Batoche, Saskatchewan, which lies between Prince Albert and

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

, was the site of the historic Battle of Batoche during the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...

of 1885. The battle resulted in the defeat of Louis Riel and his

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

forces by

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Frederick Middleton General Sir Frederick Dobson Middleton (4 November 1825 – 25 January 1898) was a British general noted for his service throughout the Empire and particularly in the North-West Rebellion in Canada. Imperial Military career Educated at Mai ...

and his Northwest Field Force. Batoche was then a small village of some 500 residents. The site has since become depopulated and now has few residents. The 1885 church building and a few other historic buildings have been preserved, and the site is a National Historic Site.

History

The Métis settlement of Batoche (named after Xavier Letendre ''dit'' Batoche) was established in 1872. By 1885 it numbered 500 people. The Métis of the area settled on river lots, and the community contained several stores as well as the Roman Catholic Church of St. Antoine de Padoue at the time of the Rebellion. Batoche was the de facto capital of Riel's

Provisional Government of Saskatchewan The Provisional Government of Saskatchewan was an independent state declared during the North-West Rebellion of 1885 in the District of Saskatchewan of the North-West Territories. It included parts of the present-day Canadian provinces of Albe ...

. Batoche is a

Southbranch Settlement Southbranch Settlement (french: Communautés métisses de la rivière Saskatchewan Sud) was the name ascribed to a series of French Métis settlements on the Canadian prairies in the 19th Century, in what is today the province of Saskatchewan. M� ...

. It is situated mainly along the east bank of the South Saskatchewan River between St. Laurent and Fish Creek. This area is part of the aspen parkland biome. This community consisted mostly of

Francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

s and Roman Catholics.

Batoche National Historic Site

Batoche was declared a National Historic Site in 1923. The visitor centre features a multimedia presentation about the history of the community and its inhabitants. There are several restored buildings with costumed interpreters who depict the lifestyles of the Métis of Batoche between 1860 and 1900. The sites include a

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian para-military police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory ...

encampment, a church and

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically ow ...

complex, and a farm home. The sites are set at different locations around the community. The complex is open from mid-May through mid-September.

In popular culture

* In 1989, Ralph D. Witten's short story "Batoche" was read on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

Wendell Smith Wendell Smith may refer to: * Wendell Smith (sportswriter) (1914–1972), American baseball writer *Wendell Smith (actor) Wendell Smith is a Canadian actor born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. History Originally based in Nova Scotia, Wendell Smit ...

References

External links

Batoche National Historic Site of Canada
{{Authority control Capitals of former nations History museums in Saskatchewan Living museums in Canada Métis in Saskatchewan Museums in Saskatchewan National Historic Sites in Saskatchewan Populated places on the South Saskatchewan River St. Louis No. 431, Saskatchewan Unincorporated communities in Saskatchewan

History

Batoche National Historic Site

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links