Episode 382: On April 2, 1885, the tranquil settlement of Frog Lake in what is now Alberta became the scene of a devastating tragedy. Known as the Frog Lake Massacre, this violent episode unfolded during the North-West Rebellion. Nine settlers, among them government officials, two Roman Catholic priests, traders, and a clerk, lost their lives at the hands of a group of Cree warriors led by Wandering Spirit. The attack stemmed from mounting desperation within the Plains Cree community, who faced starvation triggered by the near extinction of buffalo and the inflexible, often cruel administration of Indian Agent Thomas Quinn. While Cree Chief Big Bear advocated for peace and negotiation, tensions within his band and widespread hardship created a perfect storm. The violence not only shocked the young Dominion of Canada but also shaped the outcome of the North-West Resistance and left a legacy of sorrow and contested memory that resonates to this day.
Sources:
Parks Canada - Frog Lake National Historic Site of CanadaCanada A Country by Consent: Native Treaties 1871-1897: Big BearChief Big Bear MistahamaskwaMISTAHIMASKWA (Big Bear, Gros Ours) – Dictionary of Canadian BiographyBrowse by Subject: Mistahimaskwa (Big Bear) Plains Cree ChiefBig Bear — North-West Mounted PoliceThe Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan | DetailsBig Bear | WikipediaFrog Lake Massacre 1885 | Elk Point Historical SocietyA World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan Before 1905Two Months in the Camp of Big Bear., by Theresa Gowanlock and Theresa DelaneyBlood Red the Sun [The War Trail of Big Bear]KAPAPAMAHCHAKWEW (Papamahchakwayo) (Wandering Spirit, Esprit Errant) – Dictionary of Canadian BiographyBattleford Hangings, 1885 Riel RebellionKā-pēpāmahchakwēw = Wandering Spirit : Plains Cree war chief by Garry Radison.Narratives and Drama in 1885 | Our LegacyNorth-West Resistance - Indigenous Saskatchewan EncyclopediaNorthwest Rebellion - Frog Lake - Military HistoryCanada's Subjugation of the Plains Cree, 1879-1885 by John L. TobiasJohn McDougall publicationsA Redman's Viewpoint | Heinsburg HistoryEdgar Dewdney National Historic Person (1835–1916)Lac La Biche - History - Aboriginal Descendants - Big BearLost Harvests: Prairie Indian Reserve Farmers and Government Policy, 2nd Ed.PDF — Rethinking Treaty 6Big Bear | Creator - Land - PeopleA Tale of Two Massacres | Literary Review of CanadaBattlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs Hosts Wandering Spirit CommemorationThe Life Of Big Bear | Canadian History EhxAn infamous anniversary: 130 years since Canada’s Largest Mass Hanging 27 November 1885Battleford Hangings | SASKATCHEWAN INDIAN | JULY 1972
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