Just a story of when men were REAL men....
>>> Royal Northwest Mounted Police Patrol 1915
>>> ………………………………………………………………………………………………
>>> Following is a report submitted on April 17, 1915, by Sergeant H.R. Handcock of the RNWMP stationed at Ile a La Crosse. Some editing has been made for ease of reading. This report speaks to a time when police patrols in the north were done by dog team.
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>>> “Sir,—I have the honour to submit the following report of patrol made by myself and Special Constable Clarke, leaving Isle a la Crosse on January 3, and returning March 22, (1915) during which period the districts of Churchill River, Lac la Ronge, Stanley, Reindeer Lake, and Wollaston Lake were patrolled.
>>>
>>> I was 57 days actually on the trail, averaging 32 miles per day. The total cost of the patrol amounts to $299. $70 being for hire of guides, $20 for dog, $209 for rations and dog feed. The actual patrol has only cost $89 as an amount of $210.60 would have been expended for subsistence of myself and Special Constable Clarke and ten dogs during the period absent from detachment.
>>>
>>> The journey from Isle a la Crosse to Lac la Ronge, practically following the summer water route the Churchill River for four days, occupied eight days in all. I may say travelling on this river is very dangerous during the winter and one should never make crossings without testing the ice ahead with a pole. This river has a particularly strong current which would minimize one's chances of getting out after breaking through the ice.
>>>
>>> One meets Isle a la Crosse people who were generally located in good hunting centres, there being from two to six families in each camp.
>>>
>>> Mr. Angus McKay was in charge of the Hudson's Bay Company's post at Lac la Ronge where we stayed one day and a half, resting the dogs and visiting the English mission, in charge of Archdeacon McKay.
>>>
>>> We arrived at Stanley on the 14th, there were no natives here, all being at their hunting camps. At this point we took 200 fish each and rations sufficient to take us to the north end of Reindeer Lake, allowing eleven days from here to the Hudson's Bay Post on Reindeer Lake, as we were now loaded with some 500 pounds on each sleigh and practically no broken trail it was a case of long days, starting before daylight and camping at dark, in fact from Stanley to the north end of Reindeer lake we found the trail long.
>>>
>>> The trail from Stanley to the south end of Reindeer Lake is a bad one, the ridges are very steep, and travelling on Deer River is dangerous. Using a pole to test the ice we eventually found a ridge of firm ice some two feet in width by which we crossed, the pole penetrated the ice and entered the water on either side.
>>>
>>> Arriving at the south end of Reindeer Lake on the 18th, I decided to hire a local guide to help break trail as no sleighs had been over the lake since the snow fell, and we had had five days of hard travelling, taking it in turn to break trail.
>>>
>>> Our journey from this point to the Hudson's Bay Company's post on the north end of the lake was the usual hard grind, there being no broken trail. The thermometer fell very low, to 60° below zero, we afterwards discovered, and with a hard north wind blowing on such a large lake, travelling was, to say the very least, unpleasant.
>>>
>>> However, we arrived at the north end on Sunday, 24, having been on the lake for the best part of six days, and the dogs were quite footsore after their trip of 576 miles, 350 of which was breaking trail, taking 21 days from Isle a la Crosse, and 19 days actual travel, averaging 30 miles per day.
>>>
>>> I stayed at Reindeer Lake some 16 days intending to patrol to the Esquimaux post, about 300 miles north of Reindeer Lake but had to give up the idea, as I could see no way of making this patrol without an expenditure of $200, it being necessary to take three trains of dogs, as dog feed and rations have to be taken for the trip, there being no game en route, and having to figure on 24 days for the round trip at this time of the year.
>>>
>>> I left on February 9 to patrol to Chipewyan camp, 80 miles north, returning on the 12th, after a very nice trip, good trails and good weather. I found that the local trappers were less healthy. I rested my dogs for three days and returned on the 16th for native camp, 75 miles northeast, having a good trip and seeing herds of countless caribou. I found the locals all right and returned on the 20th.
>>>
>>> Constable Wood arrived the following day from Cumberland House. I left on the 23rd for the return trip home intending to return by Wollaston Lake and Cree Lake, which I did not accomplish.
>>>
>>> However, I arrived at Swan River on the 24th and found three families there. The following day I spent talking to the locals, as to the feasibility of the trip. They informed me that there was no one living at Wollaston Lake, but three families had been there at Xmas and had travelled to Cree Lake where they intended settling, and that if we could find their trail we could follow same on.
>>>
>>> One of the men offered to accompany us to Wollaston Lake until we found the trail. We left on the 26th and after 4 days of strenuous travelling the guide breaking trail and Clark and myself taking turns in handling two trains of dogs over very rough country, consisting of long portages, precipitous hills and deep snow, we struck the south end of Wollaston Lake.
>>>
>>> Here we spent three days looking for the trail of those going southwest, and although we found their camp there was no sign of a trail.
>>>
>>> Our guide could not go any farther, and having broken our only compass we did not think it advisable to strike across a stretch of county, 500 miles, not knowing the country as to game, etc., we therefore reluctantly decided to return over part of our trail.
>>>
>>> We arrived back at Swan River on the 7th, taking the same guide with us until we struck the people from the south end of Reindeer Lake, which we did on the 10th. We found that they had moved northeast.
>>>
>>> As we could follow their trail we dispensed with our guide here and eventually struck the south end from the west side on the 11th.
>>>
>>> Dog feed was very scarce here and with difficulty, we managed to get sufficient for three days, which by making long days, would take us to Stanley.
>>>
>>> We picked up a white trapper who was very sick, and had been sick all winter; he was anxious to get into Prince Albert to hospital, poor fellow. Having this man and his load we were much delayed, and owing to the short supply of dog-feed, we had to make very long days.
>>>
>>> At Stanley, we persuaded the trapper to stay, as a horse-team was expected from Lac la Ronge any day, arriving at Stanley on the 16th.
>>>
>>> We left on the 17th, having a guide take us straight to Sucker River, thereby saving two days in going to the settlement at Lac la Ronge.
>>>
>>> The weather was now very warm and our journey from Stanley to Isle a la Crosse was very hard and trying. One might say that spring arrived on March 8. From that date on the weather continued to get warmer. Travelling through the middle of the day was out of the question, and we took advantage of the cool of the nights for travelling as far as possible. During the day it was a case of snowshoes all the while, the dogs crawling along through the heat. This was heartbreaking work. During the last five days, we travelled continually over bare portages.
>>>
>>> We arrived home on the 22nd, having been on the trail 28 days steady, covering some 930 miles, and conditions of travelling during this period were difficult having to hurry to get home before the snow was entirely gone.
>>>
>>> I cannot speak too highly of the services of Special Constable Clark, who is a thoroughly capable and efficient man; in fact, I do not think a better man on the trail could be found. I am submitting a further report, covering other subjects. I have the honour to be, sir.”
>>>
>>> Your obedient servant,
>>> H. E. HANDCOCK, Sergt.
>>> April 17 1915
>>> Royal North-West Mounted Police,
>>>