Policing the Plains

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Policing the Plains is a 1927 Canadian silent historical docudrama directed by Arthur D. Kean. It’s an adaptation of Roderick G. MacBeth’s book and covers the first fifty years of the Royal North-West Mounted Police (RNWMP). Kean bought the rights in 1924 and aimed for a six-reel movie, but the project grew to eight reels and about $125,000 after many months of filming.

What the film shows
- The early years of the RNWMP, including the Cypress Hills Massacre and the force’s creation, the route known as March West, and the police’s relations with Indigenous peoples on the prairies.
- The founding of Fort Macleod, efforts to catch whisky traders and horse thieves, and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
- Historic events such as Sitting Bull’s Canadian visit and the Klondike Gold Rush.
- Modern policing methods as seen in the 1920s.

Filming and people
- Most cast members were non-professionals; many were chosen for their riding and horse-handling skills.
- Members of the Blood First Nation appeared in scenes in authentic dress and on their own horses. The director was made an honorary chief by the Blood Nation, who gave him the name “The One Who Writes With Pictures.”
- Kean worked closely with the RCMP, including a technical advisor from the force who helped stage opening scenes with mounted officers.
- Filming happened across Western Canada: the Blood Reserve, Fort Macleod, Banff, the Macleod area, Vancouver Island, the BC coast, Point Grey, and other locations. A replica Fort Macleod was built for the scenes.
- The project took more than three years (three years and five months), with a stop-and-start production that included reshoots and additional sequences in Ontario studios.

Release, reception, and loss
- The film’s premiere was delayed from 1924 to 1927. It opened in Toronto at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, December 19–24, 1927, with a limited one-week run.
- It received mixed reviews and faced distribution problems. Some critics praised its authenticity, while others criticized its dramatic technique.
- Policing the Plains is now considered a lost film. The last known location of the negative was in 1937, and a reel may have been destroyed in a 1967 vault fire. Production stills and some paperwork survive in archival collections.

Aftermath
- Kean did not continue making feature films. He moved into journalism, broadcasting, and other work.
- The project is seen as an ambitious, visionary attempt to present Canadian history on screen and to offer a more balanced portrayal of the RNWMP than typical Hollywood “Mountie” films of the era.
- Historians note Kean’s dedication and his belief in a Canadian film industry that could celebrate Canadian figures, values, and institutions.