The 'Frog Lake Massacre' was a
Cree uprising during the
North-West Rebellion. Led by
Wandering Spirit, young Cree warriors attacked the small town near
Frog Lake, Alberta in
April 2,
1885.
Angered by what seemed to be unfair treaties by the
Canadian government and the dwindling
buffalo population, their main source of food,
Big Bear and his Cree decided to rebel after the successful
Métis victory at
Duck Lake. They gathered all the white settlers in the area into the local church. Thomas Quinn, the town's Indian Agent, was killed after a disagreement broke out. The Cree then shot the settlers. Nine people were killed and three were taken as captives.
The massacre prompted the
Canadian government to take notice of the growing unrest in Western
Canada. The rebellion was eventually put down, and Wandering Spirit, the war chief responsible for the Frog Lake Massacre, was hanged.
See also
★
List of conflicts in Canada
Reference
★ Cameron, W. B. (1926). ''The war trail of Big Bear''. Toronto.
''(Account of the massacre by the only white man who survived it)''
External links
★
University of Alberta Libraries
★
Article
★
Wandering Spirit Bio