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Bear Child: The Life and Times of Jerry Potts
The West was a lawless domain when Jerry Potts was born into the Upper Missouri fur trade in 1838. The son of a Scottish father and a Blood mother, he was given the name Bear Child by his Blood tribe for his bravery and tenacity while he was still a teen. In 1874, when the North West Mounted Police first marched west and sat lost and starving near the Canada-U.S. border, it was Potts who led them to shelter. Over the next 22 years he played a critical role in the peaceful settlement of the Canadian West.
Bear Child: The Life and Times of Jerry Potts tells the story of this legendary character who personifies the turmoil of the frontier in two countries, the clash of two cultures he could call his own, and the strikingly different approaches of two expanding nations as they encroached upon the land of the buffalo and the nomadic tribes of the western Plains.
Bear Child: The Life and Times of Jerry Potts tells the story of this legendary character who personifies the turmoil of the frontier in two countries, the clash of two cultures he could call his own, and the strikingly different approaches of two expanding nations as they encroached upon the land of the buffalo and the nomadic tribes of the western Plains.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 6, 2024
This is a comprehensive account of the history of the Canadian west—and the significant role of Jerry Potts—which includes:
—the gruelling march of the newly formed North West Mounted Police, sent by Prime Minister MacDonald when he learned of the massacre of Assiniboine people at Cypress Hills.
—the NWMP’s successful abolition of the whiskey trade, which had been doing so much harm.
—the trust that developed between the NWMP and the various Indigenous tribes.
—the work of original NWMP members including James Macleod (after whom Ft. Macleod was named)
James Walsh and Sam Steele.
—the good relationship that developed between James Walsh and Sitting Bull after Sitting Bull brought his people to Ft. Walsh (Cypress Hills) in the aftermath of the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Jerry Potts was a Métis man who had lived a hard life. Because of his phenomenal sense of direction, he was first hired to guide the NWMP on the final leg of their difficult journey to what would become Ft. Macleod. He stayed with them for many years, an outstanding guide in many of their subsequent treks through good weather and bad. Jerry’s work as a translator and a trusted diplomat between the NWMP and the various Indigenous tribes was no doubt a factor in the trust that developed between them. He was skilled in search and rescue and in the pursuit of suspected killers and illegal whiskey traders. It is sad that Jerry’s contributions aren’t more widely known.
Overall, this was an interesting read. The author filled in a lot of history/ backstory at the beginning of the book. I felt it was a little much, as it included accounts of many people / trading companies that were not the focus of the book. The history of Jerry Pott’s family would have been enough, in my opinion. This is the reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5.
—the gruelling march of the newly formed North West Mounted Police, sent by Prime Minister MacDonald when he learned of the massacre of Assiniboine people at Cypress Hills.
—the NWMP’s successful abolition of the whiskey trade, which had been doing so much harm.
—the trust that developed between the NWMP and the various Indigenous tribes.
—the work of original NWMP members including James Macleod (after whom Ft. Macleod was named)
James Walsh and Sam Steele.
—the good relationship that developed between James Walsh and Sitting Bull after Sitting Bull brought his people to Ft. Walsh (Cypress Hills) in the aftermath of the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Jerry Potts was a Métis man who had lived a hard life. Because of his phenomenal sense of direction, he was first hired to guide the NWMP on the final leg of their difficult journey to what would become Ft. Macleod. He stayed with them for many years, an outstanding guide in many of their subsequent treks through good weather and bad. Jerry’s work as a translator and a trusted diplomat between the NWMP and the various Indigenous tribes was no doubt a factor in the trust that developed between them. He was skilled in search and rescue and in the pursuit of suspected killers and illegal whiskey traders. It is sad that Jerry’s contributions aren’t more widely known.
Overall, this was an interesting read. The author filled in a lot of history/ backstory at the beginning of the book. I felt it was a little much, as it included accounts of many people / trading companies that were not the focus of the book. The history of Jerry Pott’s family would have been enough, in my opinion. This is the reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5.
August 20, 2017
Whilst traveling through southern Alberta en BC earlier this year I saw many local books. Because the trip was amazing and I will surely return to Canada I simply had to pick up a book about the area. What better way to learn a little more about the place one visits? After seeing a great many books passing by this one just grabbed my attention. This strange mysterious figure on the cover is a proper eye catcher.
Jerry Potts, the man who greatly helped to form western Canada and played a key part in an as smooth as possible cooperation between the natives and their new neighbours. And only to think all of this happened just such a short while ago is astonishing.
It was amazing to read about the towns we just passed through a few weeks earlier. Lethbridge, Pincher Creek, Fort Macleod. Sad to realize as well how ignorant one can be as a tourist and how easy the most important places can be missed. So the content of the books in itself made it a succes for me and I greatly enjoyed learning about what I've missed and why to go back there again.
A downside for me was the great amount a characters that pass by in the story. It makes it hard to follow at times. This book taught me a lot about the area and was great fun to read.
Jerry Potts, the man who greatly helped to form western Canada and played a key part in an as smooth as possible cooperation between the natives and their new neighbours. And only to think all of this happened just such a short while ago is astonishing.
It was amazing to read about the towns we just passed through a few weeks earlier. Lethbridge, Pincher Creek, Fort Macleod. Sad to realize as well how ignorant one can be as a tourist and how easy the most important places can be missed. So the content of the books in itself made it a succes for me and I greatly enjoyed learning about what I've missed and why to go back there again.
A downside for me was the great amount a characters that pass by in the story. It makes it hard to follow at times. This book taught me a lot about the area and was great fun to read.
October 8, 2020
Easy read. Goes into a lot of depth to contextualize Jerry's life starting with his father's journey to America and life in the Western fur trade. Then later the book looks deeply at major events which Jerry only had a little involvement in again for context reasons. But there's no arguing the resulting effort not only gives Potts the respect and highlighting he deserves but a great point of view to reveal how the Canadian west went from essentially lawless empty wilderness to settled farmland in the space of a generation. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand Western Canadian history.
December 8, 2022
Excellent book. Jerry Potts, James MacLeod, James Walsh, Sam Steele, Dr Richard Nevitt, Red Crow and Crowfoot,men who adapted to changes in the west in the 1800s. Excellent history of the Northwest Mounted Police. This book shows the strikingly different approach of two growing nations as they encroach upon the land of the native people and the all important buffalo.
October 31, 2025
Metis guide and saviour of the Canadian government’s attempt by the newly formed NWMP to open the West for European settlement
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews