Career
Picture of Sam Steele from the cover of Western Home Monthly (June 1915)
Sam Steele (1848-1919)
Steele served with the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) between 1873 and 1900, attaining the rank of Superintendent. Then, during the Second Boer War, he helped to train and lead Strathcona’s Horse, a group of mounted riflemen, many of whom were former Mounties. Afterwards, he held command of Division B of the South African Constabulary (SAC). By the time he resigned and returned to Canada in 1906, Steele was the best-known policeman outside of fiction, famous for his actions that helped to secure the British Empire from lawlessness on two continents. The former Mountie wanted to write his memoir and secure his legacy for posterity.[1]
[1] For more information link to the University of Alberta Library's Sir Samuel Steele Collection website (Steele Collection).