Law of the Yukon. A Pictorial History of the Mounted Police in the Yukon - Softcover

Dobrowolsky, Helene

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0969461283 ISBN 13: 9780969461289

Publisher: Lost Moose Books, 1995

Synopsis

In 1886, the discovery of rich goldfields in the Klondike precipitated a flood of gold-crazed men and women rushing north to the Yukon territory. Suddenly, the northern wilderness and its aboriginal population were overwhelmed by the newcomers. The presence of large numbers of American miners challenged Canada's sovereignty. Yet it was
no lawless frontier. Despite the challenges of blinding snowstorms, steep mountain passes, raging rapids and novice gold seekers, a small force of North-West Mounted Police managed to patrol thousands of square kilometres of wilderness to maintain order.

Beginning with the gold rush and extending to the modern era, this revised edition of Law of the Yukon covers more than a century of policing the North. Over a hundred archival photos illustrate the stories of the individuals who served in the force, along with accounts of the women and First Nations people who provided essential assistance. From tragic tales of the Lost Patrol and the "Mad Trapper," to curious murders, to dramatic search and rescue missions by dogsled, behind the iconic Canadian Mounties are real people with enthralling stories that require no embroidery.

About this title

About the Author

Helene Dobrowolsky is a historian and author based in Whitehorse, Yukon where she operates a heritage consulting company with her husband, Rob Ingram. She has written four books and is currently co-writing a history of Whitehorse.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Major General Sir Samuel B. Steele 1849-1919

...it is no idle boast to say that at no time in its history did the police show to better advantage than during the trying years of 1898-9, when I commanded its fine officers and men on the Yukon. -- S.B. Steele[13]

If there was an individual who personified the fortitude and forthrightness of the North-West Mounted Police during the Klondike gold rush, it would be Superintendent Samuel Benfield Steele. Steele was the Officer Commanding of the NWMP in the Yukon during the critical period from July 1898 to September 1899. Considering that the stampede "brought in toughs, gamblers, fast women, and criminals of almost every type, from the petty thief to the murderer," the relatively small force of Mounted Police did an admirable job of imposing order in a potentially chaotic situation.[14] Much of the credit for this is due to the firm hand and decisiveness of Sam Steele.

Steele's military career spanned more than 40 years. After training at the Royal Military School of Toronto, he served with the Canadian militia. When the NWMP was formed in 1873, he signed on as a sergeant major. By the time he was posted to the Yukon, he had achieved the rank of superintendent. After his Yukon service, he went on to South Africa where he commanded Lord Strathcona's Corps. He reached the rank of Major General in World War I and was later knighted.

When he became commanding officer of the Yukon in July 1898, Steele was also appointed a member of the first council of the newly-declared Yukon Territory. He set up and chaired the first board of health, chaired a board of license commissioners, and supervised the winter mail service. He gave a breathtaking description of his rigorous day: ...my working hours were at least nineteen. I retired to rest about 2 A.M. or later, rose at six, was out of doors at seven, walked five miles up the Klondyke on the ice and back over the mountain, visited every institution under me each day, sat on boards and committees until midnight, attended to the routine of the Yukon command without an adjutant, saw every prisoner daily, and was in the town station at midnight to see how things were going.[15]

Steele had a reputation for making up the laws as he went along. Some, such as his decree that only experienced pilots could run boats through Miles Canyon, undoubtedly saved many lives. When the man, dubbed "the Lion of the North," departed the Yukon to rejoin his family after a two-year separation, thousands of Dawsonites lined the wharves to bid him farewell. The town's leading citizens presented him with a purse of gold nuggets in appreciation for his services. [16]

About this edition

• Publisher: Lost Moose Books
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0969461283
• ISBN 13: 9780969461289
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 192