• Age: 13
• Grade: 8

In the spring of 1884, Jack, an adventurous young man, packs his bags in Victoria, BC, and heads for the prairies, looking for a new life and hoping to get involved in an Indian war. Instead, he lucks into an exciting job in the fur trade and meets and befriends many of the great chiefs of the Cree nation, such as Poundmaker and Big Bear, and ends up between a bullet and a target when the North-West Rebellion erupts. After witnessing the historic Frog Lake Massacre and the murder of his friends, Jack is captured by the Cree warriors and, later, guides the famous Inspector Sam Steele on the hunt for Cree Chief Big Bear.

 

The Frog Lake Massacre is the first book in a trilogy about a young man who is trying to forge an independent life for himself in the huge and newly established country of Canada. Along the way, he discovers that bravery and loyalty bring their own rewards.

Bill Gallaher is a well-known singer and songwriter who has also worked as an air-traffic controller and taught social studies. He is the author of The Frog Lake Massacre and The Luck of the Horseman, the first two books in the Wild Jack Strong trilogy. He has also written several other novels, which include The Promise: Love, Loyalty and the Lure of Gold; The Journey: The Overlanders' Quest for Gold; A Man Called Moses: The Curious Life of Wellington Delaney Moses; and Deadly Innocent. Please visit www.members.shaw.ca/billgallaher.

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Very well researched and actual historical figures pop up to add to the already heightened authenticity.—St. Albert Gazette

The Frog Lake Massacre

This is a fictionalized account of a real-life incident. The protagonist, Jack Strong, after reading about a Native uprising on the prairie, decides to leave Victoria and join the action. Jack is on hand when Wandering Spirit, the Cree War Chief, comes to Frog Creek and orders the Indian Agent to give his starving band food. A refusal leads to nine men being shot by the warriors. Jack witnesses the massacre and the aftermath. The author provides accurate historical background to the reserve system, the role of the Indian agent, the Hudson Bay Company and the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. This book is the first of a Wild Jack Strong trilogy.

Gallaher has written several books featuring Canadian historical figures. The term “Indian” is used throughout.

Caution: This book describes drunkenness, spousal abuse, sex with a prostitute and contains some coarse language.