This book sparked national controversy when it was first published in 1983. Updated to include recent developments, such as native rights and land claims, the cultural mythology that surrounds Riel, and the recent campaign to have him pardoned.

"Jennifer Reid looks at the man known today as the founder of Manitoba. Not just a traditional biography, Reid examines Riel's education and religious beliefs."--[book jacket].

In the spring of 1885, it appeared that war was about to set the Canadian West aflame. Louis Riel had established a Metis provisional government at Batoche, and the Cree, led by war chief Wandering Spirit, had killed settlers, taken hostages and forced the capitulation of Fort Pitt. Among the forces marshalled to quell the unrest was an elite scouting unit of the Alberta Field Force, led by the charismatic Sam Steele of the North West Mounted Police. Aggressive, tenacious and supremely confident, Steele was a seasoned policeman who had earned a reputation for getting the job done. Composed of North West Mounted Police, ex-militiamen and savvy cowboys from Calgary, Steele's Scouts relentlessly pursued the Cree warriors and their prisoners through the western Saskatchewan wilderness, acting as shock troops and often fighting at close quarters. The story of Sam Steele and his contingent is an unforgettable account of the campaign that marked the end of the Wild West on the Canadian prairies.