In the early days of the handling of historic sites in western Canada not much was done to research or preserve a site. By the time I was at Calgary that had changed and I was happy to see work being done at Soloman’s Post near Fort Walsh. The remains of Farwell’s Post and a village also located nearby were also being investigated at that time. In 1872 there was no NWMP or Fort Walsh when Abe Farwell and Moses Soloman came from the United States each to build his own whiskey trading post on the Battle Creek in the Cypress Hills. The 1873 Cypress Hills Massacre of the Indians in their camp near the two posts, not only affected Canada/ United States affairs at the time, but had a large influence on the decision of Prime Minister  John A. Macdonald’s government to form a police force to prevent any such thing happening in the future.

One day while the dig was going on I received a phone call at my office in Calgary, from the head archaeologist on site. They had uncovered  human bones in the earth under Soloman’s post. What should be done about it? There was no hesitation on my part – cease digging and leave the remains where they lay. I knew the history of the massacre well enough that I knew the remains were those of Ed LeGrace who had been killed during the June 1873 exchange of lead. The whiskey traders had dumped his body into the cellar hole under their establishment and fled back to the United States from which they came and the buildings were burned to the ground. LeGrace had lain there peacefully, I assume, ever since. For an archaeologist it must be exciting when you find bones but I believe that it is always best to leave human remains where they lay. I hope they still rest in peace below Solman’s Post.

You can find out more about The Cypress Hill’s Massacre and the two whiskey trader’s on the internet.

I found this on Wikipedia “A fictionalized account of the events of the Cypress Hills Massacre is told in the novel The Englishman’s Boy by Canadian author Guy Vanderhaeghe.^[11] The story focuses in part on the character of the “Englishman’s boy”, one of the members of the party of wolfers. While little is known of those involved in the actual event, the novel attributes the cause of the massacre to one Tom Hardwick, the “lead” wolfer. The book was made into a miniseries that first appeared on CBC Television in March 2008.

The movie The Canadians was another fictionalized version. The Cypress Hills Massacre is also used as the plot centrepiece for the Terrance Dicks novel Massacre In the Hills which charts the beginning of the NWMP.”