Royal Canadian Mounties Article – April 1972

To Americans, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are often seen as stuffy, comical buffoons and something to laugh at, thanks to the Dudley Do-Right cartoons that were part of the old Bullwinkle TV show.

But although the Mounties seem like they belong in the pioneering days of the past, the RCMP still play a role in modern Canada, providing provincial policing in eight provinces, as well as local policing in some territories.

And here's a great article about the RCMP from the April 7, 1972 edition of the Lorain Journal, providing an interesting perspective on the eve of the organization's 100th birthday celebration in 1973. 

Of particular interest are the requirements to be eligible for the force, including being between the age of 19 and 29; being a native of a British Commonwealth country; a minimum height of five feet, eight inches; being single and agreeing not to marry for at least two years; requirements to become an expert in boxing and judo; and being able to handle a canoe (the only requirement that seems uniquely Canadian).

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Royal Canadian Mounties – a traditional symbol of Canada, along with the beaver and the Maple Leaf – have long been a favorite subject of postcards. Here are a few, culled from eBay.

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Canada has been a favorite topic on this blog, eh? There have been many posts on Niagara Falls (one of which featured Dudley Do-Right) and one on Canada's favorite honey: Billy Bee. And don't forget those Canadian bicyclists who visited Vermilion. Or the Toronto Maple Leafs! 

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While preparing this post, I remembered something that I hadn't thought about in years.

In the bedroom that I shared with my two brothers when we were kids, we each had a 10" plastic statue of a Canadian Mountie that sat on the headboards of our beds. The statues were souvenirs of our trip to Expo 67 at Montreal.

They looked exactly like this one (below).