The Mounties (Discovering Canada)

The scarlet tunic of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is recognized throughout the world. It's been worn since 1873 when Prime Minister John A. Macdonald created the original force-the North-West Mounted Police-to round up horse thieves and whiskey smugglers on the Prairies.

The Mounties presents the amazing stories of such larger-than-life figures as James Macleod, an officer who befriended the powerful Blackfoot chief, Crowfoot; James Morrow Walsh, who won the trust of Sitting Bull when he arrived in Canada after the massacre at Little Big Horn; Jerry Potts, the famous Métis scout and interpreter; and Sam Steele, the superintendent who kept the peace during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Today, the Mounties are a much larger force and operate with sophisticated equipment and modern technology. But at the heart of the RCMP are the brave men and women who risk their lives maintaining law and order across the country.