Fort Macleod celebrates RCMP turning 150 – Lethbridge | 24CA News
The Fort Museum the North West Mounted Police and First Nations Interpretive Centre in Fort Macleod celebrating the RCMP’s 150 years in Canada.
“They’ve kind of been the force through the ages, becoming the NWMP then the Royal NWMP and then the RCMP,” mentioned Christopher Richmond-Krahn with the Fort Museum.
He added the group is wealthy with policing historical past.
“They first came to this area in 1874 with the march west coming from Ontario to here in southern Alberta,” he mentioned.
The city of Fort Macleod will flip 150 subsequent 12 months, and it has an extended historical past with the RCMP and First Nations within the space.
RCMP Superintendent Rick Jané mentioned Indigenous individuals performed an important function within the cross-country migration.
“We would never normally be able to survive the march west without indigenous peoples and those supports and that relationship is very powerful and important to me and to our organization,” he mentioned.
Inspector Kimberly Mueller is the officer in control of indigenous policing and mentioned occasions like this are a part of an effort to proceed repairing the RCMP’s relationship with first nations communities.
“I realize it’s not going to happen overnight. We say reconciliation is our journey… It’s a destination,” added Mueller.
The Fort’s celebration additionally honouring previous members who devoted many years of service to the group.
“The veterans’ association is almost as old as the RCMP itself,” mentioned Ken Taylor with the RCMP Veterans Association in Lethbridge mentioned. He added celebrating the work accomplished by vets is simply as necessary as honouring these serving at this time.
Two long-time members acquired a salute from the RCMP Musical Ride which made a particular cease in Fort Macleod. RCMP/Lethbridge Police Service veteran Glen Michelson and RCMP veteran Ron Rooke.
Rooke retired greater than 40 years in the past and was instrumental in bringing the NWMP musical trip to The Fort which will be seen yearly throughout the summer time months on the museum in Fort Macleod.
“I’m quite amazed by it all, I really am. I didn’t think the original from back in the ’70s, would last anywhere near this length of time. It’s been 50 years,” added Rooke.
The historic second gave Rooke and different RCMP veterans a trip down reminiscence lane.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
