The First Shot Rang Out

Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre
Duck Lake, Saskatchewan

This exhibit, “The First Shot That Rang Out,” takes a look at the Battle of Duck Lake, the first armed encounter of the 1885 North West Uprising. The Battle took place between the Métis, along with their supporters, and the North West Mounted Police, who were aided by a group of volunteers. In order to help you understand the Battle of Duck Lake, we have provided several storylines giving different perspectives on the events. The museum’s interpretation of the events leading up to the battle and the battle itself uses only known facts about how the actual battle took place. We then have storylines representing the points of view of the three different groups of people involved with the battle. These are the Métis version, the First Nations version, and the civilian and military version, each being told by an individual who is representative of their group and who was involved with the events or had direct connections to those involved. We have also included short biographies on key people involved with the battle, showing their family life and life before 1885, their involvement in the battle and what they did after. These people are Louis Riel, Gabriel Dumont, L.N.F. Crozier, A.G. Irvine, and Hillyard Mitchell. Also included is a storyline that briefly describes the different historic sites in the area that were involved in the 1885 Uprising, along with additional information specific to each site.