The Private Alexander Decoteau Plaque is part of the Letters Home installation on Trasimene Heritage Walk. It was created in 2020 by Canada Lands Company who uniquely redeveloped Calgary’s former Canadian Forces Base. Private Decoteau's story is told through the letters he wrote home during his service in the First World War.
Alexander Decoteau, a Cree from Saskatchewan born in 1887, became Canada’s first Indigenous police officer and competed as a runner in the 5-km race in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1916, Decoteau joined the Canadian army as a battalion messenger, running messages across battlefields in the face of enemy fire. Tragically, Private Decoteau was killed in October 1917 during the Battle of Passchendaele, just before his 30th birthday.
In his memory, Alex Decoteau remembrance runs are held every year in Canada and Belgium.