The Sir Samuel Steele Collection - Scholarly + Educational Materials
Selected Scholarship, Resources + Media Coverage
- The Engagement Letters of Marie Harwood and Sam Steele edited by Connor J. Thompson. Historical Society of Alberta, 2023.
- “Feminist and Family Man: Book Shines New Light on Legendary Mountie Sam Steele” CBC News (13 Jan 2019).
- Sam Steele: A Biography by Rod McLeod. University of Alberta Press, 2018.
- “The Holy Grail of Archival Collections” by Elizabeth Renzetti. The Globe and Mail (Updated 27 April 2018).
- “Sam Steele’s Forty Years in Canada: History or Fiction?” A digital exhibition curated by Alison Rukavina for Bruce Peel Special Collections, 2017.
- “Gold Rush Lawman Sam Steele First Made His Name at Fort Qu’Appelle” by Craig Baird. Regina Leader-Post (28 June 2017).
- “Faded Hero: How Canada Forgot—and then Rediscovered—Sir Sam Steele” by Charlotte Gray. The Walrus (Updated 27 June 2017).
- “An Old Soldier Fades Away” by Rod McLeod. In The Frontier of Patriotism: Alberta and the First World War. Edited by Adriana Davies and Jeff Keshen. University of Calgary Press, 2016. [Call no. FC 3672 F76 2016]
- “Flirting with Erasure: Mollie Glenn Niblett and the Publishing of Sam Steele’s Forty Years in Canada” by Alison Rukavina. Bibliologia 10 (2015) pp. 53-70.
- “8 Seminal Events where Sam Steele was Present.” Macleans (10 Sept 2014).
- “Cowboys, Criminals, and Frontiersmen: Roger Pocock’s Writings about a Disappearing Wild West.” Paper presented by Alison Rukavina at the Annual Conference of the Texas College English Association (28 Feb 2014).
- “Reviving the Canadian Hero” by Lauren Wheeler. ActiveHistory.ca (28 Aug 2012).
- “Sam Steele Throws a Party” by Paula Simons. Edmonton Journal (21 June 2012).
- “‘Crying Over Spilled Milk’: A Publishing History of Sam Steele’s Forty Years in Canada” by Alison Rukavina. Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada 50.2 (2012).
- Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike by Charlotte Gray. HarperCollins, 2010. [Call no. FC 4022.3 G735 2010]
- “Memoirs of the Quintessential Mountie Return to Canada” by Ken Trimble. The Star (21 Oct 2008).
- “Historic Steele Collection Returning to Canada.” CBCnews.com (19 June 2008).
- Sam Steele Heritage Minute, Historica Canada.
- Sir Samuel Benfield Steele by Rod McLeod. Dictionary of Canadian Biography.
Educational Resources + Lesson Plans
University of Alberta Libraries commissioned the development of school programming to encourage students to access the Sir Samuel Steele Collection. During a major exhibition in 2012, we offered free exhibition tours and a variety of unique and engaging programs that complement the current Alberta Social Studies curriculum for grades four through seven. Although the exhibition closed long ago, the teaching materials are still available below.
These programs feature:
- Lesson plans that match the Alberta Social Studies curriculum, developed in accordance with the latest research and Historical Thinking Concepts.
- Rich primary sources available online for teachers and students to support inquiry-based learning in a student-friendly format.
- The curriculum materials were developed according to the following themes:
- Steele’s role played in the settlement of Alberta.
- Steele’s career in the RCMP and his key role in maintaining law and order in the Canadian West.
- Steele’s participation in the expansion of Canada, especially his experiences during the Red River Expedition and the March West.
- The significant role that Steele played in the Yukon and in World War I.
- Steele’s relationship with his wife, two daughters, and son.
Modules (click to download)
- Introduction to Educational Resources
- Key Social Studies Curriculum Connections to the Sir Sam Steele Collection
- Pictures of Sam Steele, His Family, and Colleagues
- Resources and Links for Sam Steele Educational Activities
- Teacher's Guide: Before the Visit
- Student Activities: Before the Visit
- Teacher's Guide: During the Visit
- Student Activities: During the Visit
- Teacher's Guide: Theme 1 - Red River Expedition
- Student Activities: Theme 1 - Red River Expedition
- Teacher's Guide: Theme 2 - North-West Mounted Police & the March West
- Student Activities: Theme 2 - North-West Mounted Police & the March West
- Teacher's Guide: Theme 3 - Sam and Marie
- Student Activities: Theme 3 - Sam and Marie
- Teacher's Guide: Theme 5 - Yukon and the Klondike Gold Rush
- Student Activities: Theme 5 - Yukon and the Klondike Gold Rush
- Teacher's Guide: Theme 6 - WWI
- Student Activities: Theme 6 - WWI
- Teacher's Guide: After the Visit