Shrubb "The Little Wonder"  ›  Deerfoot

Sports of all kind were popular and affordable entertainment in frontier Calgary. Running was one of the first sports to be formally organised in the young community. Deerfoot, a Siksika (Blackfoot) man whose real name was Api-kai-ees and who was a nephew of Chief Crowfoot, soon made his name as a long-distance runner at local sporting events. Unfortunately, since wagering was also a popular form of entertainment, the races were not always run “fair and square.” Deerfoot soon became disillusioned and bitter towards the white community. In August of 1887, he stole two blankets from a settler’s house. When the police tried to arrest him, he attacked them with an axe, and disappeared. A mounted posse searched for him, but Deerfoot remained on the run until he surrendered to the police in the spring of 1889. He was sentenced to 45 days of hard labour. He spent the remaining years of his life in and out of trouble with the law and never ran again. During his incarceration he contracted tuberculosis and, on February 24, 1897, Deerfoot died in the Mounted Police infirmary in Calgary. Today, one of the fastest roads in Calgary — a multi-lane highway over which thousands of vehicles speed every day - bears the name of Deerfoot.
Deerfoot