Sam Steele
Sir Samuel Benfield Steele (5 January 1848 – 30 January 1919) was a Canadian mounted policeman and soldier renowned for enforcing law and order in the western frontier and commanding cavalry in imperial conflicts.[1] Born in Medonte Township, Upper Canada, to a family with naval traditions, Steele enlisted in the militia during the Fenian raids and joined the newly formed North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1873 as one of its third members.[1][2] Steele's NWMP career spanned three decades, during which he participated in the force's 1874 march to the Canadian West, suppressed illicit whiskey trading, aided in negotiating Treaties 6 and 7, and pursued Métis and Cree leaders following the North-West Rebellion of 1885.[1] His most celebrated achievement came in 1898, when as superintendent he led detachments to the Yukon Territory amid the Klondike Gold Rush, implementing strict entry regulations at passes like Chilkoot and Dawson City that curbed chaos and violence, thereby enhancing the NWMP's international reputation for effective policing.[1][3] In 1900, Steele commanded Lord Strathcona's Horse, a Canadian contingent in the Second Boer War, leading it in reconnaissance and skirmishes across South Africa before organizing the South African Constabulary.[1][4] Knighted for his service, he later rose to major-general in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War, training the 2nd Canadian Division in Canada and England but not deploying to the front lines.[1][5] Steele died in London in 1919, leaving a legacy as a symbol of Victorian-era Canadian frontier authority and military discipline.[1]Early Life
Birth and Family Background
Samuel Benfield Steele was born on 5 January 1848 in Purbrook, Medonte Township, Simcoe County, Upper Canada (present-day Ontario).[6][7] He was the eldest child of Captain Elmes Yelverton Steele, a retired officer in the Royal Navy who had immigrated to Upper Canada and served as a member of the provincial legislature, and Anne MacIan Macdonald, Elmes Steele's second wife.[6][8] The Steele family maintained a strong military tradition, with Elmes having commanded ships during the Napoleonic Wars before settling in Canada.[8] Steele's mother died around 1857, when he was approximately nine years old, leaving him and any younger full siblings under their father's care initially.[8] Elmes Steele himself died in 1865, after which Steele resided for a time with his eldest half-brother, John Coucher Steele, from his father's first marriage.[1] The family home at Purbrook reflected the modest circumstances of a naval veteran's post-service life in rural Upper Canada, though Elmes's legislative role provided some local prominence.[6]Childhood and Formative Experiences
Steele spent his childhood at the family homestead in Purbrook, Medonte Township, Simcoe County, Upper Canada (now Ontario), where he received his initial education under family tutelage in a rural pioneer setting.[8][1] His early years were marked by the influence of his father's naval service and legislative role, embedding a sense of discipline amid the challenges of frontier life.[1] In 1858, at age nine, Steele's mother, Anne MacIan Macdonald, died, leaving him orphaned from her side and prompting him to live with his older half-brother, John Steele, who assumed a guardian role.[9] This loss contributed to his early independence, as he transitioned from home-based learning to formal schooling at a private academy in nearby Orillia, completing his basic education there by his mid-teens.[8][1] These experiences in a sparsely settled region honed practical skills in horsemanship and outdoor survival, evident in his later affinity for mounted service, though no formal military training occurred during this period.[10]Pre-NWMP Military Service
Involvement in Fenian Raids
Steele enlisted in the Canadian militia at age 17 in 1866, prompted by the threat of Fenian raids launched by the Irish Republican Brotherhood from the United States.[11] These incursions, including the Battle of Ridgeway on June 2, 1866, aimed to seize Canadian territory to pressure Britain for Irish independence, mobilizing Canadian volunteer forces for defense.[12] He joined the 35th (Simcoe Foresters) Battalion of Infantry as an ensign, serving in defensive preparations amid the raids that targeted Ontario and Quebec borders.[12][11] His unit contributed to the broader militia response, which helped repel the invaders without Steele's battalion engaging in direct combat, as the main Fenian force was defeated by regular troops and local volunteers.[12] During this period, Steele also raised and trained a company for the 31st (Grey) Battalion of Infantry in Clarksburg, Ontario, demonstrating early leadership in frontier militia organization.[11] This service marked Steele's initial exposure to military discipline and marked him for future commissions, though the Fenian threat subsided after 1866 with only minor border incidents until 1870, by which time Steele had shifted focus to the Red River Expedition.[11][12]Red River Expedition
In 1870, the Canadian government dispatched the Wolseley Expedition, comprising British regulars and Canadian militia under Colonel Garnet Wolseley, to assert federal authority over the Red River Settlement following the Métis-led provisional government established by Louis Riel in resistance to the anticipated transfer of Rupert's Land from the Hudson's Bay Company to Canada.[1] Samuel Benfield Steele, aged 21 and having prior militia experience from the Fenian Raids, volunteered as a private in the 1st (Ontario) Battalion of Rifles, one of the expedition's volunteer units recruited from eastern Canada.[8] The force totaled approximately 1,200 men, tasked with a grueling overland route from Lake Superior westward, involving extensive portages across rugged terrain and waterways amid harsh weather and supply shortages.[13] Steele's physical prowess proved valuable during the expedition's demanding portages, where he reportedly hoisted heavy bateaux single-handedly, earning notice for feats of strength that aided the advance despite the logistical strains that delayed the column.[14] The expedition reached Fort Garry on August 24, 1870, after Riel's forces had dispersed and the Métis leader had fled to the United States, rendering combat unnecessary and leaving Steele, who anticipated action against the provisional government, deeply disappointed by the lack of engagement.[8] Wolseley established a provisional military administration to stabilize the region and facilitate Manitoba's entry into Confederation as a province in July 1870, with provisions for Métis land rights incorporated into the Manitoba Act.[1] Steele returned to Ontario by autumn 1870, having gained firsthand exposure to the western frontier that fueled his subsequent pursuit of permanent military service, though the expedition's peaceful resolution underscored the tensions between federal expansion and local Métis autonomy without resolving underlying grievances over land and governance.[13] His participation, documented in expedition diaries and personal records preserved in collections like the Sir Sam Steele archive, highlighted the early mobilization of Canadian volunteers for national security in remote territories.[13]North-West Mounted Police Career
Enlistment and the March West
Steele enlisted in the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) in 1873 shortly after its formation by an act of the Canadian Parliament on May 23 of that year, securing appointment as a staff constable—a rank equivalent to divisional sergeant-major—and becoming the third man to join the force.[1][2] His prior militia service in suppressing the Fenian Raids and participating in the Red River Expedition equipped him with skills in horsemanship and leadership, which the NWMP urgently required for policing the vast, lawless prairies amid concerns over American whisky traders and Indigenous unrest following events like the Cypress Hills Massacre of 1873.[8][15] In preparation for the force's westward expansion, Steele assisted in training raw recruits and unruly horses at the NWMP's assembly point near Fort Dufferin, Manitoba, leveraging his physical prowess—he stood six feet tall and weighed over 200 pounds—to instill discipline in the 300-man contingent.[12][10] In June 1874, he took charge of logistical arrangements, including transport, for the second wave of recruits arriving at Pembina, North Dakota, ensuring their integration before the main advance.[1] Steele then joined the March West, a 1,255-mile overland trek commencing on July 8, 1874, from Fort Dufferin toward the Bow River in present-day Alberta, divided into five troops under overall command of Assistant Commissioner James Macleod.[2][8] The expedition endured extreme hardships, including summer heat, mosquito swarms, river crossings without bridges, and dwindling supplies that forced reliance on local bison herds, yet Steele's endurance on horseback and role in maintaining order helped the force reach the Rockies by late October, establishing initial outposts like Fort Macleod on October 25 to assert Canadian authority and curb illicit trade.[1][8] This march solidified the NWMP's presence, preventing potential U.S. annexation pressures, with Steele's contributions earning him promotion to acting sergeant-major by expedition's end.[15]North-West Rebellion
When the North-West Rebellion erupted in March 1885, Steele was initially stationed in Rogers Pass but was soon recalled to Calgary, where he was appointed to command the mounted troops and scouts of Major-General Thomas Bland Strange's Alberta Field Force.[8][1] In April 1885, he organized Steele's Scouts, a mounted unit comprising approximately 110 ranchers and cowboys supplemented by 25 North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) officers, tasked with pursuing Cree chief Big Bear following the Frog Lake Massacre on 2 April 1885.[1][8] Steele's Scouts advanced north to Edmonton and then proceeded down the North Saskatchewan River, maintaining relentless pursuit of Big Bear's band, which included Woods Cree and Plains Cree warriors retreating after the Battle of Frenchman Butte on 28 May 1885.[1][8] On 3 June 1885, Steele's force of about 65 to 75 men overtook the Cree at Steele Narrows (also known as the Battle of Loon Lake), engaging in a three-hour skirmish against fewer than 50 exhausted warriors protecting families and hostages from Fort Pitt.[16][17][8] The scouts overpowered the Cree, killing at least four, including Chief Seekaskootch, and forcing their retreat northward into the wilderness, with minimal casualties on the Canadian side; this marked the final armed engagement of the rebellion.[8][16] The pursuit continued until Big Bear surrendered to Strange on 2 July 1885, after which Steele's effective leadership—despite logistical challenges like slow militia movements—enhanced his reputation as one of the few senior NWMP officers to emerge from the conflict with increased prestige.[1][17] In August 1885, Steele received a promotion to superintendent in recognition of his Scouts' performance.[1][8]Routine Duties and Frontier Enforcement
Following the suppression of the North-West Rebellion in 1885, Steele resumed routine policing duties along the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) line in the Rocky Mountains, focusing on enforcement against saloons, gambling dens, and liquor trafficking, as the force expanded amid increased settlement.[18] Appointed superintendent on August 1, 1885, he commanded D Division at Battleford, Saskatchewan, from late 1885 to 1886, where he oversaw the training of new recruits through mounted and dismounted drills while conducting patrols to Indigenous reserves such as Fort Pitt, Onion Lake, and Duck Lake to maintain order.[1][18] In September 1886, Steele led D Division on a 365-mile march from Battleford to Fort Macleod, Alberta, managing logistics including water and firewood supplies during stops at Sounding Lake and Red Deer River, before establishing operations in southern Alberta.[18] By early 1887, Steele transferred D Division to Lethbridge, Alberta, as the new southern headquarters, from which he directed patrols along the Milk River region, including sites like Kipp’s Coulee, Milk River Ridge, Writing-On-Stone, and Pendant d’Oreille, to enforce laws amid growing ranching and settler activity.[18] That August, he commanded 75 NWMP members to Fort Steele, British Columbia, to resolve a dispute over the Kutenai reserve boundaries, establishing a post with barracks, stables for 75 horses, and a hospital; supplies were transported over 200 miles from Golden using police teams and pack trains.[1][18] The issue was settled by August 1888 through mediation with Chief Isadore, after which Steele marched D Division 195 miles back to Fort Macleod via Crow’s Nest Pass, assuming command of the post—the largest after Regina—where he administered justice as a stipendiary magistrate, handling cases of horse theft, liquor smuggling, and cattle killing.[18][12] From December 1888 to January 1898, Steele's routine at Fort Macleod involved commanding up to 200 men and 300 horses, enforcing prohibition within a 10-mile radius of railway tracks, supervising daily drills, parades, and marksmanship practice, and overseeing mail and supply transport to outposts.[1][18][12] Frontier enforcement emphasized impartial liquor law application, despite local criticisms, and monitoring Indigenous behavior, which improved through legal recourse for property recovery and offender punishment; Steele advocated severe penalties for Blood Indian raiders involved in theft, though some cases were dismissed on technicalities.[18] By 1891, as commander of the southern Alberta district encompassing D, H, and K Divisions, major crime had declined, allowing focus on administrative improvements like fire protection equipment—a fire engine, 500 feet of hose, and a 3,750-gallon tank—at Fort Macleod in 1893.[18] These duties underscored Steele's role in stabilizing the frontier through consistent patrols, judicial oversight, and deterrence against smuggling and theft, contributing to reduced unrest in ranching districts.[18][12]Yukon Command During Klondike Gold Rush
In January 1898, following gold discoveries in the Yukon in August 1896 that triggered a massive influx of prospectors, Samuel Steele was ordered from Fort Macleod to the Yukon Territory to reinforce North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) presence and establish order amid fears of lawlessness similar to that in Alaska.[1][8] He arrived in Skagway, Alaska, on February 3, 1898, with initial responsibility for commanding approximately 250 NWMP members, initially focusing on "D" Division.[19][8] From Skagway, Steele directed the setup of customs posts at the Chilkoot and White Passes, as well as Bennett Lake, to enforce Canadian sovereignty, collect duties, and regulate entry into Canadian territory.[1] On February 25, 1898, Steele raised the Canadian flag at Chilkoot Pass and instituted stringent requirements, mandating that each prospector carry at least 1,000 pounds (about 454 kilograms) of food and equipment for a year's survival, alongside payment of import duties and mining royalties.[19] These rules, though not formally authorized by Ottawa, effectively curbed smuggling, prevented starvation among ill-prepared stampeders, and turned back thousands lacking sufficient provisions, thereby reducing the risk of humanitarian crises.[1] In June 1898, to address dangers on the Yukon River, he restricted navigation through Miles Canyon and Whitehorse Rapids to licensed skilled pilots, required boat registration at Tagish Post, established a checkpoint at Canyon City, and imposed a $25 fee per vessel, seizing outfits of non-compliant parties.[19] By July 1898, Steele had assumed overall command of all NWMP forces in the Yukon—numbering several detachments across the territory—and was appointed to the newly formed Yukon Territorial Council, reporting directly to Ottawa rather than NWMP headquarters in Regina.[1] In late summer 1898, he relocated headquarters to Dawson City, where he took on additional roles as license commissioner and chair of the Klondike Board of Health.[8][19] There, he enforced regulations limiting saloon hours, prohibiting gambling and prostitution on Sundays, and assuming control of mining licenses and royalties to eliminate corruption among local claim recorders.[8] To combat a typhoid outbreak, he mandated boiling water for beverages and oversaw public health measures, while minor offenders were sentenced to cut firewood and more suspect individuals were deported, fostering an environment of disciplined order comparable to urban Canada.[1][19] Steele's command extended jurisdiction over the Yukon and adjacent British Columbia areas from 1898 to 1899, with nearly one-third of the entire NWMP force serving under him by mid-1899.[1][12] Despite successfully averting widespread disorder—earning him promotion to brevet lieutenant colonel—tensions arose with Yukon officials over his direct oversight and anti-corruption efforts, culminating in his recall to Regina in September 1899.[8][12] Thousands of miners farewelled him at Dawson's wharves, presenting a purse of gold nuggets from prominent claim holder Alex McDonald in recognition of his role in preserving stability during the rush's peak.[19]Boer War Service
Formation and Command of Strathcona's Horse
On 10 January 1900, Donald Smith, Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal, the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, offered to raise and equip a mounted regiment at his own expense to support British forces in the Second Boer War.[20] Superintendent Samuel Benfield Steele of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP), renowned for his frontier command experience, was selected to organize and lead the unit as lieutenant-colonel.[5] On 26 January 1900, Strathcona approved Steele's proposal to name the regiment Strathcona's Horse.[5] Steele took leave from the NWMP to assume command, prioritizing recruitment of hardy western Canadians including ranchers, prospectors, and serving NWMP personnel to form three squadrons suited for mounted scouting and irregular warfare.[8][20] Recruitment focused on the Canadian West, drawing from Manitoba, the North-West Territories, and British Columbia, yielding 28 officers and 512 other ranks, supported by 599 horses.[5] Steele oversaw the rapid organization, completing the unit's formation by 25 February 1900, with emphasis on rigorous discipline and horsemanship drawn from his police background.[5] The regiment embarked from Halifax on 16 March 1900 aboard the SS Monterey, arriving in Cape Town on 10 April 1900, where an outbreak of equine disease delayed full deployment until June.[5][20] Under Steele's command, Strathcona's Horse integrated NWMP veterans into its cadre, establishing a reputation for mobility and reliability that distinguished it among imperial contingents.[20]