Battle of Fish Creek (Tourond's Coulée)
Fish Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada
What happened
Métis fighters led by Gabriel Dumont, with Dakota allies, fought Canadian forces under Major General Frederick Middleton. During the North-West Resistance of 1885, Middleton's army marched toward the Métis headquarters at Batoche. Dumont's men, hidden in rifle pits in a ravine, stopped the advance. Several attacks into the ravine failed, and both sides withdrew at nightfall.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It did not decide the war, but it delayed Middleton's march on Batoche. The Métis held off a much larger force.
What came next
Weeks later the Canadian army reached Batoche, where the Métis made their final stand and were defeated. Dumont escaped to the United States.
Did you know?
After the conflict, Gabriel Dumont joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1886, before returning to Batoche.
Timeline
- 1873Dumont becomes leader of the St. Laurent council.
- 24 April 1885The Battle of Fish Creek.
- 1886Canada offers Dumont amnesty.
- 1923The site becomes a National Historic Site of Canada.
- 2007It is renamed Tourond's Coulée / Fish Creek National Historic Site.