Rocky Mountain Rangers (1885)
| Rocky Mountain Rangers | |
|---|---|
A Rocky Mountain Ranger patrol formed up near Medicine Hat. Heading up the column, on the extreme right, is Chief Scout "Kootenai" Brown, with Captain Lord Richard Boyle beside him. | |
| Active | 1885 |
| Disbanded | 1885 |
| Country | Canada |
| Branch | Non-Permanent Active Militia |
| Type | Cavalry |
| Size | 114 officers and men |
| Part of | Alberta Field Force |
| Garrison/HQ | Fort Macleod |
| Battle honours | North West Canada, 1885. |
The Rocky Mountain Rangers were one of the volunteer militia units raised in Canada's North West in response to the 1885 North-West Rebellion. It was a body of mounted irregulars, mostly cowboys and ranchers from the area around Fort Macleod (District of Alberta), the headquarters of the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, about 150 miles (240 km) west of Medicine Hat (in what was then the District of Assiniboia). This unit is not to be confused with the present-day Canadian Army Reserve unit The Rocky Mountain Rangers of Kamloops, British Columbia. Rather, it is the ultimate ancestor of the South Alberta Light Horse (SALH).