Upper Fort Garry, autumn, 1869: the people who lived along the Red, Assiniboine, Seine and Sale Rivers now faced the end of Hudson’s Bay Company government. Where could they turn? Should Great Britain govern them as a colony? Should they join the United States? Should they enter the new Canadian Confederation? Should they try to go it alone? Two sides were forming, one supporting Louis Riel and his call for a locally-elected government that would decide their future and another that considered the Métis to be rebels acting illegally. The Métis seized control of Upper Fort Garry to take advantage of its great walls and its cannons. For the next four and a half months, the Settlement was beset by rumours of conflict and threats of bloodshed. Three men died violent deaths. But strong voices argued against a descent into combat. As one community leader, declared:
