Sergeant Wilde and Charcoal
N 49° 26.367 W 113° 55.528
12U E 287926 N 5480424
Historical Marker South of Pincher Creek
Waymark Code: WM4EA6
Location: Alberta, Canada
Date Posted: 08/11/2008
Views: 38
From the marker: "On September 30, 1896 a Blood Indian named Si'okskitsis, or Charcoal, killed his wife's lover. Charcoal's wife's affair with her cousin, Medicine Pipe Stem, broke one of the most fundamental rules of Blood society. When they would not end their relationship, Charcoal felt he had no choice. Killing Medicine Pipe Stem made Charcoal a murderer in the eyes of the North West Mounted Police and the government, but it was not a simple crime of passion or revenge.
"Convinced that he faced only execution if he surrendered, Charcoal became a fugitive. For weeks his thefts of food and horses and several armed confrontations terrorized southern Alberta from the Porcupine Hills to the US border. Patrols of Mounted Police and Indian scouts tried in vain to find him. Finally, on November 10, 1896, a patrol led by Sergeant W. B. Wilde of the North West Mounted Police caught up with Charcoal in the foothills just south of Pincher Creek. Sergeant Wilde was undoubtedly a brave and capable police officer, but he probably did not understand just how desperate Charcoal had become. Threatened with arrest, Charcoal shot Wilde.
"By the following day Charcoal was captured and behind bars. He was transported to Fort Macleod and put on trial for the murders of Medicine Pipe Stem and Sergeant Wilde. He was quickly convicted and executed at Fort Macleod on March 16, 1897. It was the last act in a tragic chain of events that pitted the traditional beliefs of First Nations against the new laws of Canada."
Type of Marker: Cultural
Sign Age: New Alberta Tourism Marker Style
Parking: Turnout on East side of Hwy 6 S of Pincher Creek
Placement agency: Alberta Historical Resources Foundation
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