On this July 22nd... 1876- James Farquharson Macleod, C.M.G. (1836-1894) becomes the second permanent Commissioner of the NWMP and serves until October 31, 1880. Born in Drynoch, Isle of Sky, Scotland Macleod was one of the most colourful and interesting Commissioners in the History of the Force, having been a militia officer, lawyer, Policeman magistrate, judge, and politician. His family emigrated to Richmond Hill Ontarion in 1845 because his father a soldier who had father, fallen seriously ill while on military service in Demerara (Guyana) and had lost seven brothers to tropical diseases while they were serving in the British and Indian armies decided to leave Scotland to avoid a similar fate for his sons. Educated at Upper Canada College and passing the bar examinations at Osgoode Hall he moved to Bowmanville Ontario and practiced law from 1860 to 1870. While living in Bowmanville he became a Captain in the Bowmanville Volunteer Militia Rifle Company, where he saw action in the Trent Affair (1861) and the Fenian Raids (1866). Macleod served as brigade major with the Wolseley expedition in 1870 during the Red River rebellion in Manitoba. In 1873 Prime Minister Macdonald offered him a commission as superintendent in the newly established North-West Mounted Police He founded Ft Macleod, suppressed the illegal whisky trade and gained the trust of the Blackfoot and Blood nations. In 1885 relationships between he and Commissioner French began to deteriorate so he accepted an appointment as a stipendiary magistrate for the North-West Territories on and left the force on January 1st 1876. Six months later French resigned and the position of Commissioner was offered to him retaining his appointment as stipendiary magistrate under the terms of the North-West Territories Act of 1875. Macleod had a special admiration and respect for the native people of the region and his tone of patience, reason, and diplomacy in dealing with them made relationship between the Mounties and the locals populace survived until the 1890s. By 1878 he was becoming seriously concerned about the rapidly decreasing numbers of buffalo on the plains. By then Chief Sitting Bull had fled the United States with his band of nearly two hundred after the Battle of the Little Big Horn and sought refuge from the American military in Canada. With the Souix taking refuge, competition for an increasingly scarce food supply intensified and threatened to lead to warfare among the plains tribes. In an effort to stem the slaughter of the buffalo Macleod introduced legislation in the North West Territories Council to regulate the buffalo hunt. Though he meant well the regulations had little effect on the destruction of the primary food source for the native people and early 1879 all the plains tribes faced starvation. Working himself to the point of near exhaustion (he travelled more than 2,300 miles by horse in 1879 to conduct police work and to fulfill his judicial responsibilities.) In 1880 facing criticism by Parliament for the financial affairs of the Force and his repeated pleas for help for the starving natives that fell on deaf ears, Macleod had enough and resigned from the Mounted police to concentrate on being a magistrate. In 1887 was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of the NWT. Seriously ill with Bright’s disease, his health deteriorated rapidly and he died on 5 September 1894. The impact of James Farquharson Macleod on the west cannot be overstated. He is buried at Union cemetery in Calgary Alberta. This man of honour and principle had a significant impact on the peaceful development of region and numerous communities, landmarks and buildings bear his name. 1918 - #3300 / O.173 Inspector John Phillips accompanied by #4396 Cpl. William A. Doak and #5369 Cst. Eric H. Cornelius, left Herschel Island, in a boat to obtain their mail. During the journey they were caught in a sudden storm and floating sea ice wrecked their boat. The three men were forced to abandon the boat and jump from one ice floe to another as they made their way to solid ice. Eventually they encountered open water and were forced to swim in the arctic water to reach shore. Constable Cornelius was directed to hike back to Herschel some 12 miles (19 kilometers) away to obtain help, while Inspector Phillips and Corporal Doak built a driftwood shelter on the shoreline. Following orders Constable Cornelius began his trek to Herschel, in soaking wet clothing. By the next morning, Corporal Doak was delirious with fever and the Inspector nearly frozen from the cold. Fortunately they were able to get the attention of a passing whaling boat and were rescued by the crew. When the rescue party located Cst. Cornelius, they found him valiantly struggling in his frozen clothing to find his way back to Herschel Island. 1944 - R.C.M. Police Vessel “St. Roch” captained by Sgt. Henry Asbjorn Larsen 1899-1964 leaves Halifax Nova Scotia to begin her second voyage through the North West Passage. She completes the trip in just 86 in days. 1950 – Former Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King dies at his Kingsmere estate at the age of 75. He was born on December 17, 1874, at Berlin (Kitchener), Ontario and educated at the universities of Toronto and Harvard. He served as Prime Minister of Canada Dec. 29, 1921-June 28, 1926; Sept. 25, 1926-Aug. 7, 1930; Oct. 23, 1935-Nov. 15, 1948. 1972 - Several members were involved in a high-speed criminal pursuit of a truck and camper in Surrey BC. The speeding vehicle had sideswiped a couple of vehicles and avoided a police roadblock. When 23-year-old #26874 Constable Grant Charles Wyton riding a police motorcycle pulled along side the truck. The driver refused to pull over so Constable Wyton steering his motorcycle with his knees leaned over and grabbed the truck door handle, and then let go of his motorcycle. He then grabbed the steering wheel and steered the truck into the ditch and apprehended the driver. Fortunately the successful end to the pursuit did not result in any serious injuries other than the cost of a new motorcycle! Constable Wyton received the Commanding Officers commendation for courage. 1973 - Commanding Officers Commendation awarded to Constables #28476 R.M. Curry and #29733 R.A.C. Jones of Prince George B.C for their arrest of armed murderer. 33-year old Chesley was later sentenced to six years for manslaughter.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Jul 2013 13:36:20 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015