Battle of Frenchman Butte May 28, 1885-

Chief Big Bear and Wandering Spirit

The ratio of the battle was 200 Cree to 400 men

Frenchman Butte and Fort Pitt hills had rifle pits then.

Steep open hills made Military attack suicidal it’s said

Surround the Cree were Strange’s orders instead.

Cree altered lines looking like many more to dread.

NWMP believed Cree lines were longer and fled.

The Cree went into the wilderness to recover.

The Cree casualty dragged to death was discovered.

Later Major Steele added 1000 men to search

-For 199 recovering Cree, according to research.

The Cree were slaughtered with staggering odds

Man’s inhumanity to man will reckon with God.

Steele travelled fifty miles north to Meadow Lake

-Looking for Métis yet alive from a Military mistake.

The deaths, the horror, the near decimation of a race

-Became the history that many wanted to erase.

Wandering Spirit executed.

Big Bear, ill in prison, released to die.

General Strange retired back to his ranch.

General Steele appears to have continued his career.

Written by Carol Howard Vulliamy- Métis Elder-2010

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

H.A. MacKay, memories, HBCo Archives

and Glenbow Archives

Metis Oral Story

Written by Carol Howard Vulliamy- Metis Elder-2010

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

H.A. MacKay, memories, HBCo Archives and Glenbow Archives