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Did the Chalk River Massacre in The English happen in real life?
Some genres are an acquired taste, to say the least, and you’ll likely meet many more people who are totally disinterested in westerns than those who love them. Nevertheless, the once undeniably prominent genre arguably underwent a resurgence in the 2010s that has carried into the current decade. That’s not just on the big screen, but the small one too. A prime example of the western continuing to thrive and captivate is The English.
Written and directed by Hugo Blick, the series premiered in the US on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, November 11, 2022, and arrived a day earlier in the UK on BBC Two and iPlayer.
The British-American co-production tells the story of Englishwoman Lady Cornelia Locke (played by Emily Blunt) arriving in the West in 1890 to seek revenge for the man she believes killed her son. She unites with an ex-cavalry scout on her quest for violence and her history begins to unravel.
Working through the series you may find yourselves wondering if the Chalk River Massacre in The English is a factual event, so let’s take a look.
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Chalk River Massacre in The English explained
The Chalk River Massacre is a fictional event and did not take place in real life.
In The English, the devastating event includes the slaying of over 40 members of the Cheyenne. A Native American settlement is targeted by United States Army soldiers and they serve as a death squad to murder innocent people.
We learn that a wealthy businessman who made his fortune in mining in Colorado has come to Wyoming and built over the mass graves of the Chalk River Massacre victims. However, both the characters in the series and the aforementioned massacre are fictional.
On the other hand, Ready Steady Cut reports that a likely inspiration for the Chalk River Massacre is the Powder River Massacre, which took place roughly 50 miles away from Casper, Wyoming. The event saw 24 members of the Cheyenne tribe killed.
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‘It’s not a social documentary’
The English creator was recently interviewed by Paste Magazine and asked how he researched the project for historical accuracy:
“It’s an exploration of the genre, it’s not a social documentary. This is an elevated space, that’s what a Western is. However, within that aspect, there is of course those themes of Native representation because if we’re absolutely honest, if we look back at the genre, its Native representation isn’t great.”
He continued: “The history isn’t great. I wanted to explore and interrogate that. To do that, first I researched the scripts for myself in order to construct them to a place – which I hesitate to say, is like Smithsonian-levels of research because it makes me seem like I’m a buff; on the other hand, it’s true.”
Hugo reveals that he did actually go to the Smithsonian to do research and once the scripts were ready the team placed “them in the right hands to really scrutinize for authenticity and sensitivity…”
The English | Official Trailer | BBC
The English fans shouldn’t expect season 2
Neither Amazon, the BBC, nor Hugo have announced that The English has been renewed for season 2 but it’s important to acknowledge that the project is billed as a mini-series.
Taking this into consideration, Hugo approached the story as a six-episode arc, so the sixth installment serves as the series finale.
The English is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the US.
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