Introduction

The Gold Rush

Aboriginal Culture

Chief Isidore

Trouble Starts

Things changed for us in 1886 when the European settlers broke the peace. A man that I trusted at first, Mr. Galbraith, of Galbraith’s Ferry (the present day Fort Steele), sold 18 000 acres of land to an English man named James Baker. This piece of land was called Joseph’s Prairie.

Baker’s Ranch

Joseph’s Prairie belonged to the Ktunaxa people. We had lived there for hundreds of years. My great ancestors grazed their horses and cattle on this land. It was not right that the white men should take what belonged to us. Mr. Galbraith had no right to sell the land of my people. You can see we were very upset.

Mr. Baker angered me even more. He made things worse by fencing off Joseph’s Prairie and ordering us to leave! My band and I were outraged. How dare he!

We refused to go! And so I went to town and met with the residents of Galbraith’s Ferry. I said to them, "I demand that this fence be taken down and I want to see that Mr. Baker and his surveyor Fred Alymer leave the country."

Chief Isidore		Things Get Worse