RCMP

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was established as a centralized law enforcement unit out of necessity in 1873 - westward expansion. It was initially assigned to and so known as the North-West Mounted Police to enforce Canadian laws in the area west of Manitoba that was being settled. “Royal” was added to the name of the force early in the 20th century by the King of England, and over the first half of the century its jurisdiction and scope of duties gradually expanded. The first photo is of a very proud RCMP Officer assigned to a park area along the Bow River in Banff near the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (second photo) in 2001. The officer indicated that she did not need to wear her full-dress uniform that day, but elected to do so for public relations purposes. We were pleased she did – it made a great impression on us and others who wanted her photo. (Both photos are scans from prints that had deteriorated and so are somewhat off color and fuzzy.)