, but strong In courage, experience, and hard training, have maintained law and order over a vast territory, reaching from the great plains north Into the Yukon, and across the Arctic to Hudson bay and Baffin Island. "In 1S70. when the government of Canada gained control over the unexplored lands of the great Northwest, It was confronted with the problem of protecting pioneer settlers," says a bulletin from the National Geographic society. "Warfare "War-fare between powerful Indian tribes roaming the plains, discouraged the westward march of the white man. Whisky runners whose concoctions con-coctions crazed the Indians also dis turbed peaceful progress of Intrepid pioneers. Two tin cups full of 'firewater' 'fire-water' bought a buffalo robe, and three gallons a good horse. "It was In answer to the need for curbing these unruly elements that the Northwest mounted police was organized in 1S73 at Stone Fort, just south of Lake Winnipeg. An official offi-cial bulletin Issued to the first recruits re-cruits tersely stated that 'the government gov-ernment will make use of any person per-son connected with the force at any work that may be considered desirable.' The government has kept this promise through the years. "After only a year's training 300 members of the police marched over 2.000 miles of unknown territory, terri-tory, restoring law and order from the Red river to the Rocky mountains. moun-tains. Treaties were made with the Indians, horse stealers and murderers mur-derers brought to swift Justice, and Fort Whoop-Up, stronghold of whisky traders, raided. Winter caught the 'Mountles' before they could make a return march, so a permanent camp was set up at Mnc-leod, Mnc-leod, oldest town in southern Alberta. Al-berta. Calgary, another fort which they founded that year, has grown to be one of the most Important towns of western Canada. "As the work of the force Increased. In-creased. It became evident that a central station was necessary. An uninhabited strip of prairie along 'Pile o' Bones Creek' was selected and Inappropriately called Reglna. ' or over half a century Reglna served as headquarters for the Northwest mounted police If was also for years the capital of the Northwest territories; and today, as the capital of Saskatchewan, Is one of the most Important Indus trial centers of middle western Canada, with a-population of over 40.000. The Klondike ' gold rush of '98 brought a new emergency. Dawson grew up overnight, a stampede town with the usual number of saloons, dance halls, and gambling houses. It promised soon to rival Skagway, then controlled by 'Soapy Smith' and his gang, who robbed Incoming tenderfeet and departing miners with efiual success. "A Yukon post was promptly established es-tablished by the Northwest mounted mount-ed police, and Dawson speedily transformed into a respectable and law-abiding town. A detachment was stationed at Shilkoot pass and White pass, two main gateways through which the prospectors thronged, and the lawless soon learned to leave their revolvers behind. be-hind. Month after month millions in gold were convoyed and never .a dollar lost "The force was 'knighted' In 1004 in recognition of Its services In the Boer war, becoming the lloyal Northwest mounted police. In 1920, its Jurisdiction was widened to cover enforcement of federal authority au-thority throughout the Dominion, and nil laws in the Yukon, Northwest North-west territory, and Dominion parks, the title L.eing changed to ' Royal Canadian Mounted Police. "Today the mounted police patrol Canada's last great frontier, the chain of Islands stretching from Greenland to Alaska. There are posts on such Isolated Islands as Ellesmere, North Devon, Baffin, and Victoria. The station on Bache peninsula is within 11 degrees of the North pole. At Herschel Island post was held the first court In the Arctic, when an Eskimo was sentenced, sen-tenced, for the murder of a constable. con-stable. "Although they have been given little notice In the daily press, the long winter patrols performed by these officers deserve a high rating In' the record of Arctic exploration. T- 1929. for Instance, one Inspector with a constable, one Eskimo, and two dog teams traveled 1,700 miles in 81 days, and considered St only an ordinary part of the year's work. From Demon Island to Ellesmere island the inspector covered the entire en-tire northern part of the Canadian Arctic archipelago. "There Is one rule Inflexibly obeyed by every 'Mountle.' Whether Wheth-er he Is protecting the rights of the migratory duck, the Blackfoot Indian, In-dian, or Jtbe Eskimo trapper, he shoots only as a last resort the real secret of the success of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police." |