In 1968 Hurtig Publishers reprinted William Francis Butler's 1872 The Great Lone Land A Narrative of Travel and Adventure in the North-West of America


Born at Ballyslateen, Suirville, Ireland on October 31, 1838 Sir Wlliam Butler was one of the great soldier-adventurers of the nineteenth century. Overcoming the handicaps of being an Irishman and a Catholic, he rose in the British Army to the rank of Lieutenant General. In the process he depended upon is own drive and imagination to further his ambition. The turning point in his career came when he brought himself to the attention of Colonel Garnet Wolseley, who in 1870 headed the much publicized Red River Expedition against rebellious forces in the Canadian Northwest.

Butler was assigned by Wolseley to serve as intelligence officer in advance of the British Army. He successfully completed this rigorous, often dangerous, mission and then elected to remain in Canada when presented with an offer of further service. He accepted a commission from the Canadian government to investigate conditions in the West and to recommend steps leading to the establishment of law prior to the expected influx of white settlers among the Indians. Upon completion of the incredible 4,000-mile (6000 km) trip undertaken on horseback, dogsled, and foot, Butler submitted a report which is now a classic of Western Canadian history. In it he advocated the establishment of a well equipped force of men which led to the founding, of the North West Mounted Police.

These journeys provided Butler with the material for The Great Lone Land, first published in 1872. In his introduction to the new edition, Edward McCourt says:

"Butler wrote many books ... but The Great Lone Land has remained the most popular of all his works. And deservedly so. It is an exciting tale of adventure; it is a record of prime importance to the student of western Canadian history; above all it is the revelation of a fascinating, many-sided personality of an impulsive humanitarian; a passionate individualist; and a lover of the great western spaces with an eye quick to discern the patterns and subtle nuances of a prairie landscape, and a pen able to record things seen and felt and heard in words which often rise to the level of poetry."

Long acknowledged as an outstanding descriptive writer, Butler's works include a fascinating autobiography, and his account of his 1873 expedition across Canada to the Pacific, The Wild North Land.

In addition to his Canadian experiences, Sir William Butler saw military service in the Sudan and Egypt and was in command of British troops in South Africa just before the Boer War. His military service ended with his retirement in 1905. He died at Bansha Castle, Ireland on June 7, 1910.

For more information go to the William Francis Butler Timeline

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