Frog Lake Massacre: Cree warriors kill nine settlers (1885)

On April 2, 1885, Cree warriors led by Wandering Spirit killed nine settlers at Frog Lake in the North-West Territories. The site, now in Alberta, was then part of the District of Saskatchewan. Wandering Spirit, a Plains Cree war chief, was later executed in 1885.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. Chief Big Bear and his band settled near Frog Lake in late 1884. The settlement was located in the District of Saskatchewan, North-West Territories, about 200 km east of Edmonton. While the broader North-West Rebellion began in March 1885, some researchers suggest the violent actions by Cree in spring 1885 were almost certainly unrelated to the Métis rebellion.

Participants. Wandering Spirit, also known as Kapapamahchakwew, was a war chief of a band of Plains Cree. Most historical knowledge about him begins shortly before the Frog Lake Massacre. He was convicted of murder and hanged in 1885. Chief Big Bear was the leader of the band that settled near Frog Lake.

Aftermath. Two days after the killings, the buildings of the Frog Lake settlement were burned on April 4, 1885. Wandering Spirit was executed on November 27, 1885, as part of the largest mass hanging in Canada's history at Battleford. His body was interred in a mass grave there.

People involved

Sources

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