• Age: 15
• Grade: 10

When Native and Métis unrest escalated into the Northwest Rebellion of 1885, white settlers in southern Alberta's cattle country were terrified. Three major First Nations bordered their range, and war seemed certain. In anticipation, 114 men mustered to form the Rocky Mountain Rangers, a volunteer militia charged with ensuring the safety of the open range between the Rocky Mountains and the Cypress Hills. The Rangers were a motley crew, from ex-Mounties and ex-cons to retired, high-ranking military officials and working ranch hands. Membership qualifications were scant: ability to ride a horse, knowledge of the prairies, and preparedness to die. The Rangers were resolutely prepared to fight, as mounted cavalry, should the rebellion spread.

 

This is their story, inextricably linked to the dissensions of the day, rife with skirmishes, corruption, jealousies, rumour, innuendo and gross media sensationalizing . . . all bound together with what author Gordon Tolton terms "a generous helping of gunpowder."

Raised on a family farm near Taber, Alberta, Gordon E. Tolton is an amateur historian, re-enactor, author, and raconteur. While working in the agricultural, construction, and service industries, he volunteered for several heritage-related societies and historic sites and became immersed in history while learning the disciplines of writing, archiving, and museum practices. Gord was the history coordinator for the United Farmers of Alberta and has been associated with Fort Whoop-Up National Historic Site for over twenty-two years. His interests centre on the cross-border trade of the late 1800s, the 1885 North-West Rebellion, and the history of agriculture in Alberta. He is the author of four previous books, including Cowboy Cavalry and Prairie Warships. He lives in Coaldale, Alberta, with his wife, Rose.

Gordon E. Tolton's profile page

What Alberta boy with an interest in history wouldn’t want to read about mountain man/trapper/scout Kootenai Brown, the aristocratic rancher Lord Boyle and the other colourful characters who ended up in the RMR?” — Alex Rettie,Alberta Views

Tolton does an excellent job of explaining the strategic positions held by the leaders of the Blackfoot, Blood, and Peigan First Nations—respectively, Crowfoot, Red Crow, and Eagle Tail Feather—and why Riel’s fight was not necessarily their fight.” —Tanja Hütter, Canada’s History

Tolton's meticulous research reveals unexplored perspectives and little-known details. Dissensions of the day, rife with skirmishes, corruption, jealousies, rumour, innuendo and gross media sensationalizing . . . are all bound together with what author Gordon Tolton terms a generous helping of gunpowder. —Canada's History

The Cowboy Cavalry fills an important gap in our understanding of the events of 1885 in southern Alberta.” —Brian Hubner, Great Plains Quarterly

“[Tolton] knows all about the history of southern Alberta circa 1885, as he shows in his new book, ” —Richard Amery, Lethbridge Sun Times

The Cowboy Cavalry: The Story of the Rocky Mountain Rangers

This book documents the history of a little-known volunteer militia in southern Alberta during the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. The militia, comprising 114 cowboys, ex-RCMP and military officers, among others, was organized to provide protection for settlers who feared that war might break out if the First Nations allied with Louis Riel and the rebellious Métis. Tolton describes the tension that existed between the settlers and the First Nations focusing on the negative impact of European colonization of the West on the Blackfoot and other tribes. He discusses how the Rangers succeeded in providing security in a climate of paranoia, prejudice and corruption. Meticulously researched, Tolton’s book captures all the drama surrounding the Cowboy Cavalry. Biographies of selected members and their families are included.