LOCAL NEWS Wednesday, July 8, 1998 ~~ tlers. The NWMP ranks grew in response to the s need to man the expanding numbers of outposts M ay marked the across the territory. official start of the In the 1890s, Tagish Charlie and George Carmack struck gold. The Klondike Gold Rush was on. . The law was established in the person of Inspector Charles Constantine, who was dispatched to the 125th anniversary of Yukon in 1895 to establish a Force presence and reinforce Canadian authority over the territory. By the Royal Canadian the height of the gold rush in 1889, the Yukon NWMP contingent had grown from 19 men to 285. M ted Pol ee As dreams of striking it rich began to recede, the dawning of a new century brought its own chal- OUNLER FOUCE 1N lenges. More than 200 members went overseas in 1899 to serve in the South African War. That tra- Canada. But for the _ dition carried on later, with personnel transferred for duty during the First and Second World Wars. . : : The force was renamed the Royal Northwest Mounted Police in 1904. force, this special _... Atthe turn of the century, the RNMP were posted in the far north to esipiish na protect Cana- : tine : dian interests. Dog sled patrols over the frozen tundra were a new fact of Mounted Policelife. Along birthday continues all ’ the way, officers learned the Inuit language and traditions, beginning a long association with the peo- year long. ple ofthe north. For the police, this was a rewarding, but sometimes dangerous, post- ing in an unforgiving climate. In 1920 the Force absorbed the Dominion Police and was once again renamed, this time as the Royal Canadian Mounted police. The push north continued through the ‘20s, with outposts and detachments established from the Yukon to Baffin Island. In 1928, the schooner - St. Roch was specifically built for northern patrols. In 1940-42, with Sgt. Henry Larsen at the helm, the St. Roch became the first vessel to complete a Pacific to Atlantic voyage through the Northwest Passage. In 1944, after its return trip, the ~ St. Roch became the first to navigate the Passage both ways. It went on to become the first vessel to circumnavigate North ~ America (Halifax to Vancouver via the Panama canal) and was de-_ clared a National Historic Site in 1962. It remains on permanent dis- - ~ play at the Vancouver Maritime Museum. One of the truly legendary stories about the RCMP i is that of the “Mad Trapper.” In 1932; Albert Johnson, whose cabin was lo- cated on the Rat River, 113 km from Arctic Red River, - Northwest Territories, was accused of pilfering native ~ trap lines. On December 31, 1931 Const. A-W.: King tried to interview Johnson at his cabin but was shot ‘and wounded in the chest. A second patrol arrived on. Jan. 10, but after a. ‘15-hour. gun Sar nes toflush. By Judy Reimche Peninsula News Review...” ne hundred and twenty- five years ago, the formation of the: North West Mounted Police force was the - provinces’ best answer to quelling the Wild West. e : demands for some ‘form of police force had been: com- “ing from across the country since the first settlers stepped _ on shore, but it wasn’t until May of 1873, and the Cypress - Hills massacre, that any action was taken. . In the rest of the world at the time, Queen Victoria was ‘on: the English throne, 1 Mark Twain was writing. process; and; by. gust 30, 1873; he declared the existence ke foritier Caer men: They henan their:famo ae HES March ‘West from Fort Dufferin, Manitob oe e “Today the police rely on jets, helicopters: ~ July.8; 1874, with 142 draught oxen, 93 head of cattle, 310 mortars, mowing machines, ' ‘portable forges. and field kitchens: The trek took them through 30-degree Celsius heat, ~ Mosquitoes, grasshoppers — and hail the size of walnuts. ‘Their. set goals,‘ under. the Force's first: Commissioners, George A. F French (1973-76) and Jz ames F: Macleod (1876-80), .- were to forge treaties with the natives, and quickly disrupt the § whiskey trade... -- 2 “ Itdidn't take long before they: were givent the additional du. ; ties of policing the travelling labor of the Canadian Pacific Raik - ~ way as the new line snaked across the continent. Gambling ~ and dealing with liquor violations were part of the job. The year 1885 stands out as a major. setback in terms of ry ing to keep the peace between settlers and the natives. Frus trated at government inaction in dealing with their problems, -some Metis and Indians violently rejected government ale thority, and ‘what “became om known as the North-West Re- qi: nd floats to help carry ‘out their duties, “© The new frontier is the: information age. The Canadian Police Information centre, a computerized ac- ‘eration in 1972. Technology has developed such that on-board com- puters now feed the RCMP patrol vehicles instant information. In September 1974, the first female recruits hecame mem- bers of the RCMP; now, there is a commitment to reflecting the multi-cultural mosaic of the Canadian community. » Diplomatic security has a heightened priority, as terrorists at home and abroad demonstrate their political views through ~ violence, White-collar. criminals, computer criminals, money laundering and multijurisdictional policing form the latest crime front, and the RCMP have responded with an assort- Leste of Programs, welt But before the high-tech , approach - took over, the ~ bellion broke out, aa “RCMP recognized where its” The ensuing battle between fi priorities lie = — in the com: - amixed force of NWMP and: i munity. 7 Indians and their Metis oppo- In a back to the future ap- 1 proach, community policing - has become the new philoso- phy of the 1990s, a return to ~ the original philosophy of the importance of personal con- ™~ tact. It’s how the police are — “1° meeting the challenge of the “908 -— doing more with fewer resources, Hoey nents started at Duck Lake on March 26, 1885.:The rebel force was eventually quelled | by a military force mobilized ~ under Major-General Freder- ‘ick Middleton, eat: ~ Then, with the completion | thie a of the CPR, the floodgates . f i ji IN) va as i oe ; Bh ats dvarious aircraft equipped with wheels, skis. : t | ~ cess system for all types of criminal information, went into op-. . opened fo a new group oa fel ! hc nereymaumememsmne js rrroereeeresmmste Summer Savings: ee ab. went il ii Uiint fp Wines co “aay raiaidied ONS e@ Ur a Uiiite? " ins : up to 2 50% off selected me erchandise | July 2-31 : | 1856, Doulas Street, itr sent - Open dag Voar Roni 7 = | i sj \. Grower Sy spas pay of nursery | ; SBNEY DENTURE aISa Se = "+ DENTURISTS - ou L. RAleard R.D. EM. Clausen R. D. "Prompt Professional Denture Service,“ ~ DENTURES CONSTRUCTED — * of British mai aie the Pecific Northwest. ° ye AAEM Rohs et ee a pA | WEEKENDS ie = 2506S 1374 econo Mt PU GE ats be vif satin) sal te feptere ber ¢ Ortobon 9 : sacar 1) Sha Shenocenerera ne o as: - SAME DAY! © REPAIRS IN , a “Hospital and Home Calls’. ho 2494 Baacun Ave,, Sidney, B.C. ° cee Bis iis Guu 4 656°3523 as 4 1 F ‘Ah ; ‘t nk einer nes