Walsh, James Morrow

James Morrow Walsh was born into a large family. His mother's name was Margaret Morrow. ^[2] His father, Lewis Walsh, was a ship carpenter. Walsh was a good athlete, but a poor student. Despite this, in 1862 he graduated with honors from Kingston Military School. His shooting instructor was George French, who later became the first commissar of the Northwest Mounted Police. ^[3]

During the Fenian raids, Walsh served as lieutenant of the 56th regiment of the Grenville regiment, subsequently receiving the rank of captain. In 1868, he received a first-level certificate from the Kingston Cavalry School and continued his studies at the Toronto Police Rifle School. He Walsh was supposed to join the Walsely expedition to the Red River, but on April 19, 1870 he married Mary Elizabeth Moat of Brookville. To support his wife, he became the manager of the North American Hotel in Prescott, and in his spare time he organized the local police. Over time, James and Mary had a daughter, Cora. ^[3]

Thanks to his connections, Walsh was one of the first to join the Northwest Mounted Police in September 1873. His work with the recruits and the skill of the rider impressed his superiors and Walsh received the rank of inspector in 1874 ^[2] . During a march west in July of that year, Walsh was in Detachment D, later that same year he was transferred to Detachment B, where he served for the next 10 years. ^[3]

Under the command of Walsh, the Northwest Mounted Police detachment erected a fort in southern Saskatchewan in 1875, which became the western headquarters of the police in 1878. During the US Army’s campaign against the Sioux Indians in 1876, James Morrow Walsh entered into a relief agreement with Sitting Bull , and later became good friends. ^[1]

Walsh, with his free thinking and popularity among the population, provoked discontent among the commanding staff of the police. After a series of permutations and problems associated with the Lakota Indians, he left the police in 1883 and returned to Brookville. ^[3]

Walsh later settled in Manitoba. Walsh, together with two partners, founded the coal company Dominion Coal, Coke and Transportation Company, headquartered in Brandon, Manitoba ^[4] . His business was successful largely because the main client of the company was the Canadian Pacific Railway. ^[3]

At the same time, Walsh makes friends with Clifford Sifton , who later became Minister of the Interior in the government of Laurier ^[2] . Shortly after Wilfried Laurier became Prime Minister of Canada , James Walsh wrote him a large memorandum explaining the need to reduce the Northwest Mounted Police ^[4] .

On August 16, 1897, the Yukon District was formed as part of the Northwest Territories ^[5] . The Klondike Gold Rush is the primary focus of the Northwest Mounted Police. As a result of the memorandum and relations in the government, Walsh becomes the first commissar of the Yukon, he is reinstated in the police and appointed superintendent. Walsh reports directly to Sifton, bypassing the police headquarters. ^{[2] [4]} . After the independent unit of the Yukon Territory was formed as part of the Dominion Canada on June 13, 1898, Walsh remained in his post for about a month .. Trying to organize an effective government and working directly with Ottawa, he encountered political contradictions and was forced to resign ^[3] .

A fort in Saskatchewan ^[1] and mountains in North America in Yukon ^{[6] are} named after James Morrow Walsh.