"Poundmaker's Old Stamping Ground" - By Mrs. John Douglas, Rockhaven. - Paper. - [193-?].

A paper apparently written by [Jennie] Moore, sister of Mrs. John Douglas, briefly describing pre-contact life and the arrival of European settlers in the Cut Knife, SK area. The paper focuses on Poundmaker and the Battle of Cut Knife Hill in March 1885. It ends with glowing descriptions of productive farm land and of the growth of the town of Cut Knife.

Historical note:

Pitikwahanapiwiyin (c. 1842 - 4 July 1886), commonly known as Poundmaker, was a Plains Cree chief known as a peacemaker and defender of his people. In 1873, Crowfoot, chief of the Blackfoot First Nation, adopted Poundmaker thereby increasing the latter's influence. This move also cemented the ties between the Blackfoot and the Cree, which successfully stopped the quarrelling over the now very scarce buffalo. In 1876 Poundmaker accepted Treaty 6 after opposing it for a time. Two years after this he was recognized as a chief. In June 1884, many Indians, including Big Bear [Mistahimaskwa] and his followers, assembled at Poundmaker's reserve near present-day Cut Knife, SK. In spite of the efforts of the North-West Mounted Police to disperse them, more than 1000 Crees put on a Thirst Dance, their major religious celebration, in which the participants reaffirmed their faith in the sun spirit. During the ceremonies an aboriginal man was accused of assaulting John Craig, the farm instructor on an adjacent reserve. Anticipating a possible outbreak of violence, the NWMP fortified the Battleford agency and sent a force of some 90 men to arrest the accused. However, Poundmaker and Big Bear refused to turn him over while the Thirst Dance was in progress, and Poundmaker offered himself as a hostage. Later, when the police threatened to arrest the wanted man forcibly, Poundmaker denounced their actions, angrily waving a four-bladed war club at them. But the man was taken into custody and escorted to Battleford where he was sentenced to a week in jail.On 2 May 1885, Lieutenant Colonel William Otter was defeated by Poundmaker's war chief Fine-Day at the Battle of Cut Knife near Battleford, SK. A flying column of Canadian militia and army regulars was defeated despite their use of a Gatling gun. Poundmaker, who had not taken part in the fight, prevented the warriors from pursuing the soldiers. On the basis of a letter written by Louis Riel bearing his name, Poundmaker was convicted of treason in 1885 and sentenced to four years in Stony Mountain Penitentiary. He was released after serving a year, weak in spirit and in poor health. He died of a lung hemorrhage at Blackfoot Crossing (near Calgary), AB on 4 July 1886, four months after his release.