Podcasts about north west mounted police

Nicole O'Byrne speaks with George Pavlich about his book, Thresholds of Accusation: Law and Colonial Order in Canada. This socio-legal history examines pretrial accusations in colonial criminal law in western Canada, focusing on Alberta, 1874–1884. The establishment of the Northwest Mounted Police aimed to enforce Dominion law, using accusatory procedures to investigate crimes, arrest suspects, and determine trial eligibility. George Pavlich highlights how police and justices of the peace translated local social knowledge into criminal law, reflecting power dynamics of sovereignty and control. These processes held individuals legally responsible while obscuring the social impacts of settler actions. The book suggests we learn from Indigenous laws to address societal issues with new forms of accusation and responsibility. George Pavlich is H.M. Tory Chair and Professor at the University of Alberta. His research examines the social and historical processes through which individuals are labeled as "criminals" and subjected to crime control. By exploring the history of criminal accusation, his work highlights how these processes have shaped reliance on punitive justice. He has authored several books and articles and co-edited multiple collections. Image Credit: Cambridge University Press If you like our work, please consider supporting it: bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society's mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada's past.

The mounting tension in the Northwest is finally released, as violence breaks out between the Northwest Mounted Police and a group of Metis.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-nations-of-canada--4572969/support.

In 1874, the new North West Mounted Police began their long march from Manitoba to present-day Alberta. It was a terribly-planned march to the west that nearly ended the force before it ever got started. Artwork/logo design by Janet Cordahi Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: https://www.ohcanadashop.com/collections/canadian-history-ehx Donate: buymeacoffee.com/craigu Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) E-mail: craig@canadaehx.com Twitter: twitter.com/craigbaird Threads: https://www.threads.net/@cdnhistoryehx Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnhistoryehx YouTube: youtube.com/c/canadianhistoryehx Want to send me something? Craig Baird PO Box 2384 Stony Plain PO Main, Alberta T7Z1X8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Ron's Amazing Stories this time we have another one about life in Canada. On episode we played a tale from the series Challenge Of The Yukon. If you haven't listened to it yet, check it out. This time we have a full hour devoted to a story based on the real North West Mounted Police. A Texas ranger sent to Canada to capture a trapper wanted for murder in Texas. It first aired on Lux Radio Theater on April 13, 1942.  Also on the show we have a new edition of Not So Important Times In History. What happens when a historical prank on the Royal Navy DOESN'T go sideways? Press that play button to find out. Featured Story - Northwest Mounted Police As I mentioned we have only one story this week. It comes from the OTR series Lux Radio Theater. Lux was the biggest, most important, most expensive program on radio of its time. It ran from 1934 until 1955. Our story is a radio adaptation of the film Northwest Mounted Police. This one stars Gary Cooper in the role of a Texas Ranger who travels to Canada to arrest a trapper who's wanted for murder and who's stirring up the Natives in a rebellion against the Canadian government.  Ron's Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible - You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at . Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you're from. I will read it if I can. Links are below. Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron's Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod () and is Licensed under . Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at which is a site owned by Kevin. Program Info: Ron's Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from , stream it on or on the mobile version of . Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on . Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this . Social Links: Contact Links:

Jerry Potts was the son of an Indigenous mother and a Scottish father, and throughout his life he cemented himself as a legendary figure in the Canadian West. Without him, it is possible the North West Mounted Police may have never lasted long enough to become the RCMP. Artwork/logo design by Janet Cordahi Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Merch: https://www.ohcanadashop.com/collections/canadian-history-ehx Donate: buymeacoffee.com/craigu Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) E-mail: craig@canadaehx.com Twitter: twitter.com/craigbaird Threads: https://www.threads.net/@cdnhistoryehx Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnhistoryehx YouTube: youtube.com/c/canadianhistoryehx Want to send me something? Craig Baird PO Box 2384 Stony Plain PO Main, Alberta T7Z1X8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Ron's Amazing Stories this time we open with a review of the mystery novel Stranger in the Woods by Anni Taylor. We follow that up with three stories sent in by you for you! A donkey has a mind of his own, Cody tells his strange story of disembodied red eyes, and Angela tells a frightening tale of a malevolent ghost. We end the show by heading up to the Yukon with Sergeant Preston and his dog King in a story called Claim 22. So relax and enjoy the show. Featured Story - Claim 22 Our featured story comes from the OTR series Challenge Of The Yukon. It was an adventure series about Sergeant William Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police and his lead sled dog King. The duo fought evildoers in the Northern wilderness during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. Preston and King hatch a crazy plan to capture a gang of outlaws. The show is titled Claim 22 and it first aired on October 10, 1951. Other Stories Include - Alibi In Red, Review - Stranger In The Woods, Billy The Donkey, Unknown Eyes, and The White Rabbit. Ron's Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible - You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at . Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you're from. I will read it if I can. Links are below. Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron's Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod () and is Licensed under . Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at which is a site owned by Kevin. Program Info: Ron's Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from , stream it on or on the mobile version of . Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on . Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this . Social Links: Contact Links:  

In an effort to extend state power into the prairies, the Canadian government commissions a police force for the northwest.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-nations-of-canada--4572969/support.

In May 2023, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) commemorated its 150th anniversary. The federal police force – which originally started out as the North-West Mounted Police – is almost as old as the Dominion of Canada itself. This episode examines the complex and painful history of an institution that has historically mistreated Indigenous peoples and women. It also takes us back to the scene of one of the RCMP's largest manhunts – the search for fugitive Albert Johnson, also known as “The Mad Trapper.” Our guests on this episode are Sam Karikas, CEO of the RCMP Heritage Centre, and Jean Teillet, a recently retired Métis lawyer, author, and lecturer, who is also the great-grand niece of Louis Riel. This episode also has a counterpart on the French feed for this show! If you want to listen to more about the history of Louis Riel and the RCMP, head over to the podcast called “Voyages Dans L'Histoire Canadienne.”To read the episode transcripts in French and English, and to learn more about historic Canadian milestones, please visit thewalrus.ca/canadianheritage.This podcast receives funding from The Government of Canada and is produced by The Walrus Lab.Check out the French counterpart podcast, Voyage dans l'histoire canadienne. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 1100, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: Home, Sweet Home 1: From 1903 to 1957, Beauvoir, his former home in Biloxi, was a home for Confederate veterans and their widows. Jefferson Davis. 2: Ralph Waldo Emerson owned a Concord home nicknamed this; Hawthorne rented it and wrote some "Mosses from" it. the Old Manse. 3: The site of this author's birth in Sauk Centre, Minnesota is now on an avenue named for him. Sinclair Lewis. 4: The Independence, Mo. house he lived in from 1919 belonged to his wife Bess' family. Harry Truman. 5: Michael Jackson, who identified with Peter Pan, lived on a sprawling California ranch he called this. Neverland. Round 2. Category: Horton Hears A Hoosier 1: This aviator first flew into the world near Millville on April 16, 1867; Orville landed in Ohio in 1871. Wilbur Wright. 2: From this Hoosier's "Top Ten New Words of 2010": Lohab and baconfetti. (David) Letterman. 3: This 1960s Teamsters president was born on Valentine's Day 1913 in Brazil, Indiana. Jimmy Hoffa. 4: His website says he "dedicated his life to perfecting a lighter, fluffier popcorn", a life that began in Brazil, Ind. in 1907. Redenbacher. 5: In 1965 this Indianapolis-born novelist published "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater". Vonnegut. Round 3. Category: Big Screen Bloodsuckers 1: The hypnotic eyes of this actor created a shiver of fear in his audiences as well as his victims. Bela Lugosi. 2: It was "Love At First Bite" for this actor when he played Count Dracula in 1979. George Hamilton. 3: The consumate vampire, this tall, dark and gruesome actor played a bloodsucker in 7 Hammer Studio films. Christopher Lee. 4: "Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are In My Neck" was the subtitle of this Roman Polanski horror spoof. The Fearless Vampire Killers. 5: Before taking a bite out of Susan Sarandon, this French actress put David Bowie in a box in 1983's "The Hunger". Catherine Deneuve. Round 4. Category: They Named A Mountain For Me 1: Mount Walsh in the Yukon is named for an officer in the North West Mounted Police, today known as this force. the Mounties. 2: Mount Clarence King in this range is named for the man who discovered Mount Whitney. the Sierra Nevadas. 3: The USA's 14,264-foot Mount Evans was named for the second governor of this then-territory. Colorado. 4: The Agassizhorn in the Bernese section of these mountains is named for a 19th century scientist. the Alps. 5: Imeni Ismail Samani Peak, the highest in Tajikistan, used to be named after this man (like some other places). Stalin. Round 5. Category: 3-Letter Words Ending In X 1: Suit for a formal. a tux. 2: To dishonestly influence something to reach a predetermined outcome. fix. 3: To bewitch someone or cast a spell upon them is to do this. hex. 4: To disturb with minor irritations. vex. 5: No war, for a Roman. pax. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!Special thanks to https://blog.feedspot.com/trivia_podcasts/ AI Voices used

Tombstone Tales 2023 - Episode 15 - Frederick Bagley The Ghosts of South-western Alberta's History return each year with Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village's Graveyard Tours.  Held August 26, 2023 at KBPV itself, this year we recalled selected local pioneers and contributors whose remains rest far away from our area. Today, we recall the teenage recruit of the North West Mounted Police, Fred Bagley, , who comes back to life courtesy of KBPV Vice-President and businessman Dan Crawford.

Tombstone Tales 2023 - Episode 13 - Colonel James Macleod The Ghosts of South-western Alberta's History return each year with Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village's Graveyard Tours.  Held August 26, 2023 at KBPV itself, this year we recalled selected local pioneers and contributors whose remains rest far away from our area. Today, we recall the Commissioner of the North West Mounted Police, whose orders and love of the area provided for the founding of Pincher Creek, courtesy of a member of the Macleod Clan, Devon Macleod.

Episode 291: Jack Fiddler was a chief and shaman among the Anishinaabe in northwestern Ontario. Born around 1839, he became renowned for his abilities in white magic, particularly his claimed power to defeat the Wendigo, a cannibalistic spirit. Fiddler asserted that he had vanquished fourteen Wendigos during his lifetime. Some of these were believed to be sent by enemy shamans, while others were individuals from his community who developed an uncontrollable craving for human flesh. Families often asked him to euthanize a gravely ill loved one to prevent them from becoming Wendigo. In 1907, the North-West Mounted Police arrested Jack and his brother Joseph Fiddler for the alleged murder of a woman believed to have turned Wendigo. The arrest was part of a broader effort to impose Canadian law on Indigenous communities. The story garnered significant media attention, with many newspapers sensationalizing the events. Jack Fiddler died by suicide while in custody, and although Joseph went to trial and was convicted, he passed away in 1909, shortly before an order for his release arrived. Sources: Killing the Shamen : Fiddler, Thomas | Internet Archive Windigo | The Canadian Encyclopedia Wendigo Lore by Chad Lewis and Kevin Lee Nelson Canadian Mysteries of the Unexplained by John Marlowe - Ebook Dangerous Spirits: The Windigo in Myth and History - Ebook Biography – ZHAUWUNO-GEEZHIGO-GAUBOW – Volume XIII (1901-1910) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography Biography – PEEMEECHEEKAG – Volume XII (1891-1900) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography (PDF) Wendigo Psychosis The Windigo in the Material World on JSTOR The Power to Punish: Conflicts of Authority in the Case of Jack Fiddler | Deborah Rose Peña | The Hypocrite Reader Windigo of First Nations oral tradition — fearsome and loathsome creature Free Press Prairie Farmer 23 Oct 1907, page 8 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Ron's Amazing Stories the theme is the canine. We will begin the show with a review of the audiobook Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O'Neal. Then we tell Jeremy's strange story that takes place in the deserts of New Mexico. Our featured story comes from the Canadian Mounted Police, and we end the show with a brand new Johnny Is It True - Werewolf Edition. So press that play button and enjoy the show. Featured Story - The Pack-Rat Nest Our featured story for this week is all about a dog. It comes from the classic OTR series Challenge Of The Yukon. Sergeant William Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police and his lead sled dog, Yukon King, fight evildoers in the Northern wilderness during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. These stories are well told and the quality of the sound is phenomenal. Our tale is titled The Pack-Rat Nest and might just be the most complete crime story I have heard from old time radio. It first aired on May 13, 1952. Other Stories Include - Murder At The Mountain Lodge, Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses, The Howl In The Desert, The Pack-Rat Nest, and Johnny Is It True - Werewolf Edition Ron's Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible - You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at   and - Good Treats for your dog to eat. Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you're from. I will read it if I can. Links are below. Program Info: Ron's Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from , stream it on or on the mobile version of . Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on . Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this . Social Links: Contact Links:

The Bill Kelly Show Podcast: Topics Include: ·       Expanded election days ·       David Johnston to reveal if public inquiry is needed on foreign interference ·       And more… GUEST: Dr. Lori Turnbull, Director of the School of Public Administration with Dalhousie University - May 23, 2023 marks 150 years since a bill passed through Parliament and received Royal Assent establishing the North-West Mounted Police, which would eventually become the RCMP. What began as a 300-person corps in the West has grown into an internationally recognized organization of more than 30,000 people serving Canadians from coast to coast to coast and supporting international policing and peacekeeping activities. But, there's a belief among some that Canada should dismantle the RCMP in the face of the scandal and criticism that plague the force. Is it time? GUEST: Christian Leuprecht, Professor at both the Royal Military College of Canada and Queen's University, and a Fellow at the Macdonald Laurier Institute - Topics Include: ·        U.S Debt Ceiling ·        DeSantis expected to enter2024 presidential race new week ·        And more…. GUEST: Reggie Cecchini, Washington Correspondent for Global News

February 9, 1936 - Jack Benny and the gang have returned home to New York after almost a year in California. They mention the Winter Olympics in Germany, and the actor Cary Grant. Mary Livingstone writes a play about The North-West Mounted Police.

Lux Radio Theatre, sometimes spelled Lux Radio Theater, a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company [ABC] in 1943–1945); CBS Radio network (Columbia Broadcasting System) (1935–54), and NBC Radio (1954–55). Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays during its first two seasons before it began adapting films. These hour-long radio programs were performed live before studio audiences. The series became the most popular dramatic anthology series on radio, broadcast for more than 20 years and continued on television as the Lux Video Theatre through most of the 1950s. The primary sponsor of the show was Unilever through its Lux Soap brand. Listen to our radio station Old Time Radio https://link.radioking.com/otradio Listen to other Shows at My Classic Radio https://www.myclassicradio.net/Podcast Service I Recommend https://redcircleinc.grsm.io/entertainmentradio7148 Remember that times have changed, and some shows might not reflect the standards of today's politically correct society. The shows do not necessarily reflect the views, standards, or beliefs of Entertainment Radio

The year when Harriet Brooks was born, it was also the year that the Sioux began to come into Canada with Sitting Bull, Fort Macleod became the North West Mounted Police headquarters and Treaty 6 was signed. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Donate: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/craigU Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) E-mail: craig@canadaehx.com Twitter: twitter.com/craigbaird Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnhistoryehx YouTube: youtube.com/c/canadianhistoryehx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The year 1873 saw the admission of Prince Edward Island into Confederation, the signing of Treaty 3 and one of the worst scandals in Canadian history, the Pacific Scandal. This would see the resignation of Sir John A. Macdonald and the rise of Alexander Mackenzie, our second Prime Minister. It was also the year of the Cypress Hills Massacre and the creation of the North West Mounted Police. Boris Fundraiser: https://gofund.me/e2b58b58 Sublime Lime: https://www.sublimelime.ca/canadaehx Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Donate: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/craigU Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) E-mail: craig@canadaehx.com Twitter: twitter.com/craigbaird Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnhistoryehx YouTube: youtube.com/c/canadianhistoryehx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In which we use Guy Vanderhaeghe's novel 'The Englishman's Boy' to discuss the Cypress Hills Massacre (1873) and how, in its aftermath, Canada fast-tracked the creation of the North-West Mounted Police. --- Support: Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/historiacanadiana); Paypal (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/historiacanadiana); the recommended reading page (https://historiacanadiana.wordpress.com/books/) --- Contact: historiacanadiana@gmail.com, Twitter (@CanLitHistory) & Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/CanLitHistory). --- Sources & Further Reading: Calder, Alison. "Unsettling the West: Nation and Genre in Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Englishman's Boy." Studies in Canadian Literature / Études en littérature canadienne, volume 25, number 2, fall 2000, p. 96–107. https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/scl25_2art05 Dempsey, Hugh A. “Cypress Hills Massacre.” The Montana Magazine of History, vol. 3, no. 4, 1953, pp. 1–9. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4515883. Janes, Daniela. “Truth and History: Representing the Aura in The Englishman's Boy.” Studies in Canadian Literature / Études en littérature canadienne, volume 27, number 1, spring 2002, p. 88–104. https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/scl27_1art07 Macleod, R. C. “North-West Mounted Police.” The Oxford Companion to Canadian History, Oxford University Press, 2004. Vanderhaeghe, Guy. The Englishman's Boy, London: Anchor, 1996. Wang, Mei-Chuen. “Wilderness, the West and the national imaginary in Guy Vanderhaeghe's The Englishman's Boy.” British Journal of Canadian Studies (2013), 26, (1), pp. 21–38. https://doi.org/10.3828/bjcs.2013.2 Zacharias, Robert. “A Desire for the Real: The Power of Film in The Englishman's Boy.” Studies in Canadian Literature / Études en littérature canadienne, vol. 34, no. 2, 2009, pp. 245–263. https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/scl34_2art12

"The Challenge of the Yukon" showcases the brave Husky, King, who helps the North-West Mounted Police officer, Sergeant Preston. Now learn more about the dogs of the 1890's Klondike Gold Rush in our latest Mad Facts conversation featuring Matthew Burd. Find us at: MadisonOnTheAir.com

“The Challenge of the Yukon” started as 15 minute short episodes, so we give you TWO episodes for the price of ONE! “Maw Baker’s Pies” finds Madison working in the 1890’s Gold Rush town of Forty Mile as kitchen help to the beloved local figure, Maw Baker. But when Maw comes into a lot of gold, she becomes the target of a bad element. In “A Pack of Bacon,” Madison suits up as a North West Mounted Police officer, but when her assignment to bring in two outlaws leaves her stranded in the frozen Yukon, she’ll need the assistance of Sergeant Preston and his Wonder Dog, King. TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE: MadisonOnTheAir.com

FULL EPISODE AVAILABLE NOW! "The Challenge of the Yukon" started as 15 minute short episodes, so we give you TWO episodes for the price of ONE! "Maw Baker's Pies" finds Madison working in the 1890's Gold Rush town of Forty Mile as kitchen help to the beloved local figure, Maw Baker. But when Maw comes into a lot of gold, she becomes the target of a bad element. In "A Pack of Bacon," Madison suits up as a North West Mounted Police officer, but when her assignment to bring in two outlaws leaves her stranded in the frozen Yukon, she'll need the assistance of Sergeant Preston and his Wonder Dog, King. MadisonOnTheAir.com

D.L. interviews Daniel Silliman about the Christian romance novel that started it all—Love Comes Softly.  We talk about Oke's Canadian background and how that plays into her writing, as well as the impact her books have had on Christian women and the Christian romance genre as a whole. Daniel is a news editor for Christianity Today and author of Reading Evangelicals. You can follow him on Twitter @danielsilliman Here is an interview with Janette Oke This article on Active History explores how Janette Oke romanticizes the Mounties You can check out this detailed report from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on their role in the Indian residential school system “I was born on the Canadian prairie. I was actually born at home. This sounds really like old, old west. I was born in a little log house. The doctor came out to our place to deliver me. So it sounds really, really old fashioned. I went to a one room country school. So a lot of what I write, it's very much a part of my background–as a teenager, and even younger than that, I was very into the west and the pioneer days. So I read everything I could find on the pioneers. I felt they were a very hearty group of people with a lot of bravery to come out and start making a life on a new frontier. Our Canadian west opened up quite a bit different than the stories that I was reading, which were basically westerns from the U.S. side of the border, in that we had the Northwest Mounted Police—they were at that time—and basically precede the settlers.” “We never had the cowboy and Indian skirmishes and the unsettled west for them to come in. We never had sheriffs in Canada. We have had what is now the RCMP, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and so our pioneers came out to a rather settled area as far as the laws were concerned and oftentimes there were groups of people that sort of came together from a united background, and if you look at our small town around our area and find the oldest church you can pretty well say, ‘Well, that group of settlers came from Germany', ‘That group of settlers came from Sweden', you know. By the oldest church there you can pretty well identify it, so these people came west with deep, personal faith. That changed the whole color of how our west was settled.” We have a website—check it out for more information. You can also find us on Twitter and Instagram. To support our show (we can't do this without you!), join us on Patreon! You'll get access to our monthly patron-only episodes (including the entire backlog), as well as occasional zoom hangouts. You can join this community for as little as $1.50 a month! Cover art by Zech Bard.

Tweet Season 2021 – Talk 08 – The Mounties In The Mounties Richard Thomas tells us about the history of the North West Mounted Police, their people, their legends and their myths. We learn of their important role in bringing law and order to Canada’s North West. Click a thumbnail below to view the image … Continue reading "The Mounties TH 2021 08" The post The Mounties TH 2021 08 appeared first on The MrT Podcast Studio.

Family history research is a lot of trial and error. But how do you know if the record you found actually is for your ancestor? In this episode I give you a quick overview of my research process and then give an example of my research for a Northwest Mounted Police officer who was murdered in 1896. FREE 5 Steps Before You Search minicourseJoin the #AncestorOfTheMonth challengeGet my beginner online course: More Than a Name Connect with me:Instagram @moderngenealogyFacebookWebsiteYouTube 

Original Air Date: April 13, 1942 Host: Andrew Rhynes Show: Western Stories Phone: (707) 98 OTRDW (6-8739) Special Guests: • Preston Foster • Vernon Steele • Pedro De Cordoba • Leo Cleary • Jeanne Darrell • Stanley Farrar • Noreen Gammill • Tyler McVey • Paulette Goddard • Fred MacKaye • Dix Davis • Gary […]

Original Air Date: April 13, 1942 Host: Andrew Rhynes Show: Western Stories Phone: (707) 98 OTRDW (6-8739) Special Guests: • Preston Foster • Vernon Steele • Pedro De Cordoba • Leo Cleary • Jeanne Darrell • Stanley Farrar • Noreen Gammill • Tyler McVey • Paulette Goddard • Fred MacKaye • Dix Davis • Gary […]

Beginning in 1870, supplies, trade goods, immigrants, adventurers—and whiskey—traveled the now-legendary Whoop-Up Trail from Fort Benton to the eponymous Alberta trading post. In Tales of Whoop-Up Country, Great Falls historian and author Ken Robison relates how the absence of law and order forced the Canadian government to create the North-West Mounted Police to close down the whiskey trade and force traders back across the border into Montana.

The Mountie is one of the iconic images of the Klondike Gold Rush, whether in red serge in Dawson or behind a dogsled on a rugged Yukon patrol. We'll talk about the feats that made the reputation of the North-West Mounted Police in the Yukon, and their complicated relationship with First Nations. And we'll get to know Sam Steele, who some call the quintessential Canadian man of action in the Victorian era.

2 1/4 hours of classic old time radio. THE MARRIAGE October 04,1953 PTA-5th Grade Volunteer The Marriage was a vehicle for Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. They alternated viewpoints, Cronyn narrating one week, Tandy the next. It was broadcast on the NBC network Sunday nights at 7:30 pm from October 4, 1953 until March 28, 1954 was based on the play The Four Poster which Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy had previously appeared on Broadway. BLAIR OF THE MOUNTIES February 28, 1938 "Murder at Haggets Landing Part One BLAIR OF THE MOUNTIES March 07, 1938 "Murder at Haggets Landing Part Two Blair of the Mounties is the story of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police -- a fictional series based on the work of the Northwest Mounted Police before the World War I. ACADEMY AWARD THEATER June 22,1946 Front Page With Adolfe Menju THE NEW ADVENTURES OF NERO WOLFE January 19, 1951 "Calculated Risk" With Sydney Greenstreet CREEPS BY NIGHT March 7, 1944, "The Strange Burial Of Alexander Jordan"

Bill Waiser is a western Canadian historian. He has published more than a dozen books– many of them prize-winning. A World We Have Lost: Saskatchewan Before 1905, for example, won the 2016 Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction.  Bill has been appointed to the Order of Canada, awarded the Saskatchewan Order of Merit, elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, named a distinguished university professor, and granted a D.Litt. He was the 2018 recipient of the Royal Society of Canada J.B. Tyrrell medal, presented for “outstanding work” in Canadian history, as well as the 2018 Governor General's History Award for Popular Media: The Pierre Berton Award. We talk about his most recent book In Search of Almighty Voice, Resistance and Reconciliation (Fifth House, 2020), about the life of Almighty Voice - a member of the One Arrow Willow Cree who died violently at the hands of Canada's North-West Mounted Police in 1897 - and how his violent death spawned a succession of conflicting stories — in newspapers, magazines, pulp fiction, plays and film; about how history is written and re-written, and why an 'accurate' depiction of the life and death of Almighty Voice matters.   Clarification: According to Statscan indigenous people make up 4.9% of Canada's population, 16.3% of Saskatchewan's population. 

Whether you know it as the North-West Mounted Police Patrol Trail, the Métis Traders' Road, or the Wood Mountain to Cypress Hills Trek, it's a pilgrimage back in history and across Treaty Four territory.

Lux Radio Theatre, sometimes spelled Lux Radio Theater, a long-run classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later predecessor of American Broadcasting Company [ABC] in 1943 /1945); CBS Radio network (Columbia Broadcasting System) (1935-54), and NBC Radio (1954–55). Initially, the series adapted Broadway plays during its first two seasons before it began adapting films. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sherlock Holmes Radio Station Live 24/7 Click Here to Listen https://live365.com/station/Sherlock-Holmes-Classic-Radio--a91441 -------------------- Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/lux-radio-theatre/donations Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Mountie is one Canada's most enduring symbols. Found on souvenirs from keychains to dish towels, our national police force are icons to the rest of the world. Weird, right? In this episode, we try to figure out how this happened and talk about: the image of the Mountie in early Hollywood, what Irish and Indian resistance to British rule has to do with it, and why young Canada felt a greater need for policing in the West. With the help of Dr. Winona Wheeler, we dive into the early years of the North-West Mounted Police (precursor to the RCMP) and look at their complex relationship with Indigenous people that, for better or worse, continues to this day. *Warning, strong language and content.

Challenge of the Yukon is an American radio adventure series that began on Detroit's WXYZ and is an example of a Northern genre story. The series was first heard on January 3, 1939. The title changed from Challenge of the Yukon to Sergeant Preston of the Yukon in September 1950, and remained under that name through the end of the series and into a television adaptation. Background. Following the success of The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet on Detroit's WXYZ (now WXYT), the station owner, George W. Trendle, asked for a similar adventure show with a dog as the hero. According to WXYZ staffer Dick Osgood, in his history of the station, Trendle insisted that it not be "a dog like Lassie because... this must be an action story. It had to be a working dog." Writer Tom Dougall, who had been influenced by the poems of Robert W. Service, naturally chose a Husky. The dog was originally called Mogo, but after criticism by Trendle, Dougall re-christened the canine King. Dougall likewise created Sgt. Preston and the French-Canadian guide. Fran Striker, who also wrote for The Lone Ranger, contributed show scripts. However, Trendle's criticism of Dougall may have had another reason behind it. Shortly before the two Trendle series aired (Lone Ranger and Challenge of the Yukon), popular author Zane Grey had a book in circulation (The Lone Star Ranger) about a Texas Ranger like the Lone Ranger and a comic book series in circulation (King of the Royal Mounted) about the adventures of Sgt. King, a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman like Sgt. Preston. From 1922 a series of novels by Laurie York Erskine featuring Renfrew of the Royal Mounted warranted enough popularity to begin a radio series of the same title in 1936 and a film series beginning in 1937; the latter featuring a canine sidekick. Challenge of the Yukon began as a 15-minute serial, airing locally from 1938 until May 28, 1947. Shortly thereafter, the program acquired a sponsor, Quaker Oats, and the series, in a half-hour format, moved to the networks. The program aired on ABC from June 12, 1947, to December 30, 1949. It was then heard on The Mutual Broadcasting System from January 2, 1950, through the final broadcast on June 9, 1955. In September 1950, when the show moved to three broadcasts a week, the title was changed to Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. Details. The program was an adventure series about Sergeant Frank Preston of the North-West Mounted Police and his lead sled dog, Yukon King, as they fought evildoers in the Northern wilderness during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. The serial began on radio in 1938 and continued through 1947, after which the series moved to television. The original television program ran from 1947 through 1949 on ABC and was sponsored by Quaker Oats. In January 1951, the radio version was resurrected, running until 1955 , when the show moved once again to television as Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. The show starred Richard Simmons. The theme music was Emil von Reznicek's overture to Donna Diana, an old opera, though the overture remains a concert staple to this day. The show's episodes ended with the official pronouncement, Well, King, this case is closed. Sgt. Preston. Preston, according to radio historian Jim Harmon, first joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to capture his father's killer, and when he was successful, he was promoted to sergeant. Preston worked under the command of Inspector Conrad, and in the early years was often assisted by a French-Canadian guide named Pierre. During the course of the series, Preston successfully puts down a rebellion, and captures assassins. Each episode has him battling a new crisis, whether it be tracking down a murderer, a gang of thieves, or claim jumping miners..

2 1/4 hours of classic old time radio. THE MARRIAGE October 04,1953 PTA-5th Grade Volunteer The Marriage was a vehicle for Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. They alternated viewpoints, Cronyn narrating one week, Tandy the next. It was broadcast on the NBC network Sunday nights at 7:30 pm from October 4, 1953 until March 28, 1954 was based on the play The Four Poster which Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy had previously appeared on Broadway. BLAIR OF THE MOUNTIES February 28, 1938 "Murder at Haggets Landing Part One BLAIR OF THE MOUNTIES March 07, 1938 "Murder at Haggets Landing Part One Blair of the Mounties is the story of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police -- a fictional series based on the work of the Northwest Mounted Police before the World War I. ACADEMY AWARD THEATER June 22,1946 Front Page With Adolfe Menju THE NEW ADVENTURES OF NERO WOLFE January 19, 1951 "Calculated Risk" With Sydney Greenstreet CREEPS BY NIGHT March 7, 1944, "The Strange Burial Of Alexander Jordan"

Along with beavers, maple syrup, and asshole geese, the uniform of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is a renowned national symbol. The Red Surge, beige stetson, blue pants, and riding boots are what make up the image of the Mountie. Their legendary status is now global, as they are the only police force to be municipal, provincial, and federal. The force was romanticized in early black and white films as those bringing law and order to the wild frontier of Canada's west. And as the famous saying goes, "They always get their man." Unlike the films, their history wasn't black and white. When it began as the North-West Mounted Police, it was used as a cheap militia to colonize the newly annexed western territories. This resulted in conflict with the First Nations and Métis populations as they were rounded onto reserves towards the dawn of the new century. When the First World War concluded, they acted as strikebreakers during the growing labour movement, and later as intelligence services at the beginning of the Cold War. They were even the ones at the front of one of the largest manhunts in world history. Their history is long and varied, but not many know the full story. Thus, Pan Historia is proud to sit down and tell the full history   Music: Dudley Do-Right Theme Indian Love Call from Rose Marie

The first of many American prospectors heading north to the Klondike passed through what is now Stewart, British Columbia on this day back in 1898. To learn more about Sam Steele of the North West Mounted Police we spoke with Charlotte Gray author of "Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike".

On this day back in 1920 the The North West Mounted Police merged with the Dominion Police to become the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. To learn more about the history of the NWMP we spoke with Dawn Lauder, the Site Manager of the Fort Museum in Fort McLeod, Alberta.

Fort Kent is just a dot on the map on Northern Alberta on the way to someplace bigger, like the air force base at Cold Lake, but 100 years ago, local folklore says a local doctor, stricken with grief and surrounded by death, succumbed to the Spirit of the Wendigo and began eating his fellow townspeople. 50 years prior and about 200 kms southwest, a Cree guide named Swift Runner was hanged in the Northwest Mounted Police settlement of Fort Saskatchewan for eating 6 of his family members over the course of one winter. Did the hunger spirit, the Wendigo, infect him too? Or was it something else; a psychological condition called Wendigo psychosis? Research links: Fort Kent: https://www.lakelandtoday.ca/opinion/have-you-seen-the-fort-kent-wendigo-1903318 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Kent,_Alberta http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=251021 https://www.ghostvillage.com/encounters/2009/08102009.shtml https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2018/02/exploring-canadian-monsters-alberta/ Swift Runner : http://www.murderpedia.org/male.R/r/runner-swift.htm https://www.glenbow.org/index.cfm http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/cree/ http://www.prairieghosts.com/wendigo.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Saskatchewan https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-wendigo.htm#didyouknowout Social Sites: ThisPeculiarPrairie.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peculiarprairie/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/PeculiarPrairie?s=20 Instragam: https://www.instagram.com/peculiarprairie/?hl=en Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Peculiarprairie SubscribeStar: https://www.subscribestar.com/this-peculiar-prairie Music: A Turn for the Worse - Sadness by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://incompetech.com Longing and Concern by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://incompetech.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/peculiarprairie/message

In this inaugural episode of Farley's Frontier Chronicles, we read Farley Wuth's column of Dec 4 2019, in the newspaper, Shootin' the Breeze.  For the founding Mounties of Pincher Creek, the Christmas season of 1879 was fairly basic, and one of the few breaks from their duties that the policemen received throughout the year.  Email: RadioKBPV@gmail.comwww.kootnaibrown.ca

During the cruel winter of 1878, a gruesome event in Northern Alberta forced Canada's newly-formed Northwest Mounted Police to face a terrible, ancient monster. Today, we chat about the cannibalistic wendigo, its signifigance in the clash between cultures, and how it helped shaped Canadian law.  

The Audio Tour of KBPV continues, with the 1887 cabin structure that served as an outpost or detachment of the North West Mounted Police, situated at the crossing of the Kootenai River, known today as the Waterton River. www.kootenaibrown.caemail: radio.kbpv@gmail.com

The tours of KBPV's Buildings continues with our oldest - the 1878 NWMP Horse Barn - the only surviving remnant of the Remount Farm founded by nine Mounties, that was the founding of the town of Pincher Creek. An account of the founding by Alfred Hardwick Lynch-Staunton is read.www.kootenaibrown.caemail:  radio.kbpv@gmail.com

On Ron’s Amazing Stories we have ghost tales with some high rise goodness thrown in. Sylvia Shults is back with another segment of Ghost Stories With Sylvia. Also, we have two more listener tales, Cowboy’s of the skies and The Night That Ruined My Sleep For Forever. Add in a classic radio story from Challenge of the Yukon to round out the program. Featured Story - No Escape For A Murderer Challenge of the Yukon was a long-running radio series that began on Detroit's WXYZ. It was an adventure series about Sergeant William Preston of the Northwest Mounted Police. It followed his adventures as they fought evildoers in the Northern wilderness during the Gold Rush of the 1890s. In our adventure King goes above and beyond to save his partner and the day in a story called No Escape for a Murderer. It first aired on January 1, 1944. Program Note: Sylvia Shults is a Librarian, Author, and Ghost Hunter. She has spent a lifetime in the pursuit of the weird and the strange. Her non-fiction works include Ghost of the Illinois River, Fractured Spirits, 44 Years in Darkness, Hunting Demons and The Spirits of Christmas. All of her books are available on and you can find out more on her . To view the shadow video that Sylvia spoke of at Pollak Hospital, . Ron’s Amazing Stories is produced and hosted by Ronald Hood: Email: Blog Page: Facebook: Twitter: Helpful Links: - Help the podcast by taking this survey. - Use this link to submit your stories to the show. - Looking for the first 100 episodes of the podcast?

Hearties Marisa Serafini & James Lott Jr. discuss When Calls The Heart Season 6. When Calls the Heart is a Canadian-American television drama series, inspired by Janette Oke's book of the same name from her Canadian West series, and developed by Michael Landon Jr. The series began airing on the Hallmark Channel in the United States on January 11, 2014, and on April 16, 2014 on Super Channel in Canada. The series originally debuted as a two-hour television movie pilot in October 2013, starring Maggie Grace as young teacher Elizabeth Thatcher and Stephen Amell as North West Mounted Police officer Wynn Delaney. In the television series Erin Krakow is cast as her niece, whose name is also Elizabeth Thatcher (played by Poppy Drayton in the movie), and Daniel Lissing plays a Mountie named Jack Thornton, with Lori Loughlin reprising her role as coal mine widow Abigail Stanton. On April 24, 2017, Krakow announced via the Hallmark Channel website that the show would return for a fifth season. The season premiered with a two-hour Christmas special that was broadcast as part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas event, and continues for 10 episodes which began February 18, 2018. RSS Feed: http://www.afterbuzztv.com/aftershows/chesapeake-shores-afterbuzz-tv-aftershow/feed/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Hearties Marisa Serafini & James Lott Jr. discuss When Calls The Heart Season 6. The two discuss the introduction of the new "scoundrel" in town, Lucas Bouchard, Clara gets a new job much to Jesse's dismay, Elizabeth helps teaches Timmy how to ride a bike, and Abigail makes a risky investment with Gowan. When Calls the Heart is a Canadian-American television drama series, inspired by Janette Oke's book of the same name from her Canadian West series, and developed by Michael Landon Jr. The series began airing on the Hallmark Channel in the United States on January 11, 2014, and on April 16, 2014 on Super Channel in Canada. The series originally debuted as a two-hour television movie pilot in October 2013, starring Maggie Grace as young teacher Elizabeth Thatcher and Stephen Amell as North West Mounted Police officer Wynn Delaney. In the television series Erin Krakow is cast as her niece, whose name is also Elizabeth Thatcher (played by Poppy Drayton in the movie), and Daniel Lissing plays a Mountie named Jack Thornton, with Lori Loughlin reprising her role as coal mine widow Abigail Stanton. On April 24, 2017, Krakow announced via the Hallmark Channel website that the show would return for a fifth season. The season premiered with a two-hour Christmas special that was broadcast as part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas event, and continues for 10 episodes which began February 18, 2018. RSS Feed: http://www.afterbuzztv.com/aftershows/chesapeake-shores-afterbuzz-tv-aftershow/feed/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Hearties Marisa Serafini & James Lott Jr. discuss When Calls The Heart Season 6. The two discuss the season 6 premiere where the town expects the very first phone call, Bill and Gowan might go into business together by buying the saloon, Laura works for her prosperous career, and Jesse starts building his future with Clara. When Calls the Heart is a Canadian-American television drama series, inspired by Janette Oke's book of the same name from her Canadian West series, and developed by Michael Landon Jr. The series began airing on the Hallmark Channel in the United States on January 11, 2014, and on April 16, 2014 on Super Channel in Canada. The series originally debuted as a two-hour television movie pilot in October 2013, starring Maggie Grace as young teacher Elizabeth Thatcher and Stephen Amell as North West Mounted Police officer Wynn Delaney. In the television series Erin Krakow is cast as her niece, whose name is also Elizabeth Thatcher (played by Poppy Drayton in the movie), and Daniel Lissing plays a Mountie named Jack Thornton, with Lori Loughlin reprising her role as coal mine widow Abigail Stanton. On April 24, 2017, Krakow announced via the Hallmark Channel website that the show would return for a fifth season. The season premiered with a two-hour Christmas special that was broadcast as part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas event, and continues for 10 episodes which began February 18, 2018. RSS Feed: http://www.afterbuzztv.com/aftershows/chesapeake-shores-afterbuzz-tv-aftershow/feed/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Hearties Marisa Serafini & James Lott Jr. discuss When Calls The Heart Season "The Greatest Christmas Special" with special guest, Paul Greene! In this episode they discuss Orphans, Cookies, and the birth of baby Jack! When Calls the Heart is a Canadian-American television drama series, inspired by Janette Oke's book of the same name from her Canadian West series, and developed by Michael Landon Jr. The series began airing on the Hallmark Channel in the United States on January 11, 2014, and on April 16, 2014 on Super Channel in Canada. The series originally debuted as a two-hour television movie pilot in October 2013, starring Maggie Grace as young teacher Elizabeth Thatcher and Stephen Amell as North West Mounted Police officer Wynn Delaney. In the television series Erin Krakow is cast as her niece, whose name is also Elizabeth Thatcher (played by Poppy Drayton in the movie), and Daniel Lissing plays a Mountie named Jack Thornton, with Lori Loughlin reprising her role as coal mine widow Abigail Stanton. On April 24, 2017, Krakow announced via the Hallmark Channel website that the show would return for a fifth season. The season premiered with a two-hour Christmas special that was broadcast as part of Hallmark's Countdown to Christmas event, and continues for 10 episodes which began February 18, 2018. RSS Feed: http://www.afterbuzztv.com/aftershows/chesapeake-shores-afterbuzz-tv-aftershow/feed/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

A New Review of the Podcast Before I reprise the story of Crowfoot, I wanted to give a shout out to an iTunes listener with the screen name Jul121314 in the U.S. for the kind review. The review is titled "Great Storytelling". They continue saying: "Love listening to the stories - current and historical. I love the Canadian Rockies and this podcast gives me a much deeper understanding. " Thank you so much. Those that know me will tell you that I'm always trying to find the "story" hidden within a subject. Science and history are full of fascinating stories, and my goal with this show is to make sure that you always have a great story to enjoy. Crowfoot and Treaty 7 In last week's episode, I introduced you to the Blackfoot Chief Crowfoot. He was born at a time when the Blackfoot ruled the plains from Cypress Hills to the Continental Divide and from Montana to the North Saskatchewan River. If you haven't listened to that episode, you can enjoy it at www.MountainNaturePodcast.com/ep062. When I wrapped the episode, the Northwest Mounted Police had marched westward to chase away whiskey traders that had invaded Canadian territory from Montana. Crowfoot was happy the government would remove the whiskey that had ravaged his people, but he still wanted to better understand the role of the Mounties on Blackfoot territory. Once the Mounties were settled into their camp at Fort MacLeod, Colonel Macleod requested a meeting with the leaders of the Blackfoot Nation. When the meeting finally took place, and the leaders of the Blackfoot, Blood, and Piegan were gathered, Crowfoot asked Macleod to help the people understand the role of the police in their territory. By the time Crowfoot left Fort Macleod, he felt a strong affinity to the Colonel. Both understood the importance of peaceful relations and Crowfoot had already seen how the police were able to put an end to the trade of whiskey to his people. Crowfoot also felt Macleod was a man of his word. It was a precarious time for the nations of the Confederacy, and trust was critical if they were to move forward. Crowfoot saw this as a sign that the old ways had to change. He began to discourage his followers from raiding enemy camps to steal horses. The era of intertribal warfare would need to end. On the short term, the fortunes of the nations of the Blackfoot improved. With the expulsion of the whiskey trade, the Blackfoot Nation began to rebound. Rather than booze, they once again began to trade for horses and other goods necessary for their people. Despite this short-term feeling of complacency, Crowfoot saw disheartening changes within their territory. What had started as a trickle, was gradually becoming a flood of white men into Blackfoot territory. At the same time, the once plentiful buffalo were beginning to decline. For a nation so culturally tied to the previously endless herds of bison, Crowfoot imagined a time when the buffalo may no longer roam the plains. As incomprehensible as it would have been to him a few years earlier, Crowfoot worried for the future of his people. Reverend MacDougall, Crowfoots long-trusted friend explained that other First Nations had signed treaties with the Canadian government and that these treaties would ensure the rights of the Blackfoot by spelling out their claims to what must have felt like an endlessly shrinking landscape. It's likely that Crowfoot could not have any real concept of what a treaty would mean for his people, as well as what they would be giving up. What he did know was that more whites came every year and along with them fewer buffalo were available to hunt. It was only a matter of time before once endless herds were a memory and he knew there needed to be some agreement with the government of the whites. There was ample reason to be sceptical of any treaty with the government. The southern members of the Blackfoot Nation signed a treaty with the American government in 1855. It wasn't long before it became obvious it wasn't worth the paper it was written upon. Monies due were never on time, the quality of the promised supplies continually dropped over time, and more settlers meant the government continually insisted on changing terms of agreements already signed. When gold was discovered in Montana in the 1860s, the trickle of white settlers became a torrent. This led the Bloods and Piegan to defend their territory prompting Americans to send in the cavalry. The "Blackfoot War" as the dispute became known was finally settled when the Cavalry slaughtered 173 Piegan in an undefended camp. Most of the victims were women and children. When the Mounties arrived in the west, several of the Chiefs that would be asked to sign the Canadian Treaty were also signatories of the disastrous American one as well. Late in 1875, Crowfoot called a council of chiefs to discuss the possibility of a treaty with the Canadians. Along with all five head chiefs representing the three tribes, an additional 10 minor chiefs took part. They created a petition which was presented at the newly built Fort Calgary. They complained that white settlers were homesteading without restriction, usually in the best hunting grounds, and that incursions were increasingly common with Cree and mixed-blood Metis that were also hunting buffalo in their territory. Since no Indian Commissioner had been sent to them, they insisted that one: "visit us this summer at the Hand Hills and [state] the time of his arrival there, so we could meet with him and hold a Council for putting a [stop] to the invasion of our country, till our Treaty be made with the government." South of the border, a treaty with the Sioux, like the Blackfoot Treaty of 1855, had been signed in 1868, giving them hunting rights along the North Platte River and east of the Bighorn Mountains. Whites were to be excluded as long as there was good hunting for the Sioux. Well, all of that quickly fell apart when gold was found in the Black Hills in 1874. Prospectors flooded Sioux lands, and despite the pleas of the Sioux that the government honour the treaty, they were instead met with soldiers of the United States Cavalry. When the Sioux rebelled, the cavalry led by General George Crook, descended upon a large gathering of Cheyenne and Sioux along the Powder River. The carnage forced many to surrender and return to their reservation, but it also radicalized many who moved west to gather their strength for the coming conflict. Central to this was the great Sioux chief Sitting Bull. He sought to build a broad alliance, among both friend and enemy, to fight a common foe. Emissaries were sent to neighbouring tribes to seek allies in the coming conflict. One of these messengers was sent to the camp of Crowfoot. He offered a gift of tobacco, as well as horses, mules, and should they defeat the Americans, white women slaves. They also promised that once the Cavalry were defeated, they would ride north to rid the plains of the white men. The police were few and the people of the plains were many. Crowfoot needed little time to turn down offers of war with the whites, particularly with the Sioux who had long been their enemies. His message was met with a threat. The Sioux were strong and had a plan to destroy the soldiers; then they would come for the Blackfoot along with the police. As is often the case, timing is everything. When the news of the threat arrived in Crowfoot's camp, Inspector Cecil Denny happened to be present. Crowfoot shared with him the entire story. Denny promised the protection of the police to the Blackfoot, and Crowfoot offered 2000 warriors should the Sioux march north. The year was 1876 and Crowfoot stated: "we all see that the day is coming when the buffalo will all be killed, And we shall have nothing more to live on…  Then you'll come into our camp and see the poor Blackfoot starving.  I know that the heart of the capital white soldier will be sorry for us, and they will tell the great mother who will not let her children starve. We are getting shut in.  The Crees are coming into our country from the north, and the white men from the south and east, and they are all destroying our means of living; but still, although we plainly see these days coming, we will not join the Sioux against the whites, but will depend upon you to help us." This speech impressed Denny who sent a copy to Queen Victoria who personally responded to the chief to thank him for his loyalty. While this was playing out in Canada, Sitting Bull had already routed General George Armstrong Custer at the Little Bighorn in Montana. However, rather than following up on their threats, the Sioux realized their time in American territory was finished and they fled north into the Cypress Hills within Canadian territory. Sitting Bull, who had threatened to wipe the Mounties from the landscape, instead assured these same Mounties that he would break no laws in Canada. Again, Sitting Bull sent gifts of tobacco to Crowfoot's camp. This time the message was one of peace and friendship. The chief refused to smoke the tobacco until he understood Sitting Bull's true intentions. To his surprise, a party of Sioux, including Sitting Bull himself arrived at his camp. They both pledged peace and smoked the tobacco. The following year, the Canadian Government arranged to negotiate a treaty with the Blackfoot. Colonel James Macleod and Lieutenant Governor David Laird were appointed as commissioners charged with negotiating a treaty with the nations of the Confederacy. The presence of Sitting Bull in Canadian territory helped hasten the urgency of cementing a positive arrangement with such a powerful nation. At the same time, cattle were beginning to make their presence known on the plains and many envious eyes were looking westward towards the plentiful grasslands of Alberta, or what would eventually be Alberta. To complicate matters, in 1872 the government had promised a railroad link to British Columbia to connect it with the rest of the nation. This meant that a ribbon of steel would have to cross the country; the territory of the Blackfoot lay smack dab along the future line. As the various groups of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Sarcee, and Stoney nations gathered, Commissioner Laird summarized the changing conditions on the plains: “in a very few years, the buffalo will probably be all destroyed, and for this reason, the queen wishes to help you to live in the future in some other way.  She wishes you to allow her white children to come and live on your land and raise cattle, and should you agree to this she will assist you to raise cattle and grain, and thus give you the means of living when the buffalo are no more.  She will also pay you and your children money every year, which you can spend as you please.” His speech essentially asked them to share their hunting grounds in return for some land, cows, potatoes, ammunition and a whopping $5.00 per year. In return, they would be signing a treaty that would essentially strip them of their rightful ownership of their traditional territories; territories won through generations of war, blood, and sacrifice. Laird had little empathy for these first nations and often belittled claims that, to the Blackfeet, were not trivial matters. One of the Blood Chiefs, Medicine Calf had already signed one treaty - with the Americans. He saw that treaty continually broken and the terms ignored. He spoke: “the Great Mother sent you to this country, and we hope she will be good to us for many years…  The Americans gave at first large bags of flour, sugar, and many blankets; the next year was only half the quantity, and the following year grew less and less, and now they give only a handful of flour." When he asked about compensation for firewood used by the police and settlers, Laird responded: “Why, you Indians ought to pay us for sending these traders in fire water away and giving you security and peace, rather than we pay you for the timber used.”… The negotiations were hard and contentious. The many leaders of the various nations all had different ideas of what would be necessary to sign a treaty. According to one story, a white man spread a line of dollars on a table and informed Crowfoot that this was the currency by which the white man traded…not skins. Crowfoot took a handful of clay, made a ball, and placed it in the fire. He then looked to the white man and said: “Now put your money on the fire and see if it will last as long as the clay.” When the white man responded that his money will burn, Crowfoot retorted: "Oh your money is not as good as our land, is it? The wind will blow it away; the fire will burn it; water will rot it. Nothing will destroy our land. You don’t make a very good trade.” The chief handed the white man a handful of sand and asked him to count the number of grains of sand. When the white man admitted that he couldn't possibly count every grain, Crowfoot replied: “Very well, our land is more valuable than your money. It will last forever. It will not perish as long as the sun shines and the water flows, and through all the years it will give life to men and animals, and therefore we cannot sell the land. It was put there by the Great Spirit and we cannot sell it because it does not really belong to us. You can count your money and burn it with a nod of a buffalo’s head, but only the Great Spirit can count the grains of sand and the blades of grass on these plains. As a present, we will give you anything you can take with you, but we cannot give you the land.” Crowfoot showed that he truly understood the idea of ownership, but it is debatable as to whether he truly comprehended what the loss of all their land would mean to the Blackfoot. As negotiations continued to drag on, there were rumours that the northern Piegan were pondering massacring the government representatives. Crowfoot was against any violence towards the commission. The situation began to improve when the remainder of the leaders of the Blood tribe finally arrived at the treaty site. As the last of the great chiefs of the Confederacy arrived, even though the negotiations were difficult, the presence of the entire nation in one place helped raise spirits. Crowfoot consulted a medicine man for whom he had great respect. When asked if he should sign a treaty, the response was: “I want to hold you back because I am at the edge of the bank.  My life is at its end.  I hold you back because your life henceforth will be different from what it has been.  Buffalo makes your body strong.  What you will eat from this money will have your people buried all over these hills.  You will be tied down, you will not wander the plains; the whites will take your land and fill it.  You won’t have your own free will; the whites will lead you by a halter.  That’s why I say don’t sign.  But my life is old, so sign if you want to.  Go ahead and make the treaty.”… In the end, the various chiefs trusted Crowfoot to make the final decision as to whether they should sign. Finally, Crowfoot rose to speak: “While I speak, be kind and patient.  I have to speak for my people, who are numerous, and who rely upon me to follow that course which in the future will tend to their good.  The plains are large and wide.  We are the children of the plains.  It is our home, and the buffalo has been our food always.  I hope you look upon the Blackfeet, Bloods, and Sarcees as your children now, and that you will be indulgent and charitable to them.  They all expect me to speak now for them, and I trust the Great Spirit will put into their breasts to be a good people into the minds of the men, women and children, and their future generations... The advice given me and my people has proved to be very good.  If the police had not come to the country, where would we all be now?  Bad men and whiskey were killing us so fast that very few, indeed, of us would have been left today.  The police have protected us as the feathers of the bird protected from the frosts in winter.  I wish them all good, and trust that all our hearts will increase in goodness from this time forward.  I am satisfied.  I will sign the treaty.” With Crowfoot's words, the other chiefs also made their mark upon the treaty. The next order of business was to decide where their reserves would be located. Crowfoot believed that a single large reserve would help to keep their nation strong and strengthen their negotiating power with the whites. When there was no resistance he selected a long strip of land four miles wide extending some 320 km east into buffalo country. While the whites wanted the Blackfoot to take up farming, Crowfoot could not see his people surviving by "scratching the land" to grow food. He picked rich hunting grounds, but poor land for farming. Crowfoot was the first to sign. He expressed the concerns many of the Blackfoot had: “Great Father!  Take pity on me with regard to my country, with regard to the mountains, the hills and the valleys; with regard to the prairies, the forest and the waters; with regard to all the animals that inhabit them, and do not take them from myself and my children forever.” After Crowfoot, all the other chiefs, true to their word to him, also made their mark on the treaty. A missionary that was present at the signing, Father Scollen, was later asked if he thought the Blackfoot understood the magnitude of the document they had signed. He replied: “Did these Indians, or do they now, understand the real nature of the treaty made between the Government and themselves in 1877?  My answer to this question is unhesitatingly negative… Crowfoot, who beyond a doubt, is considered the leading chief of the plains, did not seem to have a faint notion of the meaning of the treaty…  All the other chiefs followed Crowfoot, and the substance of their speeches was that they agreed with him in all that he said…” How could they understand the implications of the treaty? Interpreters whose job it was to explain the terms had no words that would help the chiefs truly understand the concept of giving up vast territories to be settled on tiny plots of land. The Blackfoot would soon learn what signing this treaty meant. For generations, they had relied on winter snows to force the bison towards their winter hunting grounds in the foothills. This year the snows didn't come. Instead, winter fires on the prairies forced the bison to stay north of the Cypress Hills. The Blackfoot, as they had always done, had no choice but to follow the herds. Soon they found themselves on the edge of their territory and within spitting distance of their traditional enemies the Crees, Assiniboines, and Sioux. The winter was very difficult and starvation was a regular visitor to the camps. Sitting Bull once again visited Crowfoots camp and, while Crowfoot had no issues with the great chief, he advised that the Sioux stay away from their camps in such stressful times. He was worried that he would not be able to control his warriors. While spring brought a few buffalo back to the plains, Crowfoot could see that the future would no longer see them as master of territories occupied by vast numbers of buffalo. The bison were fewer and fewer and the many competing nations were all desperate for the same few animals. Crowfoot also learned that his friend Red Crow, chief of the Bloods, had decided, against the advice of Crowfoot, that he wanted a reserve farther south. This meant the joint reserve Crowfoot hoped for would not happen, and the single voice they might have with the government would now be partitioned. Crowfoot felt betrayed by his friend Colonel Macleod who had approved the request by Red Crow. He knew that this would weaken the power of the Blackfoot and was sure there was treachery on the part of the commission. The next winter was no better. The bison were scarce and the Blackfeet began to starve. Instead of bison, in desperation, they began to kill anything that was edible, whether it was a rabbit, ground squirrel, mouse, porcupine, or even badgers. If it had meat, it was fair game. Pleas to the government who had previously promised to feed the nation fell on deaf ears. Over the winter, they began to eat the camp dogs, and in time, began to eat anything made of leather, from moccasins, leather bags, and any piece of animal skin that might contain nourishment. The winter was terrible. In addition to the starvation, a party of 1,000 equally weak Crees camped just a few miles away. After a heated argument led to one of the Cree being killed, they finally moved on. Finally, in July of 1879, Edgar Dewdney was appointed as Indian Commissioner. He heard the pleas of Three Bulls and the other Blackfeet and brought beef along with flour and tea to offer relief to the starving. As he reported: “On arriving there, I found about 1300 Indians in a very destitute condition and many on the verge of starvation.  Young men who were known to be Stout and  hearty fellows some six months ago, were quite emaciated and so weak they could hardly work; the old people and widows, who, with their children live on the charity of the younger and more prosperous, had nothing, and many a pitiable tale was told of the misery they had endured.” That summer, the Blackfoot were advised by Dewdney and Colonel Macleod that many bison were being seen around the Cypress Hills. The Blackfoot followed their advice and sent the old and sick to Fort Macleod to be cared for by the police. As it turns out, those headed to the fort would fare far better than the warriors that headed out to hunt as their forefathers had done before them. As they approached Cypress Hills, Crowfoot met his foster brother Three Bulls who told him the animals that had previously been there had now moved out of the area. American hide hunters had set fires south of the border to prevent the normal northward migration of the buffalo, trapping them south of the border. While Crowfoot had never taken his people south of the American border before, the southern Piegan had always hunted there. Crowfoot had no choice but to head south into unknown territory. Unfortunately, his reputation preceded him and his arrival was heralded by a scalding news story in the American media: “Crowfoot has always been the leader of noted murderers, and is responsible for the death of more than one emigrant and prospector, yet this red butcher has been the pet of the Mounted Police ever since the latter arrived in the country” It hurts me to share quotes like this, but it's necessary to show the difference between Canadian and American views towards First Nations. At the same time, it was the Canadian government, with whom the Blackfoot had signed treaties with the promise of fair treatment and supplies of food, that had forced them to be there in the first place. The Americans resented the presence of so-called Canadian Indians and they had a good reason. Dewdney, in private correspondence, admitted as much: “I advised them strongly to go and gave them some provisions to take them off.  They continued to follow the buffalo further and further south until they reached the main herd and there they remained…  I consider their remaining away saved the government $100,000 at least.” Americans saw their territory swarmed by natives of every affiliation, from Blackfeet to Sarcee to Gros Ventres, and on and on. Each of these nations had no other choice, except starvation. The bison were quickly vanishing and these were all people of the bison. In addition to the scorn and risk of cavalry attacks from travelling south of the border, suddenly they were back in the lands of the whiskey trader. No sooner were their bellies full, did the whiskey wagons arrive in their camps. Suddenly, in addition to the whiskey, there was a new voice trying to whisper into their heads, a Metis by the name of Louis Riel. Riel had been a leader of the Metis when confederation transferred the lands of the Red River Settlement to the fledgeling Canadian government. He understood that the transfer of lands would be done with little consultation to the first nations and Metis that were already living there. In 1869, when the government sent surveyors to partition and run the area, Riel led his people in a rebellion. The government sent out soldiers and Riel fled to the U.S. to escape prosecution where he continued to promote mixed-blood rights. His resistance led to the founding of the province of Manitoba, and despite living in exile, he was elected three times to the federal government in absentia. Also in his absence, his colleague Father Nol Ritchot, managed to stare down John A. Macdonald and his Conservatives in negotiations and have the province of Manitoba established in May of 1870 while Riel was still in hiding. It was just a tiny postage stamp in terms of its present size. While merely one-eighteenth the size of modern-day Manitoba, it accomplished its goals of protecting the Red River settlement and the Metis for whom Riel had fought. Riel was gone from the political scene in Manitoba, but he was still working to coordinate a much larger rebellion that would take control of the Northwest Territories. While in Montana, Riel met with Crowfoot. As Crowfoot described the meeting: “He wanted me to join with all the Sioux, and the Crees, and half-breeds.  The idea was to have a general uprising and capture the North-West, and hold it for the Indian race and the Métis [mixed-bloods].  We were to meet at Tiger Hills, in Montana; we were to have a government of our own.  I refused, but the others were willing…” Riel had persuasive words, but Crowfoot could see they led only to ruin for his people. Like Sitting Bull a few years earlier, he was able to see past the passion and the fervour to the ruinous results. Somehow, despite being starved into another country, he still had confidence in the Mounted Police. In his conversations with Riel, there was an interpreter present, a false-priest by the name of  Jean L’Heureux. While L'Heureux had never been ordained as a priest, he roamed the plains preaching the gospel. Despite this official stature as a false-priest, others like Father Lacombe hired him as an interpreter due to the very close relationship with the first nations of the plains, in particular, the Blackfoot. He was a confidant of Crowfoot and he described Riel's words: “I soon learned the whole plan of the affair, which was nothing less than the invasion and taking possession of the North-West Territories, with the help of a general uprising of all the Indian tribes, united to the half-breeds…  That R…was to be governor, and Riel the first minister of his cabinet, where a seat was to be given to the Indian chief who, with his people, would help the half-breeds most in the contemplated invasion… Riel planned for his allies to meet at Tiger Hills and from there to march on the Canadians. Unfortunately, the Americans in whose territory Crowfoot's people were currently residing, also heard these stories of war parties. Like Sitting Bull, Crowfoot didn't want anything to do with Riel's rebellion and soon Riel realized that with the Americans aware of his plans, it was best for him to make tracks for the Judith Basin in Montana and talk no more…for now of rebellion. Oddly enough, Sitting Bull also met with Crowfoot in Montana. He had slipped south of the border as he had done numerous times to hunt. His people, like the Blackfoot, were also forced south of the Medicine Line in the quest for bison. He wanted no quarrel with the Blackfoot as he knew that he needed to return to Canada as soon as possible. He said to Crowfoot: “my children will be your children and your's mine.  From now on we will never fight again and we will be on the same side at all times.” He even named one of his children Crowfoot. Unfortunately, within days, a Sioux war party raided Crowfoot's camp and stole numerous horses. The two men never spoke again. While Sitting Bull's people were officially still in Canada, the situation for them got increasingly worse. Prime Minister John A Macdonald didn't like having the Sioux warrior on Canadian soil and he believed that Major James Walsh of the fort that bore his name in the Cypress Hills, was too lenient with Sitting Bull. However, Walsh had gained a great respect for the old Chief, as long as he kept his people peaceful. Macdonald had Walsh transferred to Fort Qu’Appelle, some 250 km distant. He was replaced by an officious inspector Lief N.F. (‘Paddy’) Crozier. He was instructed to convince Sitting Bull to go back to the U.S. Finally, in July of 1881, Sitting Bulls remaining followers rode south and surrendered at Fort Buford on the Yellowstone River. In the meantime, Walsh had taken vacation time and travelled to Chicago to meet with an American Indian Agent with whom he was friends. He pleaded for fair treatment for the Sioux. Sitting Bull was imprisoned for 20 months at Fort Randall in South Dakota and was freed in May of 1883. The following year, while touring Canada and the U.S. he met Annie Oakley. The Minnesotan sharpshooter deeply impressed the old chief and he adopted her as his daughter, giving her the name "Little Sure Shot". She continued to use that name throughout her career. He joined the Wild West Show of Buffalo Bill Cody in 1885 but only stayed for four months before returning to his reserve at Standing Rock. Around this time, a new native religious movement called the ghost dance became popular. The military was fearful of it and became convinced that Sitting Bull was an instigator. They ordered him arrested and during the scuffle, the old chief, along with numerous other Sioux, were killed. The plains had lost another great chief and songs of mourning filled the air at Standing Rock. Like Crowfoot, Sitting Bull was a man trapped in time. He was from a once proud and powerful nation that saw his way of life destroyed. While he chose a different path than Crowfoot, he did so with the conviction that he was doing what was best for his people. Next week, I'll finish the story of Crowfoot and the Blackfoot as they are eventually forced back to Canada amidst Cavalry threats, sickness, and starvation. Yellow Ladyslipper Orchid A few episodes back, in episode 60, I talked about the Calypso orchid and how it tricked bumblebee queens into pollinating it without providing any nectar reward. This week, I want to look at another related orchid, the yellow ladyslipper orchid. Orchids are a very old family of plants, and along with the dandelion or daisy family, represent the two largest plant families on the planet. There are more than 28,000 different orchid species on the planet today. Each one has evolved a slightly different strategy to attract their specific pollinator. Few plant families have diversified as much as the orchids in order to attract a very specific insect to act as courier to transplant pollen from one flower to another.  Orchids are also part of the major plant group called monocotyledon. This includes most of the grasses and sedges, along with lilies and irises. Monocots, as they are commonly referred, usually have grass-like leaves, with the veins running parallel to the leaf margin. Their petals are also usually arranged in multiples of threes, for instance, three or six petals. Most flowers reward pollinators with treats of nectar or pollen. Pollen is one of nature's most perfect foods. It contains everything that a honey bee needs to survive: sugar, proteins, enzymes, minerals and vitamins. The nectar is used to make honey to feed the larvae in the hive. So many plants have evolved specifically to provide one or both of these as a reward for pollinators visiting the plant and taking a bit of pollen to another plant to assist in cross-pollination. Across the orchid family, there are both nectar rewarding species and food deceptors like the Calypso which trick the bee into visiting but leave them hungry when they leave. Most orchids have three petals and three sepals. Unlike most plants though, where the sepals are usually nondescript, in orchids, often the sepals look just like the petals. This is particularly true of the ladyslippers. The yellow ladyslipper has three sepals that resemble the petals. One rises vertically above the plant and the other two fall behind and below the flower. It also has three petals, although the third one is modified into the pouch so distinctive in ladyslipper orchids. The other two petals, which resemble the sepals, tend two twist and curve forward as if they were the shoelaces that would tie the slipper onto the imaginary foot was this really a slipper. Above the pouch is a yellow triangular structure used to guide the bees into the pouch. Just in case they need further direction, there are purple markings that literally point down on the lip. To the bee, this means "follow this arrow to get pollen and/or nectar". Unfortunately for the bee, it gets neither. Like the Calypso, the yellow ladyslipper doesn't produce any nectar for the production of honey. That's alright, then a feed of pollen will do just fine. Unfortunately for the bee, the pollen of these orchids is all packed together into a single sticky mass. This allows a single bee visit to produce thousands of tiny seeds. When the bee follows the arrow on the lip into the pouch, it becomes trapped. Inside the pouch though, there's another series of purple lines that guide the bee towards the rear of the flower where there are two exit points for bees that are the right size. Too large and they may find themselves trapped in the pouch. Tiny angular hairs also serve to nudge the bee in the right direction towards these exits…oh and yah…the orchids reproductive organs. First, it passes the stigma or female part of the plant. If the bee has visited another orchid previously, the sticky pollen mass will be deposited here. Then, just before it exits the flower, an additional pollen mass will be placed on its back where it can't access it for feeding purposes. It will just stick there on the hopes that the bee gets duped once again. Without a pollen or nectar reward, there is little to motivate bees to keep visiting these orchids. That's why allowing a single visit to produce thousands of seeds is a good strategy - it makes every visit count. Why do bees come back? In part because of the seductive fragrance of the flower. It resembles the bees own pheromones. In addition, any bees that have already visited and escaped, leave their scent as well. This also serves to attract other unwitting bees. Once the flower is pollinated, it will produce a hard, vertical pod that contains thousands of tiny, wind-dispersed seeds. Once the seeds are released, for most plants the story would end. They would hopefully find their way to a place with good soil and germination would take place. For orchids, the story is not quite that simple. The seeds of the yellow ladyslipper are tiny and have very little in the way of food reserves. All plants need help in obtaining nutrients from the soil. Their roots need nitrogen and phosphorous to promote growth. Specialized fungi in the soil called mycorrhizal fungi are able to make these minerals available to the plants in return for a little of the sugar produced by the leaves. The fungi wraps itself around and, in some cases, within the roots. The plant provides sugar in return for these essential nutrients. Some 90% of all plants on the planet rely on these beneficial fungi for their growth. There are thousands of species of mycorrhizal fungi, and for most plants, they are not too fussy as to which species their roots associate with. They have sugar to trade, and the fungi have nitrogen. You give me yours and I'll give you mine. Some plants, as in the case of orchids though, are very particular. The yellow ladyslipper only associates with a small number of fungi species. It also needs their help to even germinate. Each of the seeds of the orchid are tiny and lack any food reserves. They need to land on just the right soil, which contains just the right fungi. Before they can germinate, the fungi have to wrap themselves around the seeds and provide not just nitrogen at this stage but also sugars. The plant seed has none so the fungus has to sustain the seeds until they can germinate. Essentially, at this time, the plant is parasitic to the fungus as it's not providing any sugars in return for the nourishment it is taking. Later, as the fungus feeds the seed until it germinates and grows, a period that can take years, The plant will begin to reciprocate and provide sugars to the fungus. In most plant relationships. Essentially, the relationship varies between one of parasitism and one of mutual benefit. Yellow ladyslippers also take hiatuses at different times in their lifespan where they won't sprout at all for several years. During these dormant times, it will, once again, rely on the fungi for nourishment. Unfortunately, this intense reliance on very specific soil fungi means that you can't transplant ladyslippers. The plants produce thousands of seeds specifically because the chance of germination is very rare. Only those few seeds that land in the right place, which contains the right fungal partner, have any chance of survival. It's important to think of orchids as a kind of compound species. The flower is only one component of the living plant. The fungi is intricately wound around and within its roots. One cannot exist without the other. If you see people tempted to dig them up or pick them, please let them know just how fragile these flowers are and that picking them today may mean that we never again get the pleasure of seeing another flower in that location. The more I learn about orchids and the orchid family, the more impressed I am. They are one of the most uniquely diversified group of plants on the planet. Because most don't offer nectar to their pollinators, they have to develop innovative ways of attracting them and making sure that each visit counts. And with that, it's time to wrap this episode up. Remember that Ward Cameron Enterprises is your source for all things Rocky Mountain. We offer nature, hiking, step-on, and photography guides to make sure your visit is a memorable one. Expert guides share the stories behind the scenery. If you'd like to reach out to me personally, you can hit me up on Twitter @wardcameron, or drop me a line at info@wardcameron.com. Don't forget to check out the show notes at www.MountainNaturePodcast.com/ep063 for links to additional information, and while you're there, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss another episode