Lieut.-Col. Boulton - Sketch. - 1885.

Portrait sketch of Lieut.-Col. Charles A. Boulton.

Historical note:

Charles Arkoll Boulton (b. 17 April 1841 - d. 15 May 1899) is noted for his role in the Red River and North-West Resistances. Boulton was born in Cobourg, ON in 1841 and educated at Upper Canada College. He served at Gibraltar, Malta and Montreal with the 100th Regiment of Foot. In 1869, he was part of a survey party sent to the Red River Settlement. On the orders of survey party leader, John Stoughton Dennis, he organized a group of volunteers to try to put down an uprising by Louis Riel. When 50 of his volunteer were captured and imprisoned, he left the colony and went to Portage la Prairie. He met some people who had escaped there and led an attempt to free the remaining captives. They were taken captive by Riel's Métis. He was later released and returned to Ontario.He operated a sawmill near Lakefield, Ontario, where he became a municipal councilor and then reeve. When his business failed in 1877, he settled in the Shell River valley of Manitoba. He became the first warden of Russell County and chairman of the judicial board for the western district in 1881. In 1885, he led a group of militia to help put down the North-West Rebellion. He was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 1889. He died in Russell, MB in 1899.