The Cypress Hills massacre was a massacre which occurred on June 1, 1873 in the Cypress Hills region of Battle Creek, Saskatchewan, involving a group of American wolf hunters or "wolfers", American and Canadian whiskey traders, Métis cargo haulders or "freighters" and a camp of Nakoda (or Assiniboine) people. The word massacre has a number of meanings, but most commonly refers to individual events of deliberate and direct mass killing, especially of noncombatant civilians or other innocents, that would often qualify as war crimes or atrocities. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... The Cypress Hills are a region of hills in southwestern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, Canada. ... Battle Creek is a stream that begins in southwest Saskatchewan along the border with Alberta. ... Motto: Multis E Gentibus Vires (Latin: From many peoples strength) Official languages English Flower Western Red Lily Tree Paper Birch Bird Sharp-tailed Grouse Capital Regina Largest city Saskatoon Lieutenant-Governor Gordon Barnhart Premier Lorne Calvert (NDP) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 14 6 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of... The Métis (pronounced MAY tee, IPA: , in French or , in Michif ), also historically known as Bois Brule, Countryborn, or Black Scots, are one of three recognized Aboriginal peoples in Canada. ... Assiniboine Family, Montana, 1890-1891. ...

A large number of horses had been stolen from the wolfers just across the Montana border. Angry at the loss of their horses, the wolfers attempted to track the horse thieves into Canada, but soon lost their trail. Instead, the wolfers arrived in the Battle Creek valley where the trading posts operated by Abel Farwell and Moses Solomon were located, opposite a camp of some 200 to 300 Nakoda people. Tensions were already somewhat elevated, alcohol had been flowing freely on all sides and a misunderstanding over a missing horse led to a mixed group of wolfers, whiskey traders and Metis freighters opening fire on the Nakoda camp, resulting in 23 confirmed Nakoda deaths and the death of one wolfer, Ed LeGrace. Both trading posts were subsequently abandoned and burned. Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked...

This incident outraged Canadians, who wanted Americans to respect their sovereignty; western Canada was threatened and then Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald was convinced to pass a bill to create the North West Mounted Police. Fort Walsh, Saskatchewan served as the NWMP headquarters from 1878 until 1883, named after its NWMP (later RCMP) superintendent, James Morrow Walsh. All of the "wolfers" were arrested and tried, but none were ever convicted. Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... Western Canada is a geographic region of Canada, also known as simply the West, generally considered to be west of the province of Ontario. ... The Prime Minister of Canada (French: Premier ministre du Canada), is the head of the Government of Canada. ... Sir John Alexander Macdonald was born on January 11, 1815 in Glasgow, Scotland. ... In Westminster System parliaments, an Act of Parliament is a part of the law passed by the Parliament. ... The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP or Mounties; French, Gendarmerie royale du Canada, GRC) is both the federal police force and the national police of Canada. ... Headquarters (HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are concentrated. ... Royal Canadian Mounted Police heraldic badge. ... James Morrow Walsh, (22 May 1840 – 25 July 1905) was a North West Mounted Police (NWMP) officer and the first Commissioner of the Yukon Territory. ... The Chicago Police Department arrests a man An arrest is the action of the police, or person acting under the law, to take a person into custody so that they may be forthcoming to answer for the commission of a crime. ... In legal parlance, a trial is an event in which parties to a dispute present information (in the form of evidence) in a formal setting, usually a court, before a judge, jury, or other designated finder of fact, in order to achieve a resolution to their dispute. ...

Part of the site of the Cypress Hills massacre has been preserved at Fort Walsh National Historic Site, along with reconstructions of Farwell's and Solomon's trading posts.

See also

• List of conflicts in Canada