The Northwest Mounted Police (NWMP) was established in 1873 to ensure law, order, and Canadian sovereignty in the recently acquired western prairies and to prepare the way for large-scale land settlement. As agents of the federal government, the men of the Mounted played a significant role in the history of this vast region consisting of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the northern territories. No local history can be written without reference to the Mounted Police and their presence across the west and in the north. 

For those of us interested in family history and genealogy, we are fortunate that most members of the Mounted Police who served between 1873 and 1920 can be documented, and many of these men had Ontario connections. This presentation will explore individual service and related records, various archival and published resources, websites, and more, sources that can be marshalled to research and understand the history and career of an individual Mounted Policeman in the years before 1920. Research suggestions for the post-1920 period will also be provided.