Pincher Creek, Alberta — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)

Sergeant Wilde and Charcoal

Alberta's History

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, July 4, 2025

1. Sergeant Wilde and Charcoal Marker

Inscription. On September 30, 1896 a Blood Indian named Si'okskitsis, or Charcoal, killed his wife's lover. Charcoal's wife's affair with her cousin, Medicine Pipe Stem, broke one of the most fundamental rules of Blood society. When they would not end their relationship, Charcoal felt he had no choice. Killing Medicine Pipe Stem made Charcoal a murderer in the eyes of the North West Mounted Police and the government, but it was not a simple crime of passion or revenge.

Convinced that he faced only execution if he surrendered, Charcoal became a fugitive. For weeks his thefts of food and horses, and several armed confrontations, terrorized southern Alberta from the Porcupine Hills to the U.S. border. Patrols of Mounted Police and Indian scouts tried in vain to find him. Finally, on November 10, 1896, a patrol led by Sergeant W.B. Wilde of the North West Mounted Police caught up with Charcoal in the foothills just south of Pincher Creek. Sergeant Wilde was undoubtedly a brave and capable police officer, but he probably did not understand just how desperate Charcoal had become. Threatened with arrest, Charcoal shot Wilde.

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the following day Charcoal was captured and behind bars. He was transported to Fort Macleod and put on trial for the murders of Medicine Pipe Stem and Sergeant Wilde. He was quickly convicted and executed at Fort Macleod on March 16, 1897. It was the last act in a tragic chain of events that pitted the traditional beliefs of First Nations against the new laws of Canada.

Left : Charcoal, the Blood Indian who killed Sergeant Wilde.
Right: Medicine Pipe Stem, who was killed by Charcoal in 1896.
Below: Funeral procession for Sergeant W. B. Wilde at Fort MacLeod, Alberta, 1896.

Erected by Alberta Historical Resources Foundation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is September 30, 1896.

Location. 49° 26.364′ N, 113° 55.526′ W. Marker is in Pincher Creek, Alberta. It is on Alberta 6, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6007 AB-6, Pincher Creek AB T0K 1W0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Southern Rockies and

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Foothills.

It is also in the Prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony

and also Rupert’s Land.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 5, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 14 times since then. Photo 1. submitted on June 5, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.