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HISTORY OF MANITOBA
MANITOBA:
HISTORY OF ITS
EARLY SETTLEMENT, DEVELOPMENT
AND RESOURCES.
By ROBERT B. HILL.
I I LUSTRATED,
TORONTO:
WILLIAM BRIGGS,
WESLEY BUILDINGS.
Montreal: C. W. COA I Halifax: S. F. HUESTIS.
.
p\0(o3
Entered according to the Act of the Parliament of Canada, in the year
one thousand eight hundred and ninety, by William Briggs,
in the office of the Minister of Agriculture, at Ottawa.
TO Till
PIONEERS OF MANITOBA,
WHO HA
THE Mi AN- I IKK
ami [NSTITUTK
man-, ILL BE FOUND in I Hi: rOLLOWIM
THIS BOOK I- KY DEDICATED
hy THBII m\
THE AUTHOR.
M2(ra54
CONTENTS.
ciIAl'l BR l
PAOB.
e Roman a Indian \
llpox Brandon House Port la Bourii Whit.-
bearded Sioux Expedition under < Japtain Gillam Hud-
I . ord
Opposition and Difficulty
y 2s
CHAFTEB 11.
rig 4 'orapanina Capture of Brandon H
More Coloniste---Governor Semple Mc
le and Others Killed Cuthberl Grant—
Pambrun'i story H
i M'Ti.i; ill.
! Tf
William For Trial — At-
tetn i <y— Colt-
man and i inal
Leave of the Colony— Gra
OHAPTBB iv.
Last Con t!. Companies— Emigrants fi
Switzerland i An Indian
Lashed— Buffalo Wool Co. fifmanrn by Indians in-
duction of the Plough and o! Domattio Cattle — Famine
n i"i
CHAFFER V.
Hardships and Diffiot rail — Second Experimen
tal Farm A N^ .•■■ Company Tallow
beep Colony Tranaferred
to the Hudson Bay Co.— New Governmental Arrange-
menta- Diaappointmenti and Failures Third
al Farm Harsh Measures— Indian Animosities — An
from Finland Traders Prosecuted —
akan 102-124
IV CONTENTS.
HA ITER VI.
PAGE.
tionofthe] Mission Influx of New Settlers The
ition of First Church Education
M len Dr. Sohulti The First Newspaper
Mail Service The Old Fori Steamer International . L25-146
OHAFTKB VII.
John M ■!.• Tp.ul.l.' with Indians Kenneth
M i rinning of Winnipeg
— Cbrbett Case Council i sotiona] Feeling—
More Tn>ul>le with Indians Sioux and Ojibewajl An
Unpopular Candidate 1! I Freemasons Dr.
1 17 17<»
CHAPTEB xiii.
of Char.. Muscular Christianity Too
Mu 1 >i. McRac Scarcity of V<><«\
—A Shooting Affray— McLean's Trial .178
CHAPTEB IX.
OL Killed by Red Lake Indians
—The Last Indian Fight- A Half-breed Kills an Indian
— Sjpenee and Dutch George A Boisterous Meeting —
■ the Trine- of Wales An Indian after
Fire-water— Fatal Results of the Fracas— Chief Factor
Clare Returns to England to Die — A Complicated Case
before the Courts— Dr. Sehultz Arrested and Bound —
Liberated by His Friends 1S7 206
CHAPTER X.
Second Episcopal Congress — Diocesan Fund — Spence Comes to
Portage la Prairie — Council of Manitoba — Arrest and
Trial of McPherson — The Dawson Route — Archdeacon
McLean — Grasshoppers — First Commemoration of St.
Andrew's Day— Charles Curtis— Little Six— Wolverine. . 209-228
CHAPTER XL
Scarcity of Provisions — Poetry — Death of Mr. Curtis — An In-
dian Horse Thief — Courts and Trials — Distress and High
Price of Food — Mission to England — Arrangements with
Hudson Bav Co. — Trouble Brewing — Hon. Wm. Mc-
Dougall 229-2r)0
CONTENTS. V
OHAPTKB Xll.
PAWL
a the Rebellion oj ' ' ish
umil ( 'ailed i>y Kiel Lav.! I Meeting
•uncil — BU anisand McDougall Eli
I. MlllCllt
Arrival of I )..!ial<l A. Smith I md
Bill of Righti il 4 Government
CHAFTEB Xlll.
litkm tn i Sutherland Killed
ItOO and 1' hit. DM
• urns from Ron
r\\ of Tli '
va Indignation in Ontario Return 28] 815
CM LFTSB \i\.
Man;- itionund< i I tiffieul-
Arrival i : Flight
mble with [ndiani
in [nvaeion Volunte* rs in \ the
What the [nvaaion
tnt
OHAPTKB XI
rel
the Red
The
Roll Q. I -Mth the
Ojib rue w.
I '..11 Winn
age la Pra
An Indian Murder 800 168
OH \i'Ti:i: w i.
Mara .. Wm. Halstead Building
I'. R. !
• emasons— St. Andre .".'.,,» 412
OHAPTEB wii.
Population Planing Mi!! Paper Mill Backet—
Finns -I. oddfellows" Lodge
lv Sec-
eling Llection of Town Council Fire Brigade
tetieal Job -ate
•♦•a— Portage Milling Co. B tory .. .. 418 188
PAOI
439 4;
vi CONTENTS.
OHAPTBB xv 1 11.
Knitting Factory— Flood— I >.-l>t New Railroad Decline of
th. Bard Times J. A. Little Burning of the
.,, Church 3ft— Its Origin
turn of Riel The Fight at Duck Lake Volunteers
t4, tl.. Battfeford- Cut Knife Creek—
man Fish Creek— Batoche— Un-
merited Eulogv— Town Council Resigns— The Schools-
College— Burning of the Fire Hall— r ire ! Fire ! !— Dark
Days
OHAPTSB XIX.
Still An.'t A ant..! M<>n<>j>oly— Con-
(\n\. ndiariam - Fire Bugs Caught—
Town Oounci] Reorganised Resignation of Mr. Bell—
474 4!
CHAPTER XX
- nthen Manitoba, with Towni of M tna,
;t<lU< Mia: Brandon West Selkirk-
Emerson City of Winnipeg Winnipeg Journalism
rigatkmaad Baa enpnon of Buffalo Hunt
_Hi Catholic Church, Church of
1. thodists, Congrega-
Uista and 1 Oddfellowehip -Freemaaonry--
The Orange Society— Political Review of Local Legisla-
ture from its Inception in 1*71 to date 500-6
CHAPTER XXI.
In Memoriam Sketches: Anderson, Barriston, Bird, Black,
Brydgee. Norquay, Gknm, Isbister, McDermott, etc.—
Conclusion : Manitoba, its Size, and with Brief Topo-
graphical Description 631 e
EaaATOL— Page 80, "the severe Damoulin" should read "the Rev. Sever
Damoulin."
ILLUSTRATIONS
St. Boniface 59
Old Fort Gabby 78
Manitoba College, Winnipeg 130
Provincial Asylum, Selkirk ... 144
John McLean, Pioneeb Settler IM
Last Ox Train Passing Through Portage la Prairie \M
Sheriff McLea :.a Prairie 171
St. John's College, Wis 1s'»
p of Karly Settlers 'JO I
Central School, Portage la Prairie
Gboup of Eably Settlers -l B
Dr. Cowan's Resid>
lUOI 284
TTLERS
.-:, Portage i. \ ttl
Interior Portage la Prairie
Interior of the KllHEPH »l la Prai>
Holy Trinity Ciin. ipeo
Central Congregational C'iukcu. Wn
■ pal ChuBOH, Selkirk 414
Homestead Near Rapid City I'M
Homestead in Brandon District . . . 457
Town of Birtle
of Brandon - 496
View of Carberry 514
Village of Batoche .... 538
Batoche Bury: id 560
N of the 90th at St. John's Cemetery, Lethbridoe • 584
The Late Hon. John Norqcay 615
Remains of Portal of Old Fort Garry 628
VI CONTENTS.
CHAPTER xvm.
PAOK.
Knittincr Factory Floody Debt — Now Railroad— Decline of
the Boom — Hard TJllMll J. A. Little Burning of the
:>yt.-rian Chun bellion of 1886 Its Origin
loturnof Rial The Fight at 1 )uck Lake — Volunteers
t<. tin- Front Relief of I Cut Knife Creek—
1 tssacre — Fish Creek — Batoche — Un-
ited Eulogy — Town < 'ouiuul Resigns — The Schools —
College— Burning of the Kin- Hall Fin- ! Fire ! !— Dark
139 473
CHAPTER XIX.
Still An<'th.-r Win M->r.' Railways Wanted Monoj>oly — Con-
dition ..f the Town Inc-.-ndiai Bugs Caught —
ii Council Reorganised Resignation of Mr. BeD —
474 108
CHAPTER XX.
ro Manitoba, with Towns of Morden. Gretna*
City of Brandon We-t Selkirk —
Bmeraon City of Wmamejr- WinnijM-g Journalism —
■. igation and Description of Buffalo Hunt
History of the Roman Catholic Church, Church of
[land, Preebyterians, 1 I ongrega-
kkmaliste and I < mdfellowship — Freemasonry—
The Orange Society — Political Review of Local Legisla-
ture from its Inception in 1871 to date 500-630
CHAPTER XXL
In Memoriam Sketches : Anderson, Barriston, Bird, Black,
Brydges, Norquay, Gunn, Isbister, McDermott, etc. —
Conclusion : Manitoba, its Size, and with Brief Topo-
graphical Description . . 631- 652
Erratum.— Page 80, "the severe Damoulin" should read "the Rev. Severe
Damoulin."
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAOB
-niface 59
Old Fort Garry 78
toba College, WniffH - 130
Provincial Asylum, Sk.lkirk . . 114
JOHM M< LBAIf, PlOMMB Settler 169
Last Ox I rnouOH Foktaoe la Praikik 164
Shkkiff McLean's Residence, PoBTAQl LA Prairie - 171
186
.i.y Settlers SOI
I., POBXAOl I. A 1'KAIKIl. ... 224
Group of Early Settlers - Mfi
De. Cowan's Room u 986
W, EL Bai ubii 284
RUM
t, PuRTAGE LA PRAIRIE 921
POBTAOI i.\ Pkurik 339
ISTKI'.lMl: Of TIIK MhTHnl, | ,.A \>HU,
. H, Wina:
Central Congregational Chums, Wuwumi
ifal Chi ikk 414
Homestead Near Raiii. City ... 434
Dnrrmicn
01 BDru
of Brandon ...... 496
View of Carberky - . 514
Village of Batoche - - 538
Batociie Burying Ground 560
n of TiiK 90th at St. John's Cemetery, Lethbkidge - 584
The L\tk Hon. Jon Nokquay 615
Remains of Portal of Old Fort Garry - - 628
HISTORY OF MANITOBA
CHAPTER I
naQpox
' : ' H reach
},A' i old friends to
' r aP tj I with the inceptiou and
es but a
• my duty to i
With r ba in my mind, I was
rlor window, which,
looking towards the Boni what ia knows
fhe Islan.l,";) tract of land containing over one
arrounded by a wide slough,
poach 01 h, ancTa
4 the Indians and pleasure-seel
i the town
Wit}" * calm and tranquil; thesoft
hu,M °r -ring of the birds, the shrill
en- of the whip-poor-will, and the lowing of the cattle
ey lazily wended their way homewards, were all
iucive to quiet thought.
10 BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
My attention was, how< bracted to* a group of
Indians who were loudly gesticulating to each other
in the soft but guttural lun. of the Sioux. It
may be that the sight ol these noble red men, met in
conclave, brought when such meetings
were often Fraught with danger to the early white
Be that as it may. the scene opened the
floodgates of memory, and I felt myself irresistibly,
and yet not unwillingly, home hack over the years
which have ] with a few friends— some of
whom have long to the spirit land, some
have wearied of ? and migrated to other b!
— I » lown in this part of the province, and, as
with magic touch, that wonderful magician spread out
before me the pages of the past, crowding into the
space of so many minutes the record of many years,
I determined to make them the Bubject-matter of the
folio f gea
So associated is the history of Portage la Prairie
with that of the parent settlement, founded by Lord
irk, on the banks of the Red River, that to
understand the one, we have to revert to the other;
indeed, to know the reasons of many conditions of
society existing prior to 1^70, we have to refer to
events preceding our dispensation, in some cases,
nearly two hundred years. I am obliged, therefore, to
the better elucidation of my narrative, to review, as
briefly as possible, the early history of the province,
in order to gather up the connecting links between
the past and the present.
Portage la Prairie, or, as the name implies, the
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 11
age of the prairie, has long been known to the
Indians and traders who, many years before the
nt of the present population, pushed their com-
Ihe extensive lakes and rivers, lying north-
: and westward, on to the shores of the Pacific
n and the Arctic Sea Here the voyageurs,
aiboine, had to
miles north ih the shores
ol L thence their trusty can*
them into the waters of Lake Wmnip
nd they were on the bosom of the
billowy and far-famed Saskatchewan : then westward
northward into the Athabasca Stiver, through the
Slave Lake, and still northward
i an d Arctic
having ached Lake
ard with the Assiniboine into the
Winnij
rd, that i here about the
middle of thi Uiry, between the y
and 17" aau Oatholic mission wa« estab-
island already mentioned, occupying an
I fifteen acrea Prh made
of a habitation i
kind. The improvements nt* later years, howei
idenoe that did remain, and
simply now a matter of record
L 780, we find the Crees and Assini-
rho inhabited the plains south-west of Lake
Winnipeg, making a pr 1 attack on three
ting three different corpora-
12 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
tions of traders, and situated where the town of
Portage la Prairie now stands. Guarding well the
secret of their intentions, they carried their purpose
with two of the houses, killing the occupants and
looting the goods. A gentleman by the name of
Bruce, noted for his bravery, with a few men occupied
the third. The Indians, elated with their success, and
shouting their war-whoop, rushed on to the attack.
M i . Bruce, true to his reputation, made it so hot for
his assailants that, after suffering a serious loss in
slain warriors, the Indians were glad to decamp,
leaving him in possession of their wounded and dead.
How far they intended to carry their hostilities was
never known.
The following year, 1781, a virulent type of small-
pox attacked both tribes, spreading throughout the
entire Indian territories, even to the shores of the
Hudson Bay, and so late as 1815, the bleached bones
of the victims of this terrible epidemic could be seen,
in great numbers, at several points on the shores of
the Bay.
In 1790, when the Red Lake Ojibeways came to
Pembina to trade, they found a small remnant of the
Assiniboines in that vicinity, who desired them to
come and live with them, as the country was large,
and as they were no longer able to resist their heredi-
tary enemy, the Sioux— a request which the Ojibeways
complied with. To-day, their descendants still occupy
the banks of the lower Red River, and the shores of
Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba.
In 1793, the Hudson Bay Company's servants made
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 13 .
their first appearance in the Red River settlement,
under tli' aid McK beran trader.
Pushi way westward along the AAsiniboin<
mouth of the Souris, they built there their
first trading | Ake Winnipeg, which
i Brandon Hon- I of the
present city of Brandon, which continued to I
of importance till it was seused by tli.' " North-
res which it contained looted and
iris, a t ra«liiiLC*]>"^t belonging
• last named company, on the <>pp>>Mt'' sid
Brandon Bom - time, was in cha
of Petei Fiddler, an old Budson Bay officer, who had
done in Cumberland Hon-', on the
Q, in L806, and who w
tin- lots a' in. 1 otherwise materially
• lion of t'h" Selkirk colony in
1812, 13, and 14
rk boats, trading between this point and
on Bay, wer a return trip in a
•v.- calamity, Brandon
1 1 apparently abandoned 1 h
the place in 1889 outlines of
which d the north, by I !
on the river, with
six h apparent, the largest of which
: .In.
ted on i of the
ttdon Bouse in its origin,
rd that, so far hack as L754, a French
who imparted to the Endii
14 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
religious instruction in the French language, the
remembrance of which was retained in 1804. The
Souris country, in those early days, was noted for its
large herds of buffalo, and this fort will be remembered
in pioneer history as the one which was seized and
pillaged, according to the order of Governor Miles
licDonald, in the spring of 1 s L 4. Five hundred bags
of peintnican, ninety-six kegs of grease, and one
hundred bales of dried meat, weighing about eighty-
five pounds each, were taken across the river, and
I in Brandon Souse. Port la Sou rig was
then in charge of John Pritchard, who afterwards
became agent for His Lordship the Earl of Selkirk,
and who figures prominently in early history.
Two miles to the west of these, on the north side of
the Assiniboine, stood Stone- Indian- River Bouse, or
" Assiniboine House," which was, in 1797, a central
trading depot, and from which supplies were taken as
far south as the Missouri. From this point, Thompson,
the astronomer, started on his visit to the Mandans, or
white-bearded Sioux, so-called from the color of their
beards — a strange people whose skin was almost white,
and who were supposed to have occupied the plains
south-west of Lake Winnipeg, at an early date, from
which they were driven by the more warlike Crees
and Assiniboines, southward towards the Missouri. As
a people they were well advanced in agriculture and
pottery, living in fortified villages, and, if not the
Mound-builders themselves, are believed to be descen-
dants of the same. They appear to have suffered
terribly from the ravages of smallpox, and, as a nation,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 15
are almoel still survive od the Upper
kfissouri, who ar»- known by the name of White-
Boards Thi the property of the
and XV combined. "To-day,
:.
little indeed to
remind him \ ip in
last-mentioned.
Ad four Unfilled (•••liars mark the spot
I tefore
the triam iron horse, and a higher
ization, tl crumbled
into nothing. ,d they will live
only in fa I and ch I by the pen
tan.
Al: iy date,
i well into the present een-
;ani we it of the
Bhip Ki which Bailed
from land, on the 3rd of Jane, 1608.
pedition was rip intations
of two Frenchmen, I '<■ i hddiaon, who,
in 1666, had pushed their way up through our then
unknown country as Lake Winnipeg; then by
I [ndson Bay. Failing to an
stablieh trading ither
r Canada, or the Court of
luction from the
i h amb to influential friend
v made I where they were
kind md the above expedition fitted out to
16 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
verify their researches. On the 4th of August, they
sighted Resolution Isle ; on the 19th, Digga Island ;
and on the 29th of September, they cast anchor at
the mouth of the Nemisco Etiver. On the 9th of
December, the river froze up. Here they passed the
winter. With the return of April, 1069, the cold had
almost passed away, and the company made prepara-
tions to return to England, where they landed in the
following June. Before leaving the Bay, Captain
Gillam erected a little stone fortress, which he named
Fort Charles. This was the first English settlement
on the shores of Hudson Bay.
On the return of the expedition, a company was
formed and application made to the throne for a
charter, which was obtained on the 2nd of May, 1670,
giving the sole use of the country "lying within the
entrance of the Straits commonly known as Hudson
Straits, together with all the lands, countries and terri-
tories, upon the coasts and confines of the seas, straits,
bays, lakes, rivers, creeks and sounds aforesaid, which
are now actually possessed by any of our subjects, or
by the subjects of any other Christian prince or state,
to use and enjoy the whole, entire and only trade and
traffic, and the whole, entire and only liberty, use and
privilege of trading to and from the territories, limits
aforesaid, and to and with all the natives and people
inhabiting, or who shall inhabit, within the terri-
tories, limits or places aforesaid, which are to be known
as Rupert's Land."
So reads the memorable Hudson Bay charter, given
by Charles II. in 1670, the privileges contained
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 17
in which, as to i'ur tradh i upon, until
public opinion got so Btrong on the mat! I by
the influence of new re not unmindful
tot* * on this important matter, that
the e had to quietly back down upon it. The
••■ which tried in court was that of
William Say re, a French half-breed, in L 849, which we
The el
not legally revoked unti ivernment of Canada
had pure he country and it- privileges from the
I Company in 1869. Thus hundred
ontry \\ I ically in the hands of a
monopoly at any or all times to insist opon
privileges granted by a king who gave what he did
In Budson Bay < k>mj any with five
nourishing factories, situated on the Albany, M
Rupert, Nelson, ai
The following a Frenchman named
te from Canada and took Rupert, Moose,
and Albany Factories; D'Jh.a btempted to
Dry, but, failing in tl leeded in
capturin_ n : from this to 1697, the capture
and recapture of these liah and
was the order of the day ; in 1G97
ick was ei which left the
French in undisturl m till 1718, when
another treaty, known ,ty of Utrecht,
on the Bay once more, and
ritish possession.
Dm eenth and eighteenth centuri
18 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
many adventurous spirits, amongst whom we might
mention Ghamplain, in L618, Verandrye, in 1781,
Mackenzie, in 1739, pushed their way west and north,
as far as the Rocky Mountains and the Arctic Sea.
But with these we have not specially to do at present.
As early as 1700 we find fur traders from France
nding their operations as far inland as the Assini-
boine valley, winch had so developed, that in 1760 a
large trade in furs was carried on by merchants from
Montreal, who pushed their enterprises through the
whole of British America to the Pacitic shores.
In 1784, the North- Wesi Company of Montreal was
formed, composed largely of the above traders, with
the brothers Frobisher and Simon McTavish as man-
re. From this date a feeling of rivalry sprung up,
which led up to acts of aggression and violence on the
part of these two great fur companies towards each
other, which, looked at from the standpoint of to-day,
cover those transactions with an odium which cannot
be wiped out. The Hudson Bay Company, though
insisting on the privileges of their charter, were more
humane and honorable in their dealings, though these
were often high-handed and tyrannical. The North -
iters, once roused to opposition by these measures,
failed not to use the low cunning and cruelty of the
savage, intensified by the free use of fire-water, to
return evil for evil, and inflict on an innocent, helpless,
and suffering colony, miseries which the pen of the
historian can never faithfully record. For the present
we leave these, as we shall have occasion to refer to
them further on.
history OF MANITOBA. ID
While I ranspiring here, agencies
k in England destin M a mighty
influence on i Land. In the beginning
of the present century, Thoi
ing man of philanthropic disposition,
sufferings of bis
atrymen throughout the Highlands of Scotland,
medy for this evil but emigration, ad-
ernmenl anent this Impor-
iing forthcoming to this
►lony on waste lands
•i him by the Government in Prince Edward
Island ; and the better to insur nally
uud< enterprise, and b
gb( hundred of fcl r people, who
owfully ; ;i to those heath-dad hills,
to them as life itself, they reached their future
home in the early part of September, Is"
middle of the month they had settled on
lots, building in groups of torn- an.! tiv.- families
' >er, L m ! - arrived in Montreal in the
month. On raiting bis colony in the following
very materia) |
mount of i" per
working hand, and they were busily I in
be had been built, and the
■ had al plenteoualy to the}*
:'" day the q people are
numbered bj thousand? ttered over 1'iince
During bis stay in Montreal, Lord Selkirk made
20 H is TOB V Of MANITOBA.
iia time. Be was cordially received in the
city, and every attention and hospitality shown to the
le traveller. He was particularly interested in the
n known as Hudson Bay and Rupert's Land, and
• the difficulties of transit, conceived the idea of
Forming a colony inland on the banks of the Bed River.
In order to do so more successfully, he again, in
I sii.", addressed the British Government and nation,
bive to a more extensive emigration as the only
able remedy foi a superabundance of population.
This was presented to the public in the form of a book
of over two hundred pages, in which was shown the
successful issue of tin? colony in Prince I'M ward
Island, a venture which had been predicted by many
as likely to end in failure.
In order to further his purpose, he bought largely of
Hudson Bay stock, which at this time had depreciated
from 250 to 50 per cent., in consequence of misfortunes
or mismanagement, and which was considered as then
on the verge of insolvency. His purchases extended
to nearly £40,000, while the whole amount of the com-
pany s stock was under £100,000. This gave him a
powerful control in the administration of the com-
pany's affairs and in the disposal of the property.
A general court was convened, by public notice, in
May, 1811, when the stockholders were informed that
the Governor and Committee considered it beneficial
to their general interests to grant Lord Selkirk 116,000
square miles, of what was supposed to be their terri-
tory, on condition that he should establish a colony
and furnish, on certain terms, from among the settlers
HIstoky OF KANITO] 21
such laborers as would be required by the company in
• ■
A written prot ainst this, which
one present, with the exception
Selkirk hinu
e grant, despite the opposition, was confirmed,
and bis Lordship found himself the ideal proprietor of
a territory only 5,115 square miles less than the entire
m of Great Britain and
Ireland.
The following is tin- text of the -rant:
"Beginning at the shores of Lake Winni]
north latitude, thence running due
: to Lake Winnipegoo led Little Winni-
ttherly direction through the said
n Bhore in latitude 52 .
lei 52 intersects the
tern branch of the Red II' I the
due south to that point of
inter and which separates the
is running into the Hudson Bay from those of
rariand Mississippi Rivers, then inan easterly
direction along the hi ! the
;• Winnipeg, meaning by Buch I named river,
the principal branch of the waters which unite in the
ginaw, t; ig the main stream of those
nd the middle of tl. through
which th r Winni;
and thence in a northerly direction, through the middle
of Lake Wii. lace of beginning, which
to be called Assiniboia."
'22 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
The grant obtained, his Lordship at once dispatched
agents to Ireland and throughout the Highlands of
Scotland, to engage servants, some for the Hudson
Bay Company's and otl labor in the
Were known as his Lordship's
ants, and wen >r a tmn of years, at the
expiration of which they became entitled to 100 acres
of land, free of cost. They \v«ire placed under the
command of Mile- lid Donald, who was jointly appointed
by his Lordship and the Hudson Lay Company the
tirst governor of the new colony.
The first hatch <>t' Scottish immigrants arrived at
York Factory late in the fall of 1811. The factory
was then in charge of William Anld, Esq., Superin-
tendent of the Northern Department of Rupert's Land,
who was reputed to be stern and despotic in the exer-
cise of his authority. After remaining a short time at
the fort, our pioneers were sent forward to Seal's
Creek, a place about fifty miles distant up the Nelson
River, under the charge of their captain and Governor
Miles McDonald and Mr. Hillier, a Justice of the Peace.
The winter heing near at hand, they were at once em-
ployed in building log huts for shelter in this inhos-
pitable region. For some reason a mutual distrust
arose between the officers and men, tending to make
matters go worse than they wrould otherwise have
done. On the opening of the spring they resumed
their journey to the Red River valley, reaching what
is now known as Point Douglas late in August, 1812.
No sooner had they arrived than a party of armed
men, painted, disfigured, and dressed like savages,
history 0r MANITOBA. 23
roacbed the little band of colonists, and warned
them that they were unwelcome g ad that they
must depart The lack of food, coupled with the
notice to quit, r with the appearance of their
armed and .,, influenced the
pioneers that they n proceed to Pembina,
nty miles distant A bargain was made with
the painted wan rho really were North-)
aduct the colonists to the latter |
in which kainly the besi of
'f- The making of the bargain is said to have been
ludicrous in the ween (Gaelic, br<
English, Indian j rench, with signs,
grimi tirown in. At all events they
led our pioneer fathers to the little frontier town of
Pembina, wh the winter in tentsaceord-
• e [ndian fashion, living on the products of
amon with the i In May, 1813,
they returned to the coin- the tabor
tared
ider, a tradiri u the lie.] \ir
them handsome returns. One man from four
'had.
howev at difflcul ring it from thr myriads
of blackbirds and wild pigeons which abounded.
Their living, during the summer, had been fish, r,
and berri wild parsnip. The wheat raised
from this crop th to save for -<•• d for
With tins object they resolved to j
Si Pembina, winch they did ; but the
by the French half-breeds was so different
24 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
from that accorded them the previous year, that many
of them resolved never to return thither under any
circumstances.
While matters were going thus with our colonists
In Red River, Lord Selkirk, in L818, visited Ireland,
where he employed agents to engage servants for the
fur trade and the colony, as also in the north of Scot-
land, where among the evicted tenants of the Duchess
of Sutherland he found many unfortunate fellow-
countrymen, driven by the force of cruel and un-
natural laws from (heir humble homes, with no
knowledge whatever where to find a shelter for them-
selves and families, and who were only too anxious to
avail themselves of any favorable opportunity to reach
tli prairies of the western world, the fertility of
whose soil was just beginnis known through
the efforts of .Lord Selkirk and others who had pre-
ceded him.
On the 28th of June the Hudson Bav ships, the
Prince of Wales and the Eddystone, the latter con-
taining the servants, the former the colonists, accom-
panied by a brig bound for the Moravian missions on
the coast of Labrador, all under the protection of the
Brazen, a sloop of war, sailed out of the little harbor
of Stromness. I shall not attempt to portray in words
the intensity of that last look on hill and dale and
ged mountain top, dear to those eyes as life itself ;
I cannot, if I would, paint the anguish of those High-
land hearts, as speeding out on the great deep those
scenes faded away never more to be seen by their
earthly eyes, but treasured in their heart of hearts
ffEBTOBY OF MANITOBA. 25
forever. I can hear in their sobbing voices the words,
U, dear old land, farewell," and so thev passed
out, and calli v took on board those who
nad I/'" ■-! in Ireland, amongst whom was a
Mr. Kevaney, who figures prominently in after history
' tanner I those
nnderbis d On the L2th of little
in the Churchill Rii y the
Prince of Walea The monotony of the
insurrec-
' who became d .- p0s.
ion of the Bhip with I ttion of taking her to
country at war wit' Britain and disp
of both ship lividing I
the faithful. The captain, being quietly informed of
nu., I d ,,,,,] t]l(.
•t, so
o theconspii pted to gain
vn hack into the hold
in the bud.
In ! phus fever of a virul
aPP**w imber of deaths, and the
dtted to
■ineeofWal* landed,
• ere for. .,„,„. by
«ralk,dra their bur.
with them, to a place known Qy Creek. Here
tbey built log huts and i | „„til the following
April, many of them still suffering from the effects of
the fever, while oi re worn out by their efforts
26 HISTORY OF MANITo
in attending the sick and dying, most of them ill-pre-
pared to stand the rigors of a winter u in which the
thermometer ranged from 30* to 50 , and even as low
as 60°, below zero." To receive the scanty rations doled
out to them by the Hudson Bay Company, they had
to perform a journey of thirty miles on snow-shoes
every week. During the winter the white grouse or
willow partridge became very plentiful. The poor, half-
fed Highlanders' hearts were gladdened with the sight
of this, to them, heaven-sent manna, and like Peter of
old, they began to kill and eat, when, judge of their
surprise, they were commanded by Mr. Auld to hand
into his keeping the locks of their guns, on pain and
penalty of having their ration- stopped The reason
of this landlordism over the fowls of the air has never,
even at this distance of time, been apparent. Amongst
the last words addressed to these people at Stromness
by Lord Selkirk was the advice to take no money nor
portable articles of comfort, as these could be pro-
cured at Red River as cheaply as at home. Very dif-
ferent did these poor wanderers find it, many of them
ill-clad or not sufficiently so to stand the extreme cold
of this northern land. Clothing could only be procured
for hard cash, of which they had none, and at extreme
prices; indeed, his lordship's commissariat to meet the
wants of his settlers was certainly, to say the least of
it, faulty to culpability. No one, at the present stage
of our prosperity, can form an adequate idea of the
trials and sufferings of those first pioneers; and though
many of them are unknown, their memory deserves
to be honored for braving the inclemencies of a
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 27
country which, though generous in its returns, is often
breme, and requires all the protection
which art nod science can give. At length, the long
winter came to a close. Towards the last of April
they left Colony Creek, making their way to York
tv. havi ed hack the locks of
ins. On fcheii « rds the latter place
they found p bich the] [lowed to
JO kindly received at the
factory by Mr. ( took, a kind-hearted hut eccentric old
gentleman, who was in charge ol the latter place, and
who. for man; ml formation
y, as he and other tr look
on it as likely to b I time, B
desirable and convenient place of retirement where
Id enjoy rare of spending the evening
of life in the bosom of their families and in society.
Daring the fall they t Douglas, wl
ed by Mr. McDonald, wl nted
bead of a family With one hundred acres of land
and an Indian pony. A few daya later they were
a mastered, treated to a glass of Bpirits, and far-
ed with a mnsket, bayonet, and ammunition, with
the admonition t og dictated to the weak."
re was apparently no preparation for agricaUora]
pur i Implements, nor even iron to
make them. Tle-re was, however, a field hattery
with ammunition i a large supply of musketa
Afters abort residence at FoH Doug-
las, the col"' tied to raise their
p and proceed south to Pembina, to he within
28 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
easy reach of the buffalo, the only apparent source of
their winter's supplies, and which, with the addition
of fish, was at this early period the staple food of fehe
country. Here, aided by the company's servants, they
built log huts, wherewith to Bhelter themselves, sur-
rounding the whole with a stockade, and named it
Fort Daer, in honor of Lord Selkirk. In consequence
of the continued scarcity of food, the party had again
to break up, some going to the Hudson Bay post on
Turtle River, while others joined the hunters in pur-
suit of the buffalo.
During the rammer of 1813, peace and good-will
prevailed in the Red River valley ; though strongly
opposed to the settlement, the Canadian traders, rep-
resented by the North-West Company and others, had
as yet made no overt act against the Hudson Bay
people. On the other hand, many acts of kindness
were shown by the North- West Company's servants to
the tried and suffering colonists.
CHAPTEB II.
d Trading Onwipiiriei Capture of Brandon House—
' D nald •
' fchberl Qnn1 Pritchi
Pambrun
With the progress of the Amerioao arms along the
t'lian lakes, the North -West partners feared the
interception of their provision-laden canoes. Mr.
M< Donald, on behalf of tin- Eudson Bay people, an< I
acting on instructions received from Lord Selkirk, also
t the situation, and the time
as one suitable to serw his Lordship's interests, and
began at one .,- movements against
Oompanj and their employees. The
colonial fort was so situated that canoes pa>
bom Fort William, the principal post belonging to
North-Wesi Company to remote
stations on Lake Winnipeg, could not do so without
I by tin Eudson Bay employees. They
I upon from the fort as also from batt.
bed on the bank of the river, no resource being
left them but to pull to shore. The canoe was
I all provisions taken and
placed inside Fort Douglas. Foraging expeditions
i organized on the plains, and supplies dealt
out to t) ii-West servants demanded at the
point of the bayonet, as was the case with Jean Bap-
tiste, Demaris, and others. But the crowning act of
30 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
all was the seizure of Brandon House, at the mouth of
the Souris River, by which a large quantity of pro-
visions was secured, which was, according to Governor
McDonald's proclamation, to be paid for in currency,
but which, like many other arrangements of the com-
pany, was never fulfilled. The following is the text of
the proclamation. After defining the limits of his Lord-
ship's grant, the proclamation ran as follows j
And whereas the welfare of the families at present
forming the settlement on the Red River, within the
said territory, with those on their way to it, passing
the winter at York or Churchill Fort or Hudson
Bay, as also those who are expected to arrive next
autumn, renders it a necessary and indispensable part
of my duty to provide for their support. In the yet
uncultivated state of the country, the ordinary resources
derived from the buffalo and other wild animals hunted
within the territory are not more than adequate for
the requisite supply. Wherefore, it is hereby ordered,
that no person trading in furs or provisions within the
territory for the Hudson Bay Company, North- West
Company, or any unconnected individual, person or
trader whatever, shall take out provisions, either of
flesh, dried meat, grain or vegetables, procured or
raised within the said territory, by water or land car-
riage, for twelve months from this date, save and
except what may be judged necessary for the trading
parties at the present time within the territory to
carry them to their respective destinations, and who
may, on due application to me, obtain a license for the
same. The provisions, procured and raised as above,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 31
be taken for the use of the colony; and that
no .' accrue to parties concerned, they will be
paid for by British bill, at the customary rates ; and be
it hereby further made known, that whoever shall be
detected in attempting to carry out, or shall aid
or assist in carrying out, or attempt to carry
out, any provisions prohibited above, either by land
ken into custody and
prosecuted as the law in Mich cases directs; and the
provi ,, taken, as well as any other ur,)t»ds or
chattels, of what nai which may !»«• taken
along with th. in, and also the craft, carriage and
cattle instrumental in conveying away the same to
any part hut the settlement on Red River, shall be
forfei
Given under my hand at Fort Daer, 8th day of
January, 1814.
"(8J Miu> If oDokald, Governor.
" John Spencer, Secretary."
For fchi Mr. McDonald and his sheriff, Mr.
re arrested and taken to Montreal, Canada,
d for the robbery of Brandon House. Spencer
was arraigned before the courts of Lower Canada on
this charge, and a true bill found against him for
\ by the jury. A plea, however, was
ented, representing thai by virtue of his office, and
under the charter of the Hudson Bay Company, he
was autl ee. Time was given by the court
to procure evidence, and obtain legal opinion from
authorities in England. Spencer was admitted to
32 BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
bail. The court, judging from opinions received later
that there would be a failure in proving the felonious
intent, allowed the prosecution to drop. Previous bo
McDonald's arrest, which occurred in the fall, the
partners of the North-West ( lompany, in the Northern
District, as wan their usage, met in the first week of
June at head-quarters, where they I supplies for
the trip to Fort William. This year, finding their
stores empty, and knowing that Mr. McDonald had a
large supply of pemmican, a good proportion of which
had :/..■( 1 from the North-West Company's
vants, and not having decided as yet to meet arms by
force of arms, which they were well qualified to do, they
entered into arrangements with the colonial governor,
whereby to receive as much supplies as would c
them to Fort William. McDonald condescended to do
so. On arriving at the latter fort, they were met by
their partners from Montreal, a council was held, pre-
sided over by Mr. McGillivray, and a decision arrived
at, to resist by force of arms all further encroachments
on their property and persons by the Hudson Bay
Company and their agents. The first outcome of this
decision was the arrest of McDonald and Spencer ; the
next in importance was the shooting of Mr. Johnston,
who was in charge of a Hudson Bay station at Isle a
la Crosse, in an altercation between the companies over
a fox trap. Fortunately, though there was considerable
firing, and many blows struck, only one life was lost.
On the 11th June, another melee occurred, in which
Mr. McDonald, of theQu'Appelle House, a North- Wester,
with a company of men, took possession of a grove of
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 33
trees near Fort Douglas, and opened fire on the fort.
Four of the Hudson Bay men were wounded. While
Mr. Warren was in the act of discharging a blunder-
bos in the bastion, the ] im a
wound, of which he afterwards died on his way from
Red River to Norway House,
The high-handed policy pursued by Miles McDonald
was the mem I only putting tl anpanies
at war with each other, but also of alienating the sym-
pathies of the settlers tie who, in the brigand-
age which ensued, suffered very materially.
In the midst of these storm] a fresh hatch of
rants were preparing to leave Stromnass, accom-
governor and a staff of clerks. Tl
v drawn from SutherlamMiire and the
parish of Kildonan. They sailed from the above port
on the 17th of June. L815, in the ", the Pr
0/ TFata? and the They were also accom-
pany sloop of war. Governor Sample, with a
of clerks, occupied the Prince of Wales, while the
Headlow and the K ie were occupied by the
colonists. They reached "Five Fathoms Hole," in
James Bay, on the 18th August, and arrived at their
nation in the Red River valley in the August fol-
lowing. Like the previous en they were
doomed to trouble and disappointment. All they could
obtain from the company's stores, and that, too, only
for a short time, was a few ounces of rancid butter
and a small quantity of unground wheat, per day, for
each family. The winter approaching, they were sent
to Pembina, in order that they might be near the buf-
34 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
falo, on which they must depend for their winters
sustenance. All the young and active, and as many as
could be spared of the company's servants, were
placed in two boats and proceeded up the Red River
to Fort Daer. During the night there was a heavy
fall of snow, and the river froze over. Provisions
also gave out, and the nearest place of relief was Pem-
bina, forty miles distant. There being no help for it,
fathers and mothers had to bind their children on
their backs, Indian fashion, leave the boats, and
trudge through the long grass covered with snow,
till they reached Fort Daer. Here they erected huts.
Again the scarcity of food compelled them to go one
hundred and fifty miles farther south, to where the
hunters, half-breeds and Indians were camped. These
received them kindly, and seemingly vied with each
other as to who could show them the greatest kind-
ness. The suffering of these poor people on this weary
journey, ill protected with clothing from the pitiless
wind sweeping over these bleak and treeless plains,
was such that they could not narrate the story with-
out feelings of horror. Even here their lot was not a
happy one, as they virtually became hewers of wood
and drawers of water to these rude savages.
With the arrival of Governor Semple, came a lull in
hostilities, for a short time at least. In the beginning
of March, 1816, Mr. Semple went west to inspect the
posts on the Assiniboine, Lake Manitoba and Swan
Lake, leaving Mr. Colin Robertson in charge. On the
16th of March, Mr. Robertson, with a company of
armed followers, attacked Fort Gibraltar, a North-
HISTORY OF KAtilTOBA. 35
West post, taking prisoner Mr. Cameron, who was in
charge, as also his clerks and servants ; removing all
the public and private arms, trading goods, furs, hooks
and | o Fort Douglas. The furs were shortly
aft*M nt to York Factory. They also captured
North- West Company's express from Fort William,
imprisoned the two men in char] 1 the corre-
spondence, opened an- 1 read all communications, witb
the » ied to Mr. Cam-
k Mr. Sieveright. These were handed to that
gentleman unopened That same day Mr. Cameron
sent Mr. Siei eright to Robertson, requesting the restora-
tion of Fort Gibraltar to its lawful owners, and to
allow them to resume their trading operations. Rob-
ertson replied, that 1 I at the confluence of
the two rivers, the Red and t tiboine, it was the
to the position, and he was determined to keep it
at all ha The same day a squad of men, with
cannon and muskets, was sent from Fort Douglas to
1 Mr. Cameron and his men. These kept guard
time. They then turned all the Canadians
with the • xception of Mr. Cameron and two others,
out of the fort. Mr. Sieveright being one of the
■lied, made his way to Fort Qu'Appelle, where Mr.
Alexander McDonald was in char
up his advantage, Mr. Robertson attacked
tforth-West< Company's post on the Pembina River,
where it joined with the Red, captured Bostonais Pang-
man, who was in charge, with two clerks and six trip-
men, took them to Fort Daer for three days, then to
Fort Douglas, where they were kept in close confine-
36 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
liient for two weeks, then turned out. By this move
considerable provisions were secured, as also a quantity
of Indian corn and potatoes. Not satisfied with what
he had already done, Mr. Robertson and his men
attempted, in the earl}- part of April, to carry Fort
Qu'Appelle. But Mr. McDonald was prepared for
them, and they were forced to retire. Recognizing
the disorganized condition of the North-West Com-
pany's affairs in the country, McDonald sent mes-
sengers to the agents on the Swan and Saskatchewan
rivers, inviting their co-operation to recover some-
what of their lost prestige and provisions. To this
appeal a number of French half-breeds were sent to
him, who were certainly as barbarous as their parent-
age. About this time live flat-bottomed boats, laden
with pemmican and from thirty to forty packs of furs,
under charge of James Sutherland, were on their way
to Fort Douglas. McDonald seized the whole, but
restored one and provisions sufficient to carry Mr.
Sutherland and his men to their destination, all of
whom they allowed to go with the exception of James
Bird, jun., and Mr. Pambrun, who were retained as
prisoners.
When Robertson learned from Mr. Sutherland of
McDonald's movements in the west, he concluded to
get to Hudson Bay as speedily as possible. He had
Mr. Cameron sent off at once in a light boat to York
Factory, where he remained for several months before
he was shipped to England ; the ice becoming too thick
ere the ship reached Hudson Straits, she was com-
pelled to return and winter at Charlton Island. From
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 37
ed in July, 1817, reaching England in
safety. Mr. Cameron, after seventeen months' hn-
Dment, was released without even a trial. Be
v to Canada, where he spent
latter part of his yean.
Cameron out of braltar than
D had the walls polled down, and all the
ble raft a the river to Port
Dou.l ilized in new ere ithin
fort
middle o! Jane, Mr. McDonald, with his
half from Qn'Appelle, made his appearand
Portage la Prairi arrival of a bri
of ca m Port William, on the Red I bont
1 knowing thai the II y people
;" P he river at thai point
ami t communication between the expected
and that any attempl
liaion which might ;
is and disasi their in? To
id this, he determined to open commmr'cation by
land, and d< i >ixty mounted men, mod of
whom were hall with a quantity of pemmican,
part of which tl. 7e to
the occu] the Portage,
at a distance from Fort
colony : to molest no one, and avoid
on if i Thia the first part of the
I, reaching Frog Plains on the
ere, meeting four they made them
tiers, hut treated them well. Th I p
38 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
as they were proceeding by the edge of a swamp about
two miles from the fort, was observed by a sentry,
with the aid of a telescope, who informed Governor
Semple of the fact. With the reader's permission I
will, at this point, introduce tin- evidence of Mr.
Pritchard, an Englishman, who had been in the employ
of the North-West Company, but had left their ser-
vice and become a settler at Red River, and whose
testimony has been accepted as trustworthy by both
parties.
"In May. 1816, I was living at Red River, and in
that month and long before, from the Indian and free
men who lived in our neighborhood, I heard of its
being intended to attack us: I heard this as early as
March, and in May and June the report became general.
In consequence of this information we were constantly
on the look-out day and night ; a watch was kept for
the express pur] giving the earliest notice of
their approach. < >n the evening of the 19th of June, I
had been upstairs in my own room in Fort Douglas.
About six o'clock I heard the boy at the watch-house
give the alarm that the Bois-brules were coming. A
few of us, among whom was Governor Semple, looked
through a spy-glass from a place that had been used
as a stable, and we distinctly saw armed men going
along the plains. Shortly after, I heard the boy call
out that the party on horseback were making toward
the settlement. About twenty of us, in obedience to
the Governor, who said we must go and see who these
people were, took our arms ; he could only let about
twenty go ; at least, he told about twenty to follow
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 39
him. There was, however, some confusion at the time,
and I believe a few more than that number accom-
panied us. Having proceeded about half a mile
towards the settlement, we saw behind a point of the
woods which wn to the river that tlio party
had increased \<vy much. Mr. Semple, there!
Mr. Boorke to the fori for a cannon, and as many
men as lliles licDonald could spare. Mr. Bourk<
i retarnii ;.- Gentlemen, we
had better go on,' and accordingly proceeded We had
n°t fi iw the Boia-brulea returning
towai and tla-y divided into I ror-
rounding as in the shape of a half -moon or circle On
OUI way a number of tl. jring ;ind
long in Qae ch I do not understand, and
By this time the party on
•hack ha Dear to as, so that we could
re painted and di in the must
hideous manner. Upon I
l Boucher advanced, riding ap to
waving bis hand, and called out in broken English,
* WI' What do you want V Governor
lo you want I ' Mr. Bourke
not coming with the cannon as was expected,
the Governor directed the party to proceed onwards.
had not gone far before we saw the Bois-hrules
ruing upon as. Upon observing that they were
numerous, w< I our line and got more into the
open plain, retreating as they advanced towards us;
hut they divided tl into two parties, and
Of a half-moon.
40 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
"Boucher, who was on horseback, then came out of
the ranks of his party, and advanced towards us, call-
ing out in broken English, aa before, 'What do you
want ; What do you want?' Governor Semple
answered] 'What do yon want?' Boucher replied,
'We want our fori1 The Governor said, ' Well, go to
your fort.' At'f-r that I olid not hear anything that
passed, as they were close together. I saw the Gover-
nor put his hand on Boucher's gun; expecting an
ck to be made instantly, I had not hern looking
nor Sample and Boucher for some time, but
just then I happened to turn my head that way and
immediately heard a shot, and directly afterwards
general tiring.
"I turned round upon hearing the shot, and saw Mr.
Holte, one of our officers, struggling as if he was
shot; he was lying on the ground. On their approach,
as I have said, we extended our line on the plain by
each taking a place at a greater distance from the
other ; this was done by the Governor's orders, and we
took such places as best suited our individual safety.
Not seeing the firing begin, I cannot say from whom
the first shot came, but on hearing it I turned, and saw
Lieutenant Holte struggling with a blacksmith named
Heden and a settler named Mackay ; they were pre-
sent at the affair, and distinctly state that the first
shot fired was from the Bois-brules, and that by it
Lieutenant Holte fell. As to our attacking our
assailants, one of our people, Bruin, I believe, did pro-
pose that we should keep them off; and the Governor
turned round and asked who could be such a rascal as
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 41
to make such a proposition, and said he hoped he
should hear no word of that kind again; he was very
much di m made. A
fire was kept up for I minufc i the first
shot, and I saw a Dumber wounded; indeed, in a Pew
minutes, almost all our people were either killed or
wounded. 1 saw Sinclair and Bruin fall, either
nded or killed, and a Mr. RfcLeal, a little in fronl
(,f " ling bin eond Bhot he also
full. At this time I -aw Captain Rodgers getting up
:i but no! ,ir people standing, I
ive vuur
•elf op : give yourself up!1 i; Is them,
ealling out in broken French and English that lie
surrendered, that he gave himself up. and praying
them t<. save his life, Thou Is-brule,
him through the head, and another Bois-brule
-I upon him with a knife and disembowelled him,
>rrid ini] [ did not see the
Governor fall : I saw hi y at the
When Rodgers fell I expected to share his fate.
there we ach-Canadian among those who
Surrounded me, and who had just made an end of my
friend, I said, I Frenchman, you
m ar<» a Christian, for God my
life; f«>r God -id save it, I give myself up,
I am your prisoner/ Mackay, v among this
v and who knew me, said, 'You little toad, what
do you do here?' 1 fully expected then to lose my
1 to Lavigne, and he joined in
entreating them to spare me, I told them over and
42 HISTORY OF man ITOB A.
over again that I was their prisoner, and had some-
thing to tell them. They seemed determined, however,
to take my life, striking at me with their guns.
Lavigne caught some of the blows, and joined in
entreating for my safety, reminding them of my kind-
ou different occasions, I remonstrated that I
had thrown down my anus and was at their mercy,
of them, Primeau by name, wished to shoot me;
he said I had formerly killed his brother. I reminded
him of my former kindness to him at Qu'Appelle. At
length they Bpared me, telling me 1 was a little dog
and had not long to live, that Primeau would find me
when I came hack. I then went to Prog Plains
(Kildonan) in charge of Boucher, where I was again
threatened by one of the party and saved by Boucher,
who conducted me in safety to the plain. I there saw
Cuthbert Grant, who told me that they did not expect
to have met us on the plain, but that their intention
wa> to surprise the colony, and that they would have
hunted the colonists like buffalo ; he also told me they
expected to have got round unperceived, and at night
would have surrounded the fort and shot every one
who left it, but being seen, their scheme had been
destroyed or frustrated. They were all painted and
disfigured, so that I did not know many. I should
not have known that Cuthbert Grant was there,
though I knew him well, had he not spoken to me.
"Grant told me that Governor Semple was not
mortally wounded by the shot he received, but that
his thigh was broken. He said he spoke to the Gover-
nor after he was wounded, that Semple asked to be
history OF MANITOBA. 43
taken to the fort, not being mortally wounded Grant
sai.l he could not take him himself, as he had some-
thing do, but that he would send me person
to convey him, on whom he might depend, and that he
left him in charge of a French-Canadian and went
away; but that alm< he had left him
an Indian, who, he said, was the only pascal they had,
ram.- up and shot him in the breast, killing him on the
been tit >f all
this, and shall not lh
"Thf Bois-brules, who very seldom paint or disguise
them on thu n. painted as I have
been accustomed ie Indians at their war-dance.
much painted and disguised in a
hideous manner I • at whoop when they
by, and made hid
I from < (rant, as well as from other
the colonists had
taken prisoners Grant told me that they were
aken the colony and prevent it- being
mi that they w( sy having supposed
that they had passed the fort unobserved
"Their intention cl the fort, i
arts, though I heard they had carts with them. I
five of r the camp
Plain. (Jrant said to me, • Eon see that we have had
hut one of our proph- killed, and how little .piarter we
r en you; now if Fort Douglas is not given up
with all the public property! instantly and without
tan, woman and child shall he put to
death.' He said the attack would be made upon it
44 BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
that night, and if a single shot was fired, that would
be a signal for the indiscriminate destruction of every
soul. I was completely satisfied myself that the
whole would be destroyed, and I besought Grant,
whom I knew, to b\ or try and devise some
means to save the women and children. I represented
to him that they could have done no harm to anybody,
whatever he or his party might think the men had.
I entreated him to take compassion on them, and
reminded him that they were his father's country-
women: and in his deceased father's name I begged
him to take pity and compassion on them and spare
them. At last he said if all the armed and public
property were given up, we should be allowed to go
away. After inducing the Bois-brules to allow me to
go to Fort Douglas, I met our people ; they were un-
willing to give up, but at last our Mr. McDonald, who
was now in charge, consented. We went together to
Frog Plain, an inventory of the property was taken.
When we had returned to the fort, the fort itself was
delivered over to Cuthbert Grant, who gave a receipt
on each sheet of the inventory, signed Cuthbert Grant,
acting for the North- West Company. I remained at
Fort Douglas till the evening of the 22nd, when all
proceeded down the river, the settlers the second time
on their journey into exile.
" The colonists, it is true, had little now to leave.
They were generally employed in agricultural pur-
suits, in attending to their farms, and as servants of
the Hudson Bay Company, attending their pursuits
in their ordinary avocations ; they generally lived in
BI8T0R1 01 MANITOBA. 45
tenia and huts. In L816, at I r there was but
one residence, the Governor's, which was on Point
tilers had lived in houses previous to
L815, bntin thai year they had been bnrntdown in
the that had been made apon them. The
were employed daring the day-time on their
land, and used I up to the fort to sleep in
tome of the buildings in the enclosure. All was now
left behind
"The Bois-bnuW victory being now oomplel
lespaiehed westward to tell the news
tar and near." This concludes Pritehard'a narrative.
I'ikkkk PAMBBl n.
1 had been for some time under the orders of Mr.
Semple,and on the 12th of April, 1816, I left Fori
under his dir o to the Sodson Bay
( Sompanj on Qu'Appelle River, 1 ie< out with
as much | WOnld last us six days, wh.-n we
won Brandon Bouse, about 120 miles west of
r To this place, aoeording to instructions, I
to go hist, and from thence, if prudent, to the
Hud fort at Qu'Appelle. < >n the Let of May
I left the fori with five boat-loads of pemmiean and
were going down the river on the 5th
of May. mar nd EUpids, I made the sliore in a
and a party of armed Bois-braleS immediately
cam.- and surrounded me, and forced me to give up the
■id pemmiean. The pemmiean was landed,
and the • he river. I was kept a
prisoner for five d Cothbert Grant, Peter Pang-
46 BISTORT OF MAMTor.A.
man and Thos, McKay were of the party that made me
prisoner. I was taken back to the North- West Com-
pany's post on the Qu'Appelle River, and kept there
five <lays. Mr. Alex. McDonald was in command at this
station, I asked him why I had been made a prisoner,
and by whose orders I had been arrested He said it
was by his own. There were about forty or fifty
Bois-brules at this fort. Cuthbert Grant frequently
said they were going to destroy the settlement; and I
was told Mr. McDonald said the business of the year
before was a tritle to what this would be. Cuthbert
(J rant frequently talked with the Boia-bralea about
going, and they Bang war u if they were going
to battle.
"On the 12th, I left Qu'AppeJle ; we drifted down
to the place where I had been stopped, and the pemmi-
can which had been landed from our boats was re-
embarked by the North-West people. We encamped
at the forks of the Qu'Appelle River. The people who
were taken with me had been liberated some time
before, and had gone away, and I had been left a pri-
soner. The next morning we encamped. The people in
the two boats which went with Mr. McDonald, sent
for some Indians, who were camped a short distance
from us; they came and went into Mr. McDonald's
tent, who made a speech to them. A party went also
on horseback from Fort Qu'Appelle armed, but I was
in one of the boats with Mr. McDonald. In going
down the river, they talked freely of breaking up the
settlement, and taking Fort Douglas, and the people
frequently told me that McDonald had said that the
BISTORT OF M LNITOBA. 47
business of the year before had been nothing to what
wnuM be, IfcDona] eh to the Indians was
feet : ' Ify Friends and relations, I address you
bashfully, for I have not a pipe of tobacc<> you.
All our goods have been taken by the English, bat we
are now upon i to drive them away. These
o spoiling fair lands which belon
you and the Bois-brules, and to which they have no
right They have been driving away the buffalo.
You will soon be poor and miserable if the English
but We will drive them away, if the Indians do
not; for the North-W. j>any and the B
brules are one. If yon (addressing the chief) and
your young men will join us, I shall be glad,
McDonald spoke in French, and Pangman and Primeau
The chief said that he knew nothing
about it, and would i himself if aome of the
young men went, it was nothing to him. McDonald
id: ' Well, it i-> no matter; we are determined
them away, and if they make any resistance,
your land shall be drenched with their Mood.' The
morning the [ndiana went a*
"The party drifted down the A-iniboine River to
the Grand Rapids. Prom there about thirty started,
among whom were Mr. McDonald, Cuthbert Grant and
a number of Bois-brules. I was left behind still a
prisoner, but in the evenii brought
i»y two of them for me, and I accompanied them on
Ck to the North-West fort near Brandon
Bouse. When I approached I saw a crowd assembled
1 suppose there were from forty to
M HISTMIV OF MAMTol'A
fifty persona present Their arms were down l>y the
and as I entered a number of them presented
their guns at me, making use of insulting language,
I complained to McDonald of this treatment, and
asked him if it was by hifl orders. Be said he would
speak to them about it, but I do not think he ever
did. I saw at this fort tobacco, capenter'a tools, a
quantity of furs and other things which had been
brought over from Brandon House, our fort, near by.
"About the 24th or 25th of May, the party was sepa-
rated into smaller divisions and chiefs appointed. The
property was embarked, and the whole set oil' to go to
Portage la Prairie. A part went by water, but the
Bois-brules generally went by land, on horseback.
Having arrived at Portage la Prairie, the whole pern*
mican and packs were landed and formed into a sort
of breast-work, or fortification, having two small brass
swivels there, which the year before had been taken
from the stores of the settlement.
"On the morning of the 17th of June, being at Por-
tage la Prairie, which is still about sixty miles from the
main settlement, the Bois-brules mounted their horses
and set out for it. They were armed with guns, pis-
tols, lances, bows and arrows. Cuthbert Grant was
with them and a number of his race. I remained
behind, as did also Mr. McDonald and others. About
thirty or forty men stayed to help guard the pemmican.
The object of this expedition was to take Fort Doug-
las and break up the settlement. If the settlers took
to the fort for protection, then the whole were to be
starved out. The fort was to be watched strictly at
BISTORY Of M LNITOBA. 49
all times, and if any of them went out to fish or get
water, they were to be moi if they could not be taken
prisoner rtainly had. from all I heard, verj
r my friends. I do not remembei
that Cuthbert Gi .A anything in particular or
the morning he went away ( m 20th June, a me
gerarrivedai Portage la Prairie from Grant When
M saw him approaching P [a Prairie, he
ad spoke with him, and presently
Dpou this the other gentlemen asked
what the news was McDonald said, in French, it was
good: twenty-two English are killed, and among
thrm Scrapie and five of hie officers Se then an-
nounced it to the people in French. The gentlemen
nt all shouted with j ly Lamarre,
McDonald andSi< tnan, commonly called
. inquired whether there were any killed on
tM,'ij Dswered thai one had been, and
on hearing who it v. bis cousin, and
then exclaimed: 'My cousin is killed, and I will be
:air shall not end here; they shall all
be killed, for so 1. English are let go out of
the river they always will he coming hack as they did
last year, and return they will alw
disturbance and mischief.' Upon this, two men,
hatour and Montour, were ordered to get horses, and
immediately despatched on horseback to Red River,
with directions to detain the settlers till McDonald
should arrive. We then pursued our journey by land
towards Fort Douglas to within about thirty miles of
it The remainder of the way I w.-nt by water.
SO history OF MANITOBA,
• Arrived at Fort Douglas, I found all our people
gone ; I met none of them there ;it all. The fort and
property was in possession of the Bois-brules, the same
I had before seen leave Portage la Prairie for Fort
Douglas. Cuthbert Grant was also there, and a number
I have before mentioned. Altogether there were about
forty-five in the fort. There were none in the settle-
ment. I asked McDonald to let me go to the spot
where the accident had occurred, which he did, and I
went by myself. The limbs of the persons who had
been killed were out of the ground, and many of their
bodies in a mangled condition. After this, I heard
Grant say that he had tired upon Governor Semple
and upon McLean. The general account of the Bois-
brules was that Grant was a brave man, and had con-
ducted himself well in the engagement. They did not
seem to be sorry for, or to hide, what they had done.
After these events I was sent to Fort William."
The Story of Frederick Damien Huerter.
" A short time before our regiment was reduced, I
obtained my discharge by order of Lieutenant-
General Sir Gordon Drummond, and engaged myself
at Montreal, in April, 1816, for three years as a clerk-
in the service of the North-West Company, at a yearly
salary of one hundred pounds. Before I left that
place I was told by Mr. Archibald Norman McLeod, a
partner of the said company, that I must, by all
means, take with me to the Indian country the regi-
mentals that I had, saying, ' We shall have occasion to
show a little military practice in the interior.' I
msToiiY OF HANITOBA. 53
embark* chine, the 2nd of May, with Alexander
IfeKenae, commonly called the Emperor, and other
clerka of the North-West Company. There was also
with us Charles Rlminard. late a sergeant in De
nfeuron'a regiment, who had engaged himself as a
clerk with the North-West Company, at eighty
pounds a year. \\V embarked in three large canoes,
navigated by fourteen men each. At Cotean <lu Lac,
Ifr. KcLeod embarked in bhi with Lieutenants
Rfissani and Brnmby, of De Afeuron's regiment, and
their servants, who were private! in the same regi-
ment. On the 31st of May I arrived at Fori William,
where I remained three day-, and was desired, along
with Rheinard, to go into a -tore and choose arms
for ourselves, which we Bngfy did. At Fori
William the large canoes were changed for five North
w the rest in a loaded canoe,
and v rtaken by the brif ade nexi day. when 1
joined them. At a p ibout three days' journey
from Fort William, we came up to a loaded canoe
navigated by two [roqnois and two French-Canadians,
one of whom was Laverdnre, a man bel ixty
»0d who was too weak to work as hard as
the others and carry over the portages. Our com-
mander, IfcLeod, asked him why he did not carry
the pari ad when the man complained of
g too old and infirm, he knocked him down, kicking
him severely, at the same time calling him abn
names. Lieutenant Ifiasani at length took McLeod
by the arm, and spoke to him.
At the portage near the fort, near Rainy Lake
52 history OF MANITOBA.
the gentlemen stopped a little while to dress, when
ftlissani came to me and told me that it was McLeod'a
ire that Rheinard and myself should put on our
mentals, which we accordingly did After we had
dressed, IfcLeod -aid to me, ' The fort at Rainy Lake
great place of resort for Indians, and it is impor-
tant that you all appear in regimentals, to show them
that you belong to the King.' At the fort, McLeod
made a speech to the Indian-. I understood that he
ordered them to follow him to Red River. I saw two
large kegs trf liquor and some tobacco, which were
i bo th. Indians on this occasion. Upwards of
twenty followed us. Going down Winnipeg River, we
arrived at the entrance of the river, into Lake Winni-
peg. Here we were ordered to make ball cartridge,
on the 18th of June, which we did. I again put on
my regimentals at the request of the officers. At this
point there were two brass guns, three-pounders ;
these and a number of muskets were put in order.
We were ordered to drill the voyageurs. A French-
Canadian, Forcier, positively refused to take a gun,
and most of the men were very reluctant, saying that
they had been engaged as voyageurs, not soldiers.
We took the guns with us, and our canoes being
delayed by weeds and otherwise, we reached Netley
Creek, on the Red River, about forty miles from the
settlement, on the 21st. We were here assured that a
party of forty, from Swan River, and about eighty
Bois-brules, from Qu'Appelle, would meet us, and then
the first attack would be made. We started on the
23rd of June for the colony, four days after the attack
BIST0R1 OF MANITOBA, 59
on Governor Semple's party, though yet we knew
nothing of this. On that day we had gone but a
short distance, when we met seven or eight boats con-
\. vin_r a number of men, women and children, who, as
re the settlers and others driven
from the colony, under the charge of the sheriff of tin-
colony, we at once prepared for action. The colonists
were ordered by our commander to stop. I then first
1 of the renconto in which Governor Sample and
twenty of his people had lost their Uvea The whole
party was stopped, and ordered ashore. IfcLeod then
ordered me and others to make i irch for
papers among the baggage belonging to the colonists,
to open all trunks, boxes and packages, and to take
not' all account books what-
No key beine; found for the trunks of the
late Governor Sample, McLeod ordered them to be
:en open, winch was accordingly done with an
I »n the 24th, the expected brigade arrived from Swan
River, and on the same day the settlers were liberated,
and allowed to proceed on their way down to hake
Winnipeg. Charles Grant was -'Fit after them, to
that they had actually gone on their journey.
"On the 20th, I went op the rivet to Fort Douglas
There were many of the partners of the North-West
Company with us. At Fori Douglas the brigade was
received with discharges of artillery and firearms,
The fort was under Mr. Alexander McDonald, and
there was a great gathering of Bois-brules, clerks and
interpreters, as well as partners <>f the company. On
OUT arrival, Archibald Norman McLeod, our lea
54 ILlSTullY OF MANITOBA.
took the management and direction of the fort, and all
made whatever use they chose of the property it con-
tained. The Bois-brnlea were entirely under the
orders and control of McLeod and his partners.
McLeod occupied the apartments lately belonging to
rnor Seraple. After my arrival, 1 saw all the
Bois-brnlea assembled in a large outer room, which
had served as a mess-room for the officers of the
colony. At this time, >uch of them a- were not actu-
ally at table with the parts called into the
Governor's apartments, whew I saw McLeod shake
thrni heartily by the hand, give them each a dram,
express the happiness he felt si seeing them, thanking
thrm for what they had done, and for their attach-
ment to the North-West ( fempany. The next day all
the servants and employees of the company were
assembled behind the principal building in Fort
Douglas, where McLeod made a speech in whicli he
toldlhe Bois-brules and others who had been engaged
in the affair of the 19th of June, that he was very
happy to see them assembled there ; that they had
defended themselves and their land well; that the
English had no right whatever to build upon their
land without their permission. After his speech,
McLeod said to me, ' What do you think of these
fellows, Huerter ? Do you think his Lordship Lord
Selkirk will ever get the better of them ? ' McLeod
went, accompanied by Alexander McKenzie and all
the partners, as also the Bois-brules and others, on
horseback, a short distance up the river to the forks,
where he made a speech, through an interpreter named
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 55
Primeau. to two Saulteanx chief 8, named Pefruisand
L'Homme Noir, and their bands, in which I heard
him reproach them for having refused to take up arms
against the colony when called upon to do bo, and for
having allowed the Rngllsh to take Duncan Cameron
and send him away a prisoner. Ee called them a
band of ind threatened to punish them very
rely if t r dared to befriend the English
again
I rod tme day, to the field of Seven Oaks,
where Governor Semple and so many of his people
had lately lost their lives, in company with a Dumber
of those who had been employed on that occasion, all
on horseback. At this j carcely a week after
the l!)tli of dine- I MH a numher of lmman bodies
red abont the j.lain and nearly reduced to skelr-
there being then very little flesh adhering to the
A : and I was informed, on the gpot, that many of
the bodies had been partly devoured by dogs and
wolves. This spectacle, at which I « itlv
shocked, was viewed with every mark of satisfaction
and exultation by the p mpanied me
on this occasion ; all were laughing heartily at the
which each The Bois-brnles were
rly Contending to point OOt to the approbation of
their masters bheir particular feate on the iDtli of
.June, which were listened to with pleasure; and I
irked particularly that the approbation of McLeod,
■ffcKenitie and McDonald seemed to be the principal
object of the Bois-brnles and others, and was lavishly
Wed on such M pointed out to them the deeds of
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
1. Francois
cruelty by winch they claimed distinctioi
champs, an old Prench-Oanadiaii, was praised by
who had distinguished him-
, al in their Bervice, 1 tesehamps is gener-
ally reputed and believed to have committed acts of
liy in murdering the wounded who were calling
In recounting the deeds of this man to
his partner, Mr. Alexander McDonald remarked what
a tine, vigorous old man lie was. There was a scene
the same evening at the fort, the
Bois-brulee being painted and dancing, naked, after
manner of to the great amusement of
their masters. On the 29th of tone, most of the part-
n. ra and the northern brigade set off for the rapids at
the mouth of the Saskatchewan. The departure of
the prand brigade was signalised by the discharge of
artillery from Fort Dougli
CHAPTER III.
L°nl BWlttoDd .,l„nists Fort William
".■»,.! S..„, !■:,>. f.,r Trial ..tL(,nl
"J -n,n:u,lFl(,,l1,.rS,,1tuut-Lord
,H! rrible encounter, Seven Oaks was
•when- now stands St John's College, and close
,1,eoM h<>ine of John [nkster. The news of the
skingnpof the colony, with all the attendant cir-
cumstances, and the farther thre
l,ni transmitted to Lord Selkirk, through his
inedat once to \ da and
infant colony at Red River Be'
arrived at New Fork late in the year 1815, aecom-
ed by his wife, son, and two daughter* He
I on to Montreal, which he reached about
«'n'1"t 0ctol ' to penetrate into the intei
Previous to this, in February of this year, dreading
bhreateningsofthe North-Westers, he represented
British - v of state the
"<"'l force do! srilyalarge
tationed in the Red River Colony to
"»»*»in order in the then g condition of affaira
On the Uth of November, after arriving in Montreal
•1 Sir Gordon Drnmmond, Governor
"' '"'■•••'' Canada, giving a detailed account of the
'"xi,u ersfrom their homes, and of the
lunli> ft perpetrated at the Red Rivei
5
HlSTORt OF MANITOBA.
in 1815. Nothing being gained by these representa-
tions, he determined personally to organise an expedi-
tion and proceed to the assistance and relief of his
people. Two regiment* (the De Heurons and the
Wattevilie), which had done good service in the Euro-
pean war with Napoleon, and which at the close of
that campaign bad I I toCauadajto assist in
the war against the States, were at this time stationed,
the De Meurons at Hontreak, the Watteville at King-
ston. Orders were received by Sir Gordon Drum-
mond, to disband ffbich was done in May, 1816.
From these two regiments Lord Selkirk undertook to
provide his colony with soldiers, and, at the same time,
settlers who would defend it. Early in June, 1816, he
chose of the 1).' lieurons forty officers and eighty men,
who at once proceeded westward to Kingston, where
they were reinforced by about twenty of the Watte-
ville regiment, and one hundred and thirty canoe-men.
The terms of agreement between his Lordship and
these men were as folio v,
1st. He made character the basis in all cases.
2nd. To those who came to terms with him, he
agreed to give a sufficient portion of land, agricultural
implements, and $8 per month for working the boats
on the voyage.
3rd. Should any choose to leave Red River on reach-
ing it, they should be brought back free of expense by
his Lordship. From Kingston the expedition pushed
on to Toronto, then northward to Lake Simcoe and
the Georgian Bay. Crossing Lake Huron, they pushed
rapidly on to Sault Ste. Marie.
■HK : ;; .'■=• ! -
60 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Having been granted, for personal protection, by
the Governor of Canada, a sergeant and six men,
Lord Selkirk left the expedition lure, and proceeds!
to Drammond'a Island, where was Btationed the last
British garrison in Upper Canada Daring his stay
here, a council was held with an O jibe way chief
named Ca Caw-tawa-betay, Lieutenant-Colonel Maule,
of the 1 04th regiment, presiding. The red man
informed the council that two North-West traders
(McKenzieand llorriaon) offered him and his people
all the goods and merchandise at Fort William, Leach
and Sand Lakes, if they would make and declare war
against the Red River settlers. Kaw-tawa-betay
asked the trader- if this was at the request of the
great chiefs at Montreal and Quebec. McKenzie and
Morrison replied, that it was solely from the North-
West Company's agents, who desired the destruction
of the settlement. The chief further stated that an
agent named Grant ottered him two kegs of rum and
two carrots of tobacco, to send some of his young
men in search of certain parties bearing despatches to
Red River, and forcibly take from them the papers
with which they were entrusted, killing if necessary
to do so, to get possession of the same. On being
asked by Lord Selkirk as to the feelings of the
Indians towards the settlers, he replied, that at first
they did not like it, but now they were glad of its
being settled.
Having received from the garrison a sergeant and
six men, his Lordship proceeded on his journey, over-
taking his expedition at the Sault — the proposed
HISTORY Of MANITOBA. 61
route bei bward, towards the extreme point of
the city of Duluth now
stands, then north-westward through Minnesota to
Red Lake, thenc t through Red Lake and Red
River, into the verj en< itself. Hardly, how-
had they left the Sault, in the lasi week of July,
when they were met on L Superior by two Hud-
son I in one of which was Miles McDonald,
former Governor of Red River Colony, who
brouj i of the second destruction of the colony
and the murder of Governor Bemple and his atten-
ks. The story of the sue : the poor H i lt 1 1 -
land settlers, led by him from home though
poor, their lives were at least safe, - much for
his Lordship, wh ed to change hi and
it William, the head-quarters of the North-
Beii • of the Peace for Upper ( Sanada, as
for tin- Indian territory, 1m- resolved to act on
that e e, having failed to get two magis-
trate ra Brmatdngei and Askin, of Sault
Marie — to accompany him in that capacity. Writing
C. Sherbrooke of this, Selkirk says: " I am.
i to the alternative of acting alone,
or ali lacions crini unpunished. In
'•ircum doubt that it is my duty
to act, though I am not without apprehi that
the law may be openly resisted, by a set of people
who consider fores as the only true criterion of right."
Havii his Lordship at once proceeded
towar : William, where he arrived on the 12th
62 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
of August, camping on the south side of the Kaministi-
qua River, about eight or nine hundred yards from
the fort. Cannon were at once placed in position and
loaded, and all d \ military preparations made
to capture the same.
Fort William was built in ISO."), on the occasion of
the anion of the North-Wed and \. V. Companies, and
w*a named in honor of the Hon. William licGillivray,
the head of the North-Wesi Company, who, with Mi-.
Kenneth tfcKenzie, exercised direction over it. At
this time it was simply a Bquare of houses and store*,
surrounded by a Btrong, lofty stockade fifteen feet in
jrht, containing an ample supply of arms and am-
munition, and capable of considerable resistance. At
the time that Selkirk, with his force, appeared before
it there were probably about 500 men within its
walls, consisting of the wintering partners, who had
been appointed, at the general meeting, to take charge
of the stations on Red River, Winnipeg River, as also
in the vicinity of Lake Superior, together with the
voyageurs, or wintering servants of the company,
who were to navigate the canoes carrying the supplies
to the different trading stations, and also the Montreal
canoemen, who were to carry down the furs ; there
were also in the stores 600 packs of the finest furs, the
value of which, in the English market, would be not
less than £60,000 sterling.
On the day following the arrival of Selkirk's troops,
a demand was made on the fort by McNabb and
McPherson, who acted as constables on his Lordship's
behalf, and who demanded the release of a number of
HI8TORI OF MANITOBA. 63
who had been captured at Red River after the
traction of tin- colony an.l brought to Fort William.
They arrested Mr. BfeGillivray, who immediately
ed to attend his Lordship as justice of the Peace,
and took with him .Mr. Kenneth IfcKenzie and Dr.
McLauchlin I ail foi him. They were guarded
by about twenty soldiers, who had accompanied the
ohing the other ride of the river,
they wei ed by a party of the 87th regiment,
under arm-, who conducted them into Lord Selkirk's
••nee. After taking llcGillivray'a deposition,
IfcKenzie and McLauchlin were informed that, instead
of I- bail for their principal, they were
involved in I Saving a] d the
depo Pambrun, Lavigne, Nolin, Blond
and othei med evident I Selkirk
it, if not all, of the partners were guilty of
incit on the colony, and of approving the
outrages commits tennined to place
a number of the under arrest. This he did by
gular legal pi md by warrants served upon
tht-ni personally. They were allowed, however, to
ft William, military possession of which
had I :en by bia Lordship's soldiers. The names
of. the prisoners were: John McDonald, Alexander
IfcKenzie, Bugh llcGillis, Simon Eraser, Allan
ionell, Daniel McKenzie and John BfcLauchlin.
On th«- first-mentioned making some Blight show of
ce, the constables called to their aid a party of
De lf< curoi i, when the following scene occurred,
weD described in the protest drawn up and signed by
the prisoners :
64 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
" We, the undersigned agents and partners of the
North-West Company, being this day, the 14th of
August, assembled in a body at Fort William, in the
district of Kaministiqua, do hereby formally protest
against the violent proceedings dons and committed
upon our persons and property at the above-mentioned
place, in the afternoon of that day, by a troop, to the
number of fifty v disbanded and intoxicated
soldiers, formerly belonging fcothe regiment Of Colonel
De Menron, at present in the service and pay of the
Earl of Selkirk, headed by Captain D'Orsonnes and
Lieutenant Fauehe, and afterwards joined by Captain
Matthy and Lieutenant Gtriefienreid, who, forcibly
entering the fort, spread out their troops in every
direction, having their bayonets fixed, and shooting a
most horrid hurrah, winch spread a general terror
amongst the inhabitants of the fort, after which they
placed two pieces of cannon in the centre, and sentinels
in all quarters, and proceeded, by order of the Earl of
Selkirk, with armed force, leaving there Dr. Allan, his
Lordship's medical attendant, at their head, to seal up
the papers and desks in the North-West Company's
ofiice, and those of the private rooms of the agents.
We do, therefore, most solemnly protest against those
acts of violence and against all those it may concern.
"(Signed)
" William McGillivray. Allan Macdonell.
Kenneth McKenzie. John McLauchlin.
John McDonald. Hugh McGillis.
Simon Fraser. Daniel McKenzie."
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 65
The old adage that "to the victors belong the
spoils'" was well exemplified in this case. Lord Sel-
kirk took epeciaJ pains to examine into everything in
tli.- fort, placed guards over his prisoners, elicited all
the information possible number of cattle on
the farm, produce of the harvest, and other particu-
lar-. Alter a further examination of the prisoners,
he decided to send them undei rl to
Toronto, Up] Three well
manned tched with them, leaving Fort
William on the lMh under command of Lieutenant
Fauche, one of the De E&euron officer*, Before en ter-
their baggage and persons w< rched
bwo soldiers. HcQillivray, it is said, desired to he
accompa: his own servants, bat the reqi
Vandersluy, was refused. During the
embarkmeni two loaded p artillery were placed
at tli> rious to this, a request was pre-
I his Lordship by the clerks, for permission to
off their into the interior with goods for
Indian tr i the furs to Montreal. Sel-
kirk replied, that he could not authorize this without
: provided with invoi tods intended for the
interior. Tie- clerks, in order to » cure despatch,
him t e then demanded to BCS the goods, and a
search was made for some furs said to be stolen from
the Hudson Bay Company. On the 20th, John
IfeGillivray and two gentlemen arrived from the
Ulterior. On enterii thej were stopped,
deprive. 1 of their ha. ad a warrant served on
If cGillivray, making him a prisoner. On the 21st, a
66 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
canoe arrived from Montreal with despatches from the
Company; these were taken from the
guide, an<l placed in the custody of a soldier of the
'27 th regiment Vandersluy, the secretary, <>n learn-
ing of this, wrote a protest to the Karl on the follow-
ing day. Selkirk informed him that the despatches
were seized on the same principle as the other papers
of the North-West Company, and were equally liable
to be examined, and that he intended to do so a few
hours later. He also handed Vandersluy the follow-
ing letter :
" Foiit William, August 8&nd, 1816,
"Gentlemen, — In order to obviate the possibility of
any mistake, I bag your answer in writing to this
query : Whether the forty-four packs of furs marked
R. R., which you have pointed out as set apart by
order of the North-West Company, to be given up to
the Hudson Bay Company as their property, and
whether, on this principle, you are ready to send them
down to Montreal consigned to Messrs. Mainland
Gardner & Auldjo, agents for that company?
" I am,
"Selkirk."
The following answer was given :
" In reply to the letter which was handed us this
morning by your Lordship, we beg to state that the
thirty-four packs of furs marked L. R., which have
been set apart from the peltries of the North-West
Company, cannot be given up to the Hudson Bay
Company, but that we are ready to send them to
Montreal in the care of some house unconnected with
either company. " Vandersluy."
history OF MANITOBA, 67
The canoes, on leaving Fori William, had proceeded
••• on their way to Sauk Ste. Marie, when
were overtaken hy.a storm and had to change
their course, but before they could make the land, the
which ■ i twenty-one persons, three
whom were North-West partners— Kenneth
IfcKenzie, Allan Blacdonell and Dr. IfcLauchlin —
sunk, and seven of its occupants were drowned,
tter being Mr. IfcKenzie The guards
ordered to convey their prisoners to Sandwich, in
tern district of Dpper Canada, where warrants
directed their committal to the common gaol. On
arriving at Toronto, thejudg attorney Qenera]
being on their circuit ni ton, the guards were
rnor to take tbem thither. Oo the
judges tindii srimee with which the prisoners
were charged had been committed in the Indian terri-
•vernor directed them to be taken to
Montreal. On arriving there they were brought
fore the ('.ant of Queen's Bench, the crimes imputed
to them h»-ii! nspiracy and murder. They
were, however, admitted to hail. licGillivray at once
id had a wairant ISSUed for the ar
Selkirk and his officers by a □ be of the
trict of Qp] -la ; and the under-
sheriff, Mr. Smith, and an assistant were despatched to
pur it into execution. Smith at once hastened to
join his assistant, M. 1). Etocheblave, at SaultSte. Marie
The latter arrived at the Sault on the 19th of October,
having no information of the proceedings taken at
bee or Upper Canada. He, as a preliminary
68 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
measure, despatched a constable and twelve men
with warrant- issued by Dr. Mitchell, of St Joseph.
These arrived at Fort William on the 7th of Novem-
ber, and executed their warrant by arresting Lord
Selkirk and his foreign officers. Selkirk hesitated at
first what course to pursue, but considering that they
had gone possibly too far to recede, he refused obedi-
ence to the constable's authority, imprisoned him for
a few days, then released and ordered him to leave
the fort.
Rochehlaw and his party. 00 account of the scarcity
of provisions and the lateness of the season, set out on
their return to Canada, meeting on their way, on Lake
Huron, Mr. Smith, who was on his way to join them.
They returned to the Sault, embarked on board the
North- West schooner The Invincible, to cross Lake
Superior, were caught in a gale of wind and totally
wrecked on the 13th of November. The crew and
passengers were, however, saved. Having no other
conveyance to reach Fort William, they were obliged
to return to Montreal, which place they reached on
the 23rd of December, after a fatiguing journey per-
formed mostly on foot. Lord Selkirk, in a communi-
cation addressed to Governor Gore, refers to the fore-
going thus :
" Fort William, November 12th, 1816.
" Sir, — A few days ago a canoe arrived here, bringing
two clerks of the North-West Company, accompanied
by a man who gave himself out as a constable, charged
with the arrest of several gentlemen here, myself
amongst the rest. On examining his warrant, I ob-
I
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 69
• (1 it to be in several respects irregular, and
founded on a recital full of the grossest perjuries. It
tied by Dr. Mitchell, of Drammond's [sland,
whose notorious habits of intemperance made it, in
the highest degree, probable that his signature had
been obt orreptitiously. The constable, when
1 whether he had any letters or credentials of any
kind, could product- none, which confirmed the ides of
his being an impostor. I could not suppose that, after
the information which had been transmitted to your
would have -auctioned so strong a
: a magistrate, without some
direct statement of your disapprobation; and that, at
all events, a person sent by competent authority on
SUCh a mission would have some document to show
i l.y orders from Government We were
truck with the circumstance that, though
the warrant WIS ISSUed 0O I Jrummond's Uland, the
mandant of the garrison there had sent, no orders
nn tin- subject to the military guard, which bad been
detatched from there, to accompany us, and would
only have been Instructed to support the execu-
of the warrant, if it had not been improperly
ined Onder these circumstances,] trust it will
not Ik- ascril y disposition to resist the regular
execution of the law, if the gentlemen concerned do
not think lit to go rive hundred miles across such
water> as Lake Superior, at this season of the year, to
comply with a form of j which there is every
reason to believe irregular and surreptitious.
I have, etc.,
" Selkirk."
70 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Meanwhile his Lordship occupied Fort William.
Parties were organized, from among the De Meurons,
who attacked and carried the North- West trading fort
at Fond du Lac on the river St. Louis, where it falls
into the west end of Lake Superior, near where
the city of Duluth now stands, making prisoner Mr.
Grant, who was in charge, as also the forts at the Pic
and Miehipicoton. At the latter, Mr. Ifelritosh and
his clerks were taken prisoners, and the goods taken
possession of for his Lordship's benefit. Melntosh,
Grant, and a few others were also sent to "Montreal, on
a charge of aiding and abetting the troubles of the
previous spring. They arrived at Sault Ste. Marie, in
charge of a party of De Meurons, while Rocheblave
and his party- were waiting Smith's arrival. Roche-
blave took the canoes from the guards, but did not
otherwise interfere. Mcintosh, Grant and the other
prisoners proceeded on their way and surrendered
themselves to the authorities, and were admitted to
bail, as the others had been.
Another party, under the command of Mr. Fiddler,
was sent to capture the fort at Lac la Pluie, which
was next in importance to Fort William. The clerk
in command refused to surrender, and Mr. Fiddler,
not having force enough to compel him to do so,
returned to Fort William. A party of soldiers, with
two field-pieces, was at once despatched under charge
of Captain D'Orsonnes. Mr. Dease, the clerk in
charge, rinding that the blockade cut off his supply
of food, which consisted of fish, and being assured
by the Captain that resistance might enrage his men
HISToKY OF MANITOBA. 71
inch a degree thai he would not be responsible
for their conduct, agreed to surrender, and opened
Thel took unconditional possession
of the fort and all it contained, amounting in value to
several thousand pounds
H lion of thi- ituated midway
between Las riot and Red River, D'Oraonnea
could easily keep open communication with Fori
William in hu a ilso mature his plans fur the
taking of the North-West Company's trading pod
the Red River. The captain, with abundance of
stores at his command, dealt them out liberally to the
Indians, in order to purchase their friendship, on his
intended journey to Red River. All thing
y, in the beginning of February I out,
!• and the Lake of the Woods.
! by Indian guides, be passed through
the forest thai intervene* between the Lake and Red
d reaching which, they followed its course
thward for a distance of twenty-live miles. |
turned weal and reached the Assiniboine, near what is
now known as the parish of St. .James. After spend-
timr in making scaling ladders, a favorable
opportunity | r carrying Fori Douglas.
my night, when the howling winds drowned
and, and the thickly Falling and drifting snow
lured the light and concealed the enemy's approach,
la<1,i' on the outside. The top of the
irere placed inside, and in
ort time the De lleurons, in large numbers, were
on t; Is who threw down their arms
72 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
and fled to the house pursued by the soldiers, who
made pri I all who fell in their power, amongst
them Mr. Archil-aid McLaren, who was afterwards
sent to Canada for trial, for participation in the
murder of Keveny. The rest were set at liberty, to go
where they pleased A spreial messenger was des-
patched to Jack River, to invite those who had been
banished on the death of Governor Seinple and the
breaking up of the colony, to return to their former
homes, assuring them of protection and security in the
future. To this these poor people responded at once,
some of them arriving before the breaking up of the
ice. On their banishment from the settlement by
Cuthbert Grant, they bad made up their minds to bid
farewell to the country and all that was in it. For
the purpose of carrying out this intention they
addressed a letter to Mr. James Bird, who became
Superintendent of the Northern Department on Mr.
Semple's death. Mr. Bird replied, pleading inability
to provide a safe passage for so many, as there was no
certainty that a ship of sufficient capacity would
arrive in the Bay that season, and that, in the absence
of such probability, they had better remain where they
were, as their condition would be incomparably worse
if reduced to the necessity of wintering on the bleak
shores of Hudson Bay. In the light of after events
this advice was both timely and wise. The Britannia,
a ship of considerable burden, arrived late in the season
at York Factory, delivering her cargo and receiving
the returns of the preceding season. She at once
sailed with a considerable number of servants whose
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 73
t»cte had expired, and who were desirous of
returning to Europe. On reaching the strait-, they
found the sea bound in ic * The ship returned
ttd, and was run ashore fifty miles north of the
"r- an'' : Bpring was accidentally
burned to the w. wh0 ]m,j Bnipped
in her made their wa t fchey could inland.
Thua counselled, tfa , ,1 to remain at
Jack River, wh< abodes to protect
111,1 inclemency of the winter, which
and fifty-five below eero. Fish
their principal fo<,d supply, in the catehin
which they Boon became adepta [Jrgent necessity in
the matter of clothing compelled then mcee
from hia Lordshi IlUr.
chased in England at high | 1 retailed in this
country at an advance of one hundred and one hundred
and fifty per cent, on prime cost. Eere began the
debt which so « | their industry In more
favorable tin [ring of being able to return
iv«' land, the tidings of Lord Selkirk's
William and Douglas wa> good D
ind<
On Hay 1st, Lord Selkirk I. ft Fort William and,
mpanied by hia I .,] Eted River in
tl,r ! • in dune. The remainder of those who
wintered at Jack River also arrived about this time.
menced locating the De Rieurons
at what is now known as Point Douglas, which
; into lots containing a few acres each, and
fronting on the river A wide Btreet lay to the hack,
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
connecting with the highway, being set apart for their
affording easy access to a common which lay
nd the road, in which the settlers on the Point
had the right of pasture and hay-making. Point
Douglas being all appropriated, and a number of the
trooj I without land, these were provided
for on the ea-t side of the river opposite the Point.
All were paid and rationed fox the time by his Lord-
Bhip. Non-commissioned officers were settled on lands
among the soldiers : the superior officers lived at head-
ijir iters, and became members of the Colonial Council.
During the time of Lord Selkirk's occupation of Fort
William frequent appeals had been made by the North-
west Company to the Imperial Government for pro-
tection for their trader- against the proceedings of his
irvants.
The evidence taken before the courts of justice of
the robberies committed by the Hudson Bay Com-
pany, the brutal massacre by the French half-breeds
on the 19th June, 1816, by way of retaliation, all
pointed out to the Imperial authorities the necessity of
placing matters on a more satisfactory basis in the
Indian territories. His Royal Highness the Prince
Regent instructed Earl Bathurst to use the means at
his disposal to put an end to these enormities. On
receipt of the following instructions from Earl Bathurst,
the Governor-General commissioned Colonel Coltman
and Major Fletcher as a court of inquiry in the Indian
territories, to cause restitution to be made of forts and
property, and commit the guilty of both parties for
trial. The following are the instructions: "You will
history OF MANITOBA. 7»
also require, under similar penalties, the restitution of
all forts, buildings, or trading stations, with the
property which they contained, which may have l>een
d or taken possession of by either party, to tin-
party who originally established the same, and who
• in possession of them previous to the recent dis-
putes between the two companies. You will require
the removal of any hloekade or impediment hy
which any party may have attempted to prevent the
free passage of traders, or others of His Majesty's uub-
. or the natives of the country with their merchan-
dise, furs, provisions, and other effects, through the
lakes, rivers, roads, and every other usual route of
communication heretofore used, for the purpose of the
fur trade in the interior of North America, and the
full and free admission of all persons to pursue their
usual and accustomed trade or occupation without
hindrance or molestation."
Th< blemen left Montreal on the opening of
navigation in May. 1817, proceeding by the usual
route to the interior. On arriving at Fort William,
tiny found it was restored to its lawful owners by
virtue of a writ of restitution, issued by the ma
trates of I'pper Canada, and directed to the sheriff,
but not until after S.-lkirk bad evacuated, and the
North-Wesl Company's canoes had arrived. Pushing
the Commissioners arrived at Fort Douglas before
his Lordship had left, and proceeded at once to i
cute the commission, hy compelling each party to
re — so far as restitution could be made — the pro-
v taken from their opponents. The under-sheriff,
who executed the writ of restitution founded on the
76 history OF MANITOBA,
verdict obtained at Sandwich in L816, obtained $500
damages against Lord Selkirk. The succeeding yens
of bis Lordship's life were embittered by what might
be termed wholesale litigation over these unfortunate
events, too lengthy to detail in the present volume; and
a newspaper war ensued, in which no less a person
than Bishop Strachan, of Toronto, entered the lists
against him, in a pamphlet published in 1816. The
Montreal Herald, from May, 1816, to November of
that year, also had communications pro and con, anent
his Lordship's responsibility for outrages perpetrated
in the North-W
In 1817 was made the first Indian treaty executed
by Lord Selkirk, to remove all annoyance from his
settlers with the Saulteaux and Cree Indians, for the
surrender of their right, title and interest in the
lands comprised in his grant from the Hudson Bay
Company, the southern end of which extended as far
south as the Grand Forks, Dacotah Territory, and
was signed by five chiefs, Mache-wheoab, Le Sonnat,
\. eh-kad-eiik-onair, La Robe Noir, Kaya-jiesk-ebiona,
L' Homme Noir, Pegois, Onck-idoat, Premier.
The consideration was an annual payment of 100
pounds of tobacco, to be paid on the 10th of October,
each year; one half to be paid to the Saulteaux
chiefs, at Fort Garry, the other half to the Cree chiefs,
at Portage la Prairie.
After having restored peace and order in the settle-
ment, with those who had to leave the colony after
the engagement at Seven Oaks reinstated in their
lands, Lord Selkirk called a public meeting of the
colonists on the west bank of the Red River, about
HISTORY OF MAM TOBA. 77
two miles below Fort Garry, where he promised con-
>ns to all who had suffered, in consideration of
their losses and misfortunes. To some who had lost
all, he made a grant of land of twenty-four ten-chain
lots, in what was termed free "soocage." These had
laterj Ifr. Fiddler, the first surveyor
in t! iment, on the Left hank of the river, and
• the only free lands granted to emigrants in the
colony. WH< hip, pointing to Lot
No. 4, on which they had c >u shall build
your church and mans.-, the next lot on the south side
of the creek shall be for your school, and for a help to
support your teacher; and in commemoration of your
native parish it shall be called Kildonan." His Lord-
ship also promised, in response to an argent appeal, to
them a minister of their own persuasion.
The conclu the deed of conveyance read
follows: In 000 O of the hardships which the
have suffered in consequence of the law
conduct of the North-West Company, Lord Selkirk
intends I the aforesaid twenty-four lots, gratui-
tously, to those of the settlers who had made improve*
meatc on their lands before they were driven away
bom them last year. Provided always, that as soon aa
. have tli ball pay the debts which
they owe the Karl of Selkirk, or the i I u<l son Bay Com-
pany, fot goods or provisions supplied to them, or
other expenses incurred on their account.
"Selkirk.
' Fort Douglas, Red River Settlement,
"August, L817."
PS £
8 «
< \
o >
Q *
BISTORT OF KANITOBA, 79
These matters arranged, his Lordship took a final
leave of a colony la- was I never to Bee again,
the founding of which cost him .1200,000, and which
was purchased from his executors by the Budson Bay
Company, in 1835, for the sum of £84,1 1 1.
Accompanied by a guide and two or three atten-
dants, hi I the plain I Red River and
St I • through the United SI
Canada, where he remained for a time, becoming
involved in a vortex of litigation over the seizure of
Fort William, and other matters pertaining to the
Red River administration. His health failing, he
in Euro] iteration,
but without success. He died at Pau, in France, on 8th
of April, 1820.
The follow blished the
erimenta] farm of Bayfield, with a Scotch farmer
named LudL 1 1 irna, yards, parka and
iption were provided, and all this
while there was not an ox to plough nor a cow to milk
in the whole settlement To crown all, a splendid
ion, at a cost of £600, was built, which
reduced to ashes through a drunken frolic, just 6
was completed. This farce was continued till 1824
when it was sold for C400, the whole undertaking
Costing Lord Selkirk £2,000. The year I si s was also
an eventful one with the colonists. They had just
returned from wintering at Pembina; food was scarce,
even fish, herbs and roots, which in previous years had
to their aid, failed. Their eatechist, Mr. Suther-
land, had been forcibly carried off to Canada by the
80 HISTORY OF MANITOBA,
North-Westers. In the midst of tins desolation they
planted their crops with the hoe, which coming up
strong and vigorous them amidst the gloom
of their surroundings like a ray from heaven. When
late in the afternoon of the L8th of July, a beautiful,
cloudless day, their wheat and barley was nearly ripe,
their vegetables and garden stuff were doing well, sud-
denly a partial darknessa overspread the sky; looking
up to see the cause, they discovered the air full of
winged bsecta Galling ground, till the latter was
literally covered Night Betting in prevented them
from realizing the calamity which had befallen them.
In the morning, when they awoke, everything had
perished save a few ears of half -ripe barley, which the
women were enabled to gather in their aprons. This
was too much ; like the Israelites of old, they lifted up
their voices and wept.
In the midst of this desolation, the Rev. Joseph
Norbert Provencher, afterwards Bishop Provencher,
and the£evere Damoulin, with several French families,
arrivedin the settlement. This not only increased the
evil, but called forth fresh exertion. To Pembina once
more they retired, to repeat the old story of moral
degradation, under men whose habits and condition of
life they had been taught to despise ; there they spent
the winter. Returning in the spring of 1819, they
commenced sowing what seed remained after the
ravages of the grasshoppers, to be again disappointed,
by the countless swarms produced in the ground from
the larvae of the previous year, a description of which
I shall borrow from Mr. Ross. " As early as the latter
history OF MANITOBA. SI
end of .June, the fields were overrun by this Bickening
and destructive plague, nay, they were produced in
masses two and three inches, and in some places near
water, four inch* *ter was poisoned by
tln-m. Along the river they were to be found in h<
like sea-weed, and might be shovelled with a spade.
It is impossible I be adequately the desolation
thu> caused. Every ble substance was either
q up, or stripped to the bare stalk The
the bushes and hark of the trees shared the same fate,
and the grain vanished i ,1 aDove
ground, leaving no hope of seed to the sower or i
to the rater; even fires, if kindled out of da
unmedial | by them, and the decom-
position of their bodies was still more offensive than
t,lri: aen aliv ie dissppointmeni
discouraged our Scotch colonists thai they tu
t,l,'ir « Red River and sought a lit'.' freer from
d Pembina, in khe buffalo hunt— for by this time
they could "buffalo "walk on snow-shoes, and in many
were emulating the natives. This life, pleasing
enough while it lasted, gave way to reflection; with
the reflection came the resolve to send men bo purchase
seed -rain and rrturn to the settlement in the
which was done; and m< wnv despatched on
snow-shoes to Prairie du Chien, a town on the Missis-
sippi, several hundred miles distant, who purchased
WObushelsoi rain at 10 shillings per bushel,
and returned in flat-bottomed boats to Red River in
June of 1
CHAPTER IV
,\,-.-n tin- Rival Comiwiniffl Bmigraatf from Switeer-
\n Indian Uahed BnffirioWool
.— Massacre by Indians Introduction i»f the Plough and of
Don >d.
In 1818 occurred the last fracas between the rival
companies. William William-, Esq., waa Bent from
England to superintend the Hudson Bay affairs in the
Northern Department of Rupert's Land. Mr. Williams
had previously been a naval captain in the East
India Company's service. On arriving at Hudson Bay,
he passed a few days at York Factory, then proceeded
inland to Cumberland House, where he spent the
winter. On the return of spring he left his winter
quarters and returned to Red River, arriving there
early in May. Here he found a vessel rigged, prepared
and manned for lake navigation, with two field-pieces
and a strong guard of armed De Meurons, called a
gunboat. As soon as Lake Winnipeg had opened, this
war craft, accompanied by some river boats, whose
crews were fully equipped for the campaign, left Red
River and made its way to the big fall, to intercept
the North-West Company's brigade of canoes that was
soon expected to arrive from all parts of the North.
Mr. Williams made his head-quarters on an island at
the foot of the fall. Landing a couple of field-pieces,
he placed them in a position bearing on the river and
the road over wThich the passengers travelled and the
history OP MANITOBA. 83
goods were carried. Ambusead* rise placed at
suitable points, and sentinel* placed on the upper
landing. Gathering his men around him, Mr. Williams
harangued them on the righteou t their cause,
promising that if any perished in the strife, they
had his Excellency's promise that their widows and
orphans would be carefully watched over and cared
for by the company, until able to provide for them-
es, .Mr. Williams and his men had not Ion
wait till the first brigade of the North- West canoes
came to the portage, of which the parties along the
road were informed by the sentinels at the upper
landing. As soon as the canoes came to the landing-
place, they began putting th< on shore, The
gentlemen passer. fcepped out of the boats, and
witli cloaks thrown loosely over their shoulders, trade
Commenced travelling over the path to the lower
landing. They did not proceed far before their armed
foes, concealed behind be surrounded
and made them prisoners, conveying them to head-
quarters on the island, when- they were consigned to
the tender sympathy of a guard of I), fcfeurons. I'ive
gentlemen of the first rank in the North-West Company
were captured— Angus Shaw, John < .. b, John
Duncan Campbell, William Mcintosh, and Mr. Fro-
bisher.
With a number of guides, interpreters and bateliers,
were all forwarded to York Factory on Hud-
son Bay, where they were confined until the ships
were ready to sail for Europe. Shaw and McTavish
were sent to England, Duncan, with a number of guides
84 history OF MANITOBA.
and laboring men, to Montreal. Frobisher and a few
of his men were kept in rigid confinement at York
Factory, and would in all probability have had to pass
the winter in that inhospitable place, but managed
to elude the vigilance of their keepers one dark and
stormy night In the beginning of October. Finding
an Indian" canoe lying at the river, they embarked
and proceeded inland towards Lake Winnipeg, passing
ral of the Hudson Bay forte unobserved Without
provisions, and without the necessary requirements by
the aid of which they might procure game or other
articles of food, they struggled on day after day until
within a few days' journey of Moose Lake, where they
camped for the night in a log hut. Here they were
confined for some time by a storm of wind and snow,
and here, in this wretched hut, poor Frobisher breathed
out his life in November, 1819. When the weather
moderated his companions departed, leaving the body
unburied. In a few days they reached the North-
West Company's fort at Moose Lake, where their
wants were supplied and their lives preserved. Here
they told the sad tale of their own suffering and Fro-
bisher's miserable end. Thus ended the last scene in
a guerilla warfare, discreditable to all parties con-
cerned, and extending over a period of ten long weary
years, full of trial and suffering to many on either side.
The keen competition in trade had not only created
a greater outlay in trading goods, but during the
above period the number of servants employed by each
of the contending companies had been doubled and
their wages increased. To this must be added the
BISTORT OF M.\MTn|;.\. s:>
soma spent in litigation in the Canadian courts.
Long and anient us the struggle had been between
potent rivals, neither had apparently gained
any advantage over the other; both were at this
time on the brink of insolv ad prudent men
in each company's s.-rvi< me anxious to d<
sou* by whieb such an unsatisfactory
affairs might 06 brOOght to a termination. In L810,
propositions ha.il been ma<le by the leading merchants
of the North- West Company to his Lordship, hut t
had been rejected They were again renewed in 181 i
hut the position assumed hy the llud-on Hay ( \>m-
pany, with ; e to the country, was one which
the North- \V
d. The course pursued since that date
been rainoofl in treme, The only course
- pen now was a union, which was warmly supported
by leading men of both companies, and consummated
in March. L821.
The new company's wintering partners were divided
into two chief factors and chief traders. The
elf was divided into one hundred shares, the
stockholders reserving for themselves the profits on
nixty of t the remaining forty were divided
into eighty-four parts, of which the chief factor
ived annually the profits of two, and the chief
trader one. In prosperous times this yielded a fair
remuneration to those gentlemen. On retiring from
the service, each of the commissioned officers' into
in the profits remained for seven years. During the
first year of his retirement he received a full share.
86 BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
the remaining six, only a half. During this period he
must not enter into competition with his former
employers ; if he did, they reserved the right to with-
hold his share. The interest of superannuated clerks,
whose service was no longer required, was also con-
sidered; in order to give these B small annuity for a
limited time — SSI - — the profits on a few shares
were assigned At the expiration of that time, the
sums accruing from the aforesaid shares were applied
to the formation of a reserve fund, and the old servants
left to provide for themsel1
While the fur companies were completing their
negotiations, another batch of emigrants arrived at
York Factory from Switzerland, under the guidance
of Count IXEnsser, who was sent by the Swiss
Government to report on the colony, the nature of the
soil, climate and government. These people were, as
a rule, of the poorest class, mostly mechanics, few, if
any of them, agriculturists. After spending a short
time at the factory, they were sent on by the fall
boats into the interior. Unaccustomed to the con-
tinuous and laborious routine of rowing, as also trans-
porting their goods over the portages, of which there
were no less than thirty, progress was slow indeed. To
add to their discomfort, cold, with frost and snow, over-
took them at Lake Winnipeg ; many of them suffered
severely from frost-bites, all of them from dearth of
food. At length they arrived at Fort Douglas in
November. The scarcity of provisions compelled them,
like the preceding settlers, to go to Pembina, the
head- quarters of the hunters. The trip to them was a
HISTORY OF M \mthi;a. 87
toilsome and weary one Saving neither bones nor
they had to hitch themselves to sleds, on which
their children and ba while the
□ catting winds pierced through their lightly clad
and ill-protected persona After reaching the camp,
though the buffalo was plentiful on the plains, they
unskilled in approaching them ; and even when
anted for them they were destitute of means
for bringing the hum. into cam}). Thus situated, they
b often reduced to the necessity of receiving food
by, from not only the colonists and half-breeds,
but also from the Indians, who, to their honor be it
-aid, never withheld food when they had it.
The -rain, through late sowing in 1820, did not
■i well, hut matured sufficiently for sv<><\. rriii.s
was tie- last occasion on which i lenient was
without seed grain, and cosi Lord Selkirk £1,040. It
also demonstrated tie- practicability of navigation,
during hii^h water, between the Red River and the
Mississippi.
In 1820 occurred the death of fiord Selkirk, an
event which, to a very large extent, accelerated the
union of the great fur trading companies, which had
hitherto been at variance, and which was consummated
in 1821, The year 1820 found the settlement increas-
tn numbers, and composed of the following
Scotch, Swiss, Irish, lYench- Canadians,
••"id tli.- • Half-breed* The Scotch occupied
tin- lands now divided into the parishes of St. John
and Kildonan. The De Iffeurons, or soldiers who
accompanied his Lordship from Montreal in 1816,
II is TOB V OF KANITOBA.
settled along the banks of the Seine River, which, rising
in the forest to the east, falls into the Red Rivei
about a mile below its junction with the Assiniboine,
of the Swiss settled amongst the De Meurons,
while Borne farther op the river, near Fort
Cany. The Protestanta arriving in the settlement
settled along the Red River, in what is now known as
the parishes of St. Pan! and St. Andrew. The settle-
ment in all numbered about 1,500 souls.
In 1822, Mr Mcl> maid, who had governed the colony
from the death of Mr. Sample, was succeeded by Bulger,
McDonald retiring to hk farm. Early this year Mr.
Ilalk. t. one of Lord Selkirk's executors, arrived in the
settlement Considerable dissatisfaction being er-
ased at this time with the system of entries, and
the mode of conducting business with the Hudson Bay
Company, taking advantage of Mr. Halket's presence in
the colony, the settlers appeared by delegates before
him and stated their grievances. To these he lent an
attentive ear, and at once instituted an investigation.
The Governor and his subordinates were brought to
task. Book-keeper- and salesmen of former years
having left the country, and their successors in office
having no vouchers, could not throw any light on the
debts that had accumulated, and which the debtors
rted contained many false entries, and the non-
entry of sums which should have been credited.
After mature consideration, recognizing the impossi-
bility of finding out from the books the true state of
affairs, Mr. Halket ordered one-fifth of the debt to be
thrown off, also the five per cent, interest added, which
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 89
he pronounced illegal and oppressive. During his stay-
in Red River, he >;iw with regret the unsatisfactory
maimer in which his Lordship's mercantile affiun had
been managed, and determined to discontinue supplying
the colon with goods. He left for York
Factory on ti of July.
pt Bulger had n long in office, when an
n brave, under the influence of liquor, attempted
dark paaaage in his
dwelling-house. The Indian, who was known to the
settl i dangerous character, was immediately
court-martialled, and sentenced to receive a
dozen lashes with tl ils. Surrounded
by his kindred, who were half drunk, there was some
difficulty in procuring cutionei to carry out the
of the court. After some delay, and many
n the part of the Indiana, a tall muscular
soldier, of the De Meuron I forward and called
for the whip, which he applied vigorously to the
oder's back. The Indians began to chant their
i rushed to arms; but Capt Bulger was
not going to be terrified by either their howling or
their threats, and quietly informed the chief, that if
lid notecase his bravado, and order his followers
to lay down their arms and quit their music, he would
have him (ashed to the gun, and served with a few
s too. Tins bit cf well-ti ivice had the de-
sin-d effect No sooner was the savage set free, than
the whole hand took l i their canoes, and made for
Lake Winnipeg This woll-merited castigation had a
wholesomo effect on the Indians who lived in the
7
90 HIstmky OF MANITOBA.
vicinity of the colony, teaching them that the time had
passed when they could with impunity defy the laws
of civilised society.
In 1822 was incepted the Buffalo Wool Company
scheme. This was originated on (he Bhare system, the
total Dumber of Bhan placed at 200, and capable
of being inci t any future period. Mr. John
Priichard was the moving spirit of the new company,
Whose obj • a^ follows :
1. To provide a substitute for wool, as it was sup-
posed from the number and destructive hal>its of the
wolves, that .sheep could not be raised or preserved in
Red River, at least, to any extent.
2. The substitute contemplated was the wool of
the wild buffalo, which ►be collected on the
plains, and manufactured both lor the use of the colo-
nists and for export.
3. To a tannery for manufacturing the
butfalo hides for domestic use.
Mr. Pritchard thought that it would not require
much labor or skill to accomplish these important
ends; others thought differently, and asserted that
success would depend entirely on economy and good
management. No sooner was the £2,000 placed to the
credit of the new company in the Hudson Bay Com-
pany's books, than operations were at once commenced.
A large establishment was erected in the heart of the
settlement, all the buffalo- hunters enlisted in the
enterprise, and exhorted by every means to preserve
the hides ; the women were encouraged to gather all
the wool they could, by being promised a liberal price
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 91
for it at the factory ; and all the available hands in
ettlement, male and fema called into opera-
tion. The men and boys manipulated the hides, which,
bsjforo they conld be freed from the wool, had to
through the king, heating, and pulling.
n at pulling could make from six to
shillings per day isfied unless
they made from four to five. Female labor was also
uid all who could spin were invited to
the f i make the wool n, for which they
i one shilling per pound. At this early
he buffalo were in large ouml
i of Pembina, and a large number of \ pic from
the various races on the land u<-d here to hunt
them in fact, this Beemed I favorite feeding-
9
md. < ); were brought from Englai
wool-dressers, farriers, curriers, sa Idlers and harness
makers; an outfit of goods was also procured, and a
store opened in the establishment for the convenience
of the employees. L md cloth were manufac-
ture 1, hut neither <»i* them could compare with similar
ghtfrom Kurope. Rum was also imported,
and this last capped the climax ; drunkenness and
disorder prevailed, hides were allowed to rot, through
ess the wool spoiled, the tannery proved a
failure; and when, in 1825, the affairs of the company
wound Up, it was found that they had not only
w\n\ their original capital of £2,000, but were in
to their ban) K). This debt hung over the
heads of the stockholders for several years, till the
company generously relieved them by cancelling it.
92 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Taken on the whole, the scheme was beneficial to
the colony, the industry of which was not only stimu-
lated, but turned into a new channel, from which was
obtained money and credit with the Hudson Bay Com-
pany, neither of which could have been realized from
the produce of their farms. By these latter many of
tin* - btained their first stock ; the crops of the
season also proved the most abundant ever reached in
the colony.
Hie Lower-Canadians who came into the country
at this time sett Pembina, forming quite a
village; their number* were augmented from time to
time by others of their countrymen, who had left the
North-West Company's service, having become free
men, and who settled down amongst them. In the
spring of 1822, food becoming scarce, a party left the
little settlement to hunt the buffalo on the plains ; as
these did not return at the expected time, fears were
entertained for their safety. A trader named Hess,
who lived in the village, and who was suffering in
common with his neighbors, resolved to go in quest of
them, in company with two settlers and his two
daughters; he travelled through the Dacotahs with
great precaution.
Sighting some buffalo on the sixth day, he left his
companions to shoot some, if possible. Having been
some time away, he returned to his cart, when to his
horror he found one of his companions scalped and his
feet cut off, a little farther on lay one of his daughters
stuck in her heart, while still a little farther were the
lifeless remains of his other companion. Further
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 93
search failed to reveal the whereabouts of his other
daughter, whom he concluded had been taken captive.
He at once returned to Pembina, travelling three days
and three nights without food. A panic seized the
villagers on the recital tory, and poor Hess
; get no one to accompany him even to bury the
dead. Obtaining information that the missing
ghter was a captive in a Yankton lodge, and
nerved by despair, be resolved to rescue or die in the
attempt. After a long journey over the plains he
ted the I efore he had readied them, how-
he was accosted with the challenge Friend or
Prompted to the highest physical courage by his
terrible loss, Bess replied, "You know me as your
you know me by the name of Standing Bull; you
killed one of my daughters, and taken the i I
►ner." The Indian, impressed by his fear
: his hand to him, and took him to the camp,
where he was kindly treated Bere he found Ids
dit.T, and Wfl i knOW that she had also
been kindly dealt with: her captor was at first unwill-
ing to let her go, but consented on the production of a
certain ransom.
A blacksmith of the name of 'Fully, who had been
\'nr -Mm.' time in the service of Lord Selkirk, was
desirous of crossing the plains to the Qnito d States in
company with Borne Americans, who bad brought in a
herd of c 1 who were to return immediately on
th<- completion of their business, Tully, impatient of
delay, moved on to Pembina, where he expected the
would join him. As they did not turn up at
94 BISTORT OF MANITOBA;
the expected time, he secured a half-breed for a guide,
and started out on the trail that led to Grand Forks.
Arriving there safely, he resolved to wait for those
who were to come after. While here, however, they
were ered by a party of restless and cruel
Dacota!,- d tl 6 war path in search of here-
ditary i Taking the infant from
arms, they dashed pnt its brains against
a tiv cH to pieces the
unhappi pai ade prisoners of two
boys, wl ! ime after by Ajneri-
remained at Fori Snelling, where
they died The half-breed, hearing the tramp of the
,-n>'inv'> i i ver. Leiine<l the cover of
the woods, and returned to the village, where he told
his tragic story, which -'-lit a thrill of sorrow through
everi equency of these barbarous and
cruel murdei ;erous proximity of their
village to the territory of the scalping Dacotahs,
induced the settlers to retire from Pembina, and join
the colonists at St. Boniface, Red River.
The year 1823 saw the introduction of the plough, the
average return being forty-four bushels to the acre,
with the plough, with sixty-eight after the hoe. Three
hundred head of domestic cattle were also imported
into the settlement this year by some Americans, and
rapidly bought up. The herd is described as " large-
boned and fine," but deteriorated in a few7 years, owing
to want of care and the severity of the climate. These
were the rirst domestic cattle in the settlement, with
the exception of an English bull and two cows,
BISTORT OF Manitoba. 95
received from the North-West Company. In 1824,
another band of 500 was imported, also by Americans,
and disposed of. Trained oxen brought from eight to
nine pounds each; milch cows from six bo seven, while
:ior animals were Bold at much lower prices. The
settlers realizing the Cad that they could not force
jive them bread, without the necessary
means to Bubdne it, ploughs also came into demand.
.■I to be manufactured in the settlement The
1 abundance of wood suitable for the
of these, but iron to mount them could
not be had in the colony. Those desirous of obtain-
ing it. and who had money in the company's hands,
had to Send to Fork where it cod them one
shilling per pound, with the addition of threepence
per pound for freight inland The blacksmiths of
thos< barged four pounds sterling for iron-
offi Notwithstanding this expense, ■ large num-
ber of new ploughs were prepared for spring opera-
it of new land turned up
and sown.
In 1826 the colony was again doomed to trouble,
probably the most di its inception The
fall of 1825 was very stormy, with heavy snow-storms
M'h other at short intervals, go much SO that
in January, L826, the snow, where undisturbed in the
wood-, was five feet deep. With the reader's permis-
sion, I will again quote from Mr. Ross, whose thrilling
account cannot he overrated ■ " As early as the month
of January reports had reached the colony that the
hunters were starving, but such reports being common,
96 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
and as often false as true, they passed for a time
unheeded. About the middle of February business
led me to Pembina, where I found ample verification
of the report, and had the satisfaction of assisting Mr.
McDermot in his benevolent efforts in ministering to
the wants of the Bufferem, Hiving communicated
with Donald Mrk.nzie, Colonial Governor at Fort
Garry, that gentleman immediately sent party after
party with provisions and clothing; in fact, at this
moment all depended on the officers of the Hudson
Bay Company, and even with all the assistance they
could command, the difficulties were almost insuperable.
The distance the sufferers were beyond Pembina, one
hundred and fifty to two hundred miles, through deep
snow, made any conveyance other than the dog-train
impracticable, so that the labor was great, and the
task a tedious and trying one; but everything was
done that man or beast could do, and .with such des-
patch as saved hundreds of the people's lives, nor were
private individuals wanting in their contributions —
every one lent a willing hand. The disaster began in
December. About the 20th of that month there was
a fearful snow-storm, such as had not been for years,
which lasted several days, driving the buffalo beyond
the hunters' reach, and killing most of the horses.
Owing to the suddenness of the visitation, none were
prepared for the inevitable famine which followed, the
hunters being so scattered that they could not render
each other assistance nor discover their whereabouts.
Families here and there, despairing of life, huddled
together for warmth; and in many cases their shelter
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 97
ed their The heat of the bodies melted
mow, they became wet, and being without food or
fuel, the cold soon penetrated, and in several instances
whole into a body of solid icv. Some were
found in a stage of wild delirium, frantic mad, while
re were picked op here and there, frozen to death
in their fruitless attempt to reach Pembina. One
woman was found with an infant on her Lack within
a quarter of a mile from Pembina. This j tture
most have travelled at least one hundred and twenty-
five miles in three days and nights, till she sank at
.ntlie unequal struggle for life. Those that were
found alive had devoured their horses, dogs, rawhides,
leather, and even their sh< was the Buffering
that 1 on their way to the colony, after being
ved at Pembina. 1 passed two who rcely
i oothers. in seven or eight pari
rling along with great difficulty. To the i
I was enabled by good fortune to i^ive a
mouthful of bread At last, with much labor and
anxi nrvivorswere conveyed to the settlement,
when,' they were supplied with the comforts tip
nine • One man with his wife and three chil-
dren Were dug out. Of tile slloW, wlielV tlieV had DCOU
buried for ti\ md nights, without food or fire or
the light D ; the woman and children recovered,
hut the husband died. Thirty-three lives were lost.
The colonists had hardly recovered themselves from
• exertions when r calamity overcame them.
The winter had beet) unusually Bevere, the snow
On the plains and in the woods
98 history OF MANITOBA.
from four to five, the cold was intense, the thermometer
ranging often forty-five below zero, while the ice
measured five feet in thickness,
"Towards spring the flow of water from the melting
snow became really alarming. On the 2nd of May,
before the ice started, the water rose nine feet in
twenty-four hours. Such a rise had never been noticed
in the lied River. Even the Indians were startled, and
putting their hands to their months exclaimed, ' Yea be,
yea hoi1 (What does this mean r) ( >n the 4th the water
flowed the hanks of the river, and spread so fast
that before the people were aware it had reached their
dwellings. Terror was depicted on every countenance ;
so level was the country and SO rapid the rise of the
water, that on the 5th all the settlers abandoned their
homes and sought refuge on higher ground. Every
description of property became a secondary considera-
tion, and was involved in one common wreck, or.
abandoned in despair. The people fled from their
homes for dear life, some of them saving only their
clothes on their backs. The shrieks of children, lowing
of cattle, and the howling of dogs added terror to the
scene. The company's servants exerted themselves to
their utmost, and did good service with their boats.
The generous and humane governor of the colony,
Donald McKenzie, sent his own boat to the assistance
of the settlers, though himself and family depended on
it for their safety, being in an upper story with ten
feet of water rushing through the house. By means
of these exertions the families were all conveyed to
places of safety, while the cattle were driven many
BISTORT OF MANITOBA, 99
miles off to the pine hills and rocky heights. The
grain, furniture and utensils came next in order of
importance; but by this time the country presented
the appearance of a vast lake, and the people in the
bs had no resource hut t<> break through the roofs
of their buildings, and tin; old
'The ice d >w drifted in a straight course from point
ICtlOTJ before it. and the i
at like wiilow- by tl ie force of the current,
while the frightened inhabitants were collected in
ipfl l D any dry Bpol that remained visible ahove
waste of water. Their hous,s, barns, carriages,
furniture, fencing and every description of pro;
might I"- seen ti v.-r the wide extended plain
olfed in Lake Winnip
Hardly a DOUSC or building of any kind |
ling in the colony. Many of tie- buildings drifted
along whole and entire, and in some dogs were bowl-
dismally, cats jumping frantically from sid<
hut the m bouse in
flames, drifting along in the night, one half immersed
in water, the remainder burning furiously. The w
continued rising till the 21st, and extended far over the
plain; where cat! boats were plying in
full sail. On tie- 22nd the v ■ ;lU,\^
r a day or two, began gradually to fall. The
height to which it rose above ordinary years, was fifteen
[te subside very gradual During this
ial only one man lost his life, hut many were
tie- hairbreadth e for example, at one spot
writer fell in with ;i man who had two of his o
100 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
tied together, with his wife and four children fixed on
their backs; the docile but terrified animals waded or
floated as best they could, while the man himself, with
along line in his hand, kept before them, sometimes
ing, sometimes swimming, guiding them to the
highest ground. With considerable trouble we got
them conveyed to a place of safety, and but for our
timely assist moe they must all have perished, for the
water WM gaining on them fast; they were already
exhausted and had some distance t<> go. The actions
of the De Meurons during this trouble merited the
contempt with which they were afterwards regarded —
killing thes< ttle, and selling the meat at three-
pence a pound. Wheat, which had fallen to two shil-
lings per bushel, at the commencement of the disaster,
rose to fifteen shillings. The cause of the flood has
been the subject of many conjectures; we prefer to state
the only conclusion which appears to us natural and
consistent with well-known facts. The previous year
had been unusually wet, the country was thoroughly
saturated, the lakes, swamps and rivers, at the fall of
the year, were full of water, while a large quantity of
snow had fallen in the preceding winter. Then came
a late spring, with a sudden burst of warm weather ; a
south wind blowing for several days, the snow melted
at once, and Red Lake, Otter Tail and Lake Traverse
all overflowed their banks. To these causes must be
added the large quantities of ice carried down by the
Red River, which, coming in contact with the solid
ice of Lake Winnipeg, thus stopping the current,
seem to have caused the overflow of back water
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 101
on the level surface of the plains. This opinion is
strengthened by the fact that, as the ice of the lake
gave way, the water began to fall, and fell as rapidly
as it rose. Mr. Nolan, one of the first adventurer- in
the Red River valley, describes the flood <>i' 177*. ;ls
still higher than on this occasion, having sailed that
year from Red Lake River, round by way of Pembina,
and down towards the colony, the who].' country
and the river appearing to him
lake The Indians mention ;i flood about
the year 1790, while in L809 the water rose unusually
CHAPTER V.
hips and DimcoH \n-iv;ils Beoond Experimental Fara
Company Tallow Trade Attempt
to Introduce Sheep Ool I to the Hudson Bay Com-
1(;U1V v i in.-iits Diaappointmenta and
Kailun-s Third atal Kami Har>h lAeaeuroi Indian
Amiii.-.- ok Boldiecefrom England Ttadeni Pro-
secuted—Census Taken.
Ox tlif L5th of .luii.' tl." settlers returned to their
desolated ho: »lony now found themselves
divided into two parties— first, the Scotch and others
who still resolved to remain despite the discourage-
ment I •• M. limns. Swiss and other rest-
less spirits, who were determined to try somewhere else.
So little was the presence of the latter desired, that
food was furnished them gratis in order to hasten
their departure. On the 24th of June, 243 of these
took their departure, and the colony never saw, nor
had any desire to see, them again. Once more, and
for the fourth time, our Scotch colonists, with every-
thing gone, commenced on their desolate fields. With
the advanced state of the season, they could not hope
for much of a crop; yet barley, potatoes, and some
wheat, sowed as late as the 22nd of June, matured, as
it were, to encourage them.
The year 1827 brought to the little colony an impetus
in fresh arrivals, some of whom hailed from the Orkney
Islands, filling up the gap made by the exodus of the
De Meurons. Agriculture was pushed with a spirit
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 103
formerly unknown: houses multiplied, fields fenced,
out-houses erected to shelter the cattle ; and now
m to be felt the lack of market facilities, to
encourage their agricultural efforts. The Hudson
Bay Company were able only to take a limited
quantity of produce of all kinds, while for grinding
i'acil depend on the windmill
ragbout the settlement tie- first of which i
when placed in p the ram of £1,500 — orother-
ou the quime Btanea many of them had brought
: their native hills. In this y--ar. also, the Hudson
Company, acting on an idea suggested by Lord
Selkirk a short time previous to his death, opened out
id through forest and .swamp, eighty-one miles in
:ii between Oxford Eouse and a point on I
pied for the settlement were
forwarded from the : the first-mentioned post
by boat, then by dog-trains in winter, from the house
along this new naite to Red River. The first season
showed the unfiti dogs for this kind of work.
Iii l were built along the route, at a dis-
•leven miles apart, and provisioned with hay.
Oxen were then procured from Red River, but through
mi si: e equally poor satisfaction. Bale
Is had to be thrown oil* the sleighs,
and never looked aft In L829, the undertak-
relinquished, after having cost the company
in men's wages oxen, goods lost and destroyed, some
thousands of pound- sterling.
In L880 was commenced the second experimental
farm under Governor Simpson's regime. This was
104 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
established on a rich and fertile spot on the Assiniboine
River. Houses of every description were erected,
barns, corn-yards and stables, with a noble residence
for the manager; parks and enclosures were also
formed The best br 1 of cows* was purchased; a
stallion worth £300, imported from England, as also
brood mares from the United States; the most costly
and improved ploughs, harrows, drills — in fact what-
ever was nee i to the milk pail and axe
handle, with men and women servants t<> till every
»n. Thus provided, it was thought sure to be
successful. The choice of a manage! lay with a
gentleman, zealous, active and persevering in whatever
he was acquainted with, hut in nowise qualified to
judge of farming operations. He selected as his
choice Chief Factor McMillan. The appointment was
an unfortunate one. Mr. McMillan, though a good man
in his own way, knew nothing whatever of farm work,
and the staff was in keeping with the principal. Their
knowledge consisted in having seen wheat, barley and
potatoes raised in the simplest manner. Butter and
cheese making was a science absolutely new and
unknown to them. The result was, as could be plainly
seen, failure. Flax and hemp grew luxuriantly, but,
after growing, was neglected, and allowed to rot
on the ground. The most common grain raised
was inferior in quantity and quality to that raised by
the humblest Scotch settler in the colony. System
there was none, and the want of it ruined the whole.
After running this concern for six years, it was sold
out, the loss to the company amounting to about
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 105
£4,000. Thia scheme was a pet one of Governor
Simpson's, and from it he looked for magnificent
ilta to the col nj I >n Learning the result he said,
i River i- kike a Li! -van tiger, the more we try to
tame it, the D .,, it is with Red
i bring it forward, disappoint-
ment dra ibackwarda" The only benefit reaped
by the colony was an improvement in the breedof bonea
failure of this grand scheme brought experimental
Karma into contempt, and paased into a by-word in
ny, particularly among the balf-breeda, who
arn farmers are bad, but experimental]
farmers are -till iron
In 1832, Governor Simpson, annoyed at the unceas-
ing turbulence of the French half-breeds, determined
mow hi from Fprt Douglas to a more
eligible spot, twenty miles farther north, on the Red
r. In < > I 1881, he commenced operations,
ing foundations, quarrying atones, and preparing
timber, where now stands what is known as the
r stone tort. The river hank at this place
liferous limestone, furnished
sufficient -tun.- for lime, which was burned on the
spot; the unbroken forest on tin- easi side of the
c supplying abundant timber and fuel for that
purpose. During the summer., of I,s:!l> and 1838 a
commodious dwelling-house and capacious store were
finished, in which Governor Simpson and family
inter of L888 and 1834 Goods were sold
ut tb inhabiting the north end of the
colony, obviating the necessity of travelling many
8
106 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
miles to the upper fort for their purchases, as also
forming S market for those who lived close by,
In 1839 a -tone wall was commenced, three to four
feet thick, with embrasures for small arms at regular
distances of fifteen feet apart. A capacious round
tower occupied each of the four angles, forming the
interior into square, with a gate on the south-
ening on to the river, while another on
the north-west side fronted the plains The lower
fort from its inception became one of the most impor-
tant posts the company had in the country, on account
of its being the terminus of steamers engaged in
ion From this post they received their
i.-s of tradii. which were transported to
the big fail at the mouth of the Saskatchewan, where
they were forwarded to the districts lying north and
West of the same, To tins post, also, the steamers
returned, bringing the furs collected on that river and
the northern stations during the winter, and from here
they were forwarded through the United States to
England
About this time also, Lord Selkirk's original settlers
who had remained in the colony were pressed to pay
the heavy debt incurred by them during their first
few years' residence. This had accumulated in some
cases to as much as £300, and no family owed less
than £100. These debts had to be paid in produce, for
which they were alio wed very low prices. The quan-
tity thus delivered fully supplied the only market the
farmer then had, completely shutting out those who
were not in debt, and leaving them no avenue wherein
to dispose of their season's crop.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 107
In April, also of this yea*, was inaugurated the
tallow company scheme, the capital of which was
•«'d at £1,000, divided into two hundred shares of
The din etorate consisted of a chairman arid
members; any i ae owning six shares in the com
duly qualifi< ,,r. These shares
were at once taken in cattle, the values placed I
For a year-old, £1 each; for a two-year-
old, £2 ; tin and so on The entire
herd at the commencement of the scheme consisted of
four hundred and seventy-three bead.
Th< according to promise, were delivered to
those appointed * • them and branded with the
initials, T. T. -Tallow Trade and by them conveyed
pounds at the foot of the Pine Hills and
to the east of the settlement, and there placed ander
the care of two herdsmen, I ho the 80th of this Bame
month a storni cam,' from the north, bringing with it
a snow-fall of about eighteen inches, a circumstance
altogether unusual at this time <>t* the year, This was
followed by cold and stormy weather. Some of the
cattle were lean, all of them had been housed and
i daring the winter, the new grass which
bad sprung up was buried deep in snow and water, the
only food that remained for the suffering herd was
the branches of trees and tops of willows, which were
picked uj) by the stronger animals taking the lead,
ing ii. -thin- for the weaker ones that followed.
The result of this was that t v. . ,li,.(l during the
summer. However, the herd improved rapidly, and
undertaking seemed to gain favor. Preparations
108 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
were made for their protection during the coming
winter ; sheds without roofs were erected, apparently
for the purpose of keeping them together and pre-
serving thorn from the wolves, rather than the intense
cold. Hay was put up in proportion of about one
load per head. Into tl ds the cattle were driven ;
there they stood huddled together for warmth. In
the morning when lei ont they were bo benumbed
with cold and standing all night that they could
scarcely walk, and were unable to procure their food
in deep mow during the day. In this manner they
d the winter, with the result that thirty-two died
from the effects of the cold and want of food, fifty-
three were destroyed by wolves, the ears, horns and
tails of many of them froze and fell off, and many of
the cows also lost their teats.
In the beginning of the second winter the cattle
were removed to new pasture farther distant from
the settlement but more sheltered, new herdsmen
engaged, and a sufficient quantity of hay put up, warm
sheds erected, the cost of which was defrayed by a
call of five shillings per share. After the winter had
set in the cattle were driven in every night and fed
regularly, and matters so arranged that each director
in his turn should visit the cattle once a week. Despite
these precautions sixteen died of cold and twenty
were killed by wolves. The stockholders, discouraged
by these losses, resolved to put an end to the concern,
and in October of 1834 the herd was disposed of by
auction, the shareholders realizing the full amount of
their investment, but sacrificing the interest of their
stock.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 109
In 1833, a joint stock company was also formed by
Governor Simpson to introduce sheep into the colony.
sum of £1,200 was raised, and Mr. Rae, a
Hudson Bay clerk, a i with J. P. Bourke, and
four men, despatched t<> purchase the required number.
Though late in the season, they crossed the inhospitable
plain bo St Peter's, from thence to St Louis, and on
through the State <>f Missouri The people, believing
from reports that had preceded them, that the stran
intended to purchase some thousands, instead of hun-
dreds, demanded ten shillings per head. Rae was so
wrathy at this extortion, is he considered it, that
though the price was afterwards reduced to seven
shillings and sixpence per head, he refused to deal
with the Mi> at all, and pushed on to Kentucky,
four hundred end fifty miles farther. In vain Bourke
the increased difficulty of transport
thereonting .'ae would hear nothing. After
a variety of adventures they reached Kentucky, to
find very little difference in the price. Here Rae pur-
: and now the difficulties which Bourke
pointed out began to be experienced. They had to
pay for pasture every plght, while many of the sheep
• lied from hard driving. On their way up the Missis-
sippi, seeing that the flock were Buffering from the
burden and heat of their fleeces, they halted at a cer-
tain place to clip them, having agreed to sell the wool
certain individual for a specified sum. Nothaving
the full amount in cash, Rae refused to let him have
value for the cash h<- had. A number of poor people
having collected around, combined and made him an
110 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
offer; but their proposition coming short of the value
he had placed on the wool, he caused it to be burned
rather than thai any of them should get it. Of the
1,473 sheep purchased only 251 reached Red River,
the rest all perished by the way. Rae and Bourke
rode on in front, with the m«n behind; every now and
then one of the drivi ra would ride up to tbem with
the word that SO many of the Bheep COold not be made
to move on. "Cut their throats, and drive on !w was
the invariable order. In one morning alone over forty
were thus disposed of. When any of them dropped
behind through exhaustion, their throats were immedi-
ately cut and their carcasses left behind. This con-
tinued till the men became SO thoroughly disgusted
that they refused to perform the inhuman order,
leaving the leaders to do it themselves. On their
arrival in Red River, despite the facts above stated,
they were presented with a vote of thanks from the
Governor and managing committee. There was a
class, however, who, dissatisfied with the management,
were disposed to pass a vote of censure on the Gover-
nor and management. Mr. Simpson, to silence these,
declared his willingness to pay back all the money
that had been subscribed, and keep the sheep himself
until they became numerous enough to give all who
desired an opportunity to purchase a few. By this
means the latter class was shut off, and the sheep
turned over to the care of the experimental farm. In
the course of three years they were auctioned off, and
so keen was the competition, that, taking one with
another, the flock brought from two to three pounds
each.
HISTORY OP MANITOBA. Ill
In L885, for a monetary consideration of £85,000,
the colony was transferred by the young Karl of Sel-
kirk to the Budsot) Bay Company. This change was
known only to a Few, and was done with a view to
strengthening the hands of the company in the govern-
ment of the country. Ti rnor, with a fewother
gentlemen, ctod, and commissioned by the
Ion; these, with the < lovernor-
bief, formed a legislative council empowered to
make laws, to rej dvil affairs, and for the punish-
ment of parties guilty of crime The members of the
Council having been appointed, the p&nonnd was
Uowa : President sir ( ; Simpson ; ( lovern-
ment Councillors— -Alex. Christie, Qovernoi of Assini-
»f Snliopolifl : Rev. I >. T. J
plain 11. BJ . Et \ . Win. Cocl rau<
lain ft B. < '. ; James Bird, Esq., formerly ( Ihief Factor
H. B l '. : Jamea Sutherland, Esq., W. II. Cook, I
John Pritcharl, Esq., Robt Logan, Esq., Ale
John IfcAllum, Esq ; John Bonn, Medical Adviser ;
Andrew IfcBermott, Esq. ; Cuthbert Grant, Warden of
the Plains. The President summoned the Council to
a me Upper Fort Garry on the L2th February,
when he delivered the following addr
men, in order *rd ;i^ much as possible
pprehension within doors, or misrepre-
sentation without, on the subjects which I am now
about to bring under your consideration, I shall, then,
briefly notice them. From their importance theycan-
lll forth due attention, and from the deep
and lively interest you all W'r] in the welfare and
U J HISTORY ()K MANITOBA.
prosperity of the colony. I am satisfied yon will afford
me the best of your assistance and support towards
carrying into effect such measures as may appear
b calculated, under i circumstances, to answer
every desirabl
"The population of the colony has become so great,
amounting to about five thousand souls, that the
»na) influence of the Governor, and the little more
than nominal support afforded by the police, which,
bher with the good feeling of the people, have
heretofore been its principal safeguard, are no longer
sufficient to maintain the tranquillity and good govern-
ment of the settlement; so that, although rights of
property have of late been frequently invaded, and
other serious offences committed, I am concerned to
say we were under the necessity of allowing them to
pass unnoticed, because we had not the means at com-
mand of enforcing obedience and due respect, on
account of the existing state of thii
"Under such circumstances, it must be evident to one
and all of you, that it is impossible society can hold
together ; that the time has at length arrived when it
becomes necessary to put the administration of justice
on a more firm and regular footing than heretofore,
and immediate steps taken to guard against danger
from abroad or difficulties at home, for the mainten-
ance of good order and tranquillity, and for the security
and protection of lives and property."
At this meeting the following resolutions were
passed, and became law, most of which gave some
satisfaction for a time :
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 118
1 . Thai an efficient and disposable force be embodied,
to be styled a volunteer corps, consisting of sixty
officers and prival I all times ready to act
when sailed upon, an paid as follow
Commanding officei er annum; servant, £10
per annum ; pril annum — with extra pay
writs. When not bo employed, their time
was to be their own. Alexander Roes was appoint. -.1
2. That the settlement he divided into four distric
first t» extend from [mage Plain, down-
war
'I'll.- second, from the latter place to the junction of
the Red and Assiniboine Rivers, with James Sutherland,
I
e third, from the fork- a] B d River,
with Robert Logan, Esq., as n
The fourth, tie- Whit.- Horse Plains or Assinibo
r. with Onthbert Grant* officer.
The-.- magi to hold quarterly courts of sum-
mary jurisdiction on the third Monday in January,
April. July, and in I October.
1 courts have power to pronounce final
ment in all civil cases where the debt or damage
claimed may ed five | and in all cases
of ti or inisdei which, by the rules and
I the district of Assiniboia, not being
repugnant to the law gland, may be punished
by a fine noi ram of five pounds.
4. That said courts be empowered to refer any case
of doubt or difficulty to the supreme tribunal of the
114 HISTORY Of MAM TOI'.A.
colony, at its ne*t Mi*ning quarterly session, by giving
intimation of the reference in open court, and a written
notice of e under the hands of ■ majority of
the three sitting magistrates, at least one week before
the commencement of Kaid quarterly session, and their
g compelled I m for so doing.
5. That the com t. and Governor, and Council, in
it- judicial capacity, sh on the third Thursday of
February, May. and November, and at BUch other
times as the Governor-in-chief of Rupert's Land, or
in his al fovernor of Assiniboia, may deem
tit.
6. That in all contested civil eases involving claims
of more than ten pounds, and in all criminal cases, the
verdict of the jury shall determine the fact or facts in
dispute.
7. That a public building, serving the double purpose
of a court-house and gaol, be erected as early as possible,
at the forks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers; that
in order to raise funds for defraying such expenses as
may be found necessary towards the maintenance of
order, and the erection of public works, an import
duty shall be levied on all goods and merchandise of
foreign manufacture imported into Red River colony,
either for sale or for use, at seven per cent, on the
amount of invoice, and that an export duty of seven
per cent, be levied on all goods, provisions, and live
stock, being the growth, produce, or manufacture of
the Red River colony.
At the close of the business, Governor Simpson
intimated that the fur trade would make a grant in
history OF MANITOBA. 115
aid of puhlic works in Red River. On this being
announced, ;i vote of thanks was returned the Governor
and Council of Rupert's Land, for their -rant, and the
Council adjourned. This gift indicated both wisdom
and liberality on the part of the fur trade council,
enabling the local authorities t.. procure timbei and
lmil«l the court-house and craol.
The population of the colony looked with ■ jealous
ppon the constitution of this council, remarking
the fact that only a member was in a position, if h.'
had the inclination, t.. take an independent stand for
their rights and privileges. The heavy duty of i
per cent on all imports « dally aimed at tl
who wei ratside of the Hudson Bay I Jom-
m tin- proposal to constitute the
volui the company
by military in. asures, if Q(
objectionable they mighi be
ople for whom they were me
Notwithstanding this dissatisfaction, the condition
of the settlement was much improved A genera]
quarterly court was held, presided over by the ( tovernor
and a bench of m. s, thejur m introduced,
formings link between the governing and the governed.
The sin riti; being without a voters' list, as a rule
the most intelligent fromamongst the community,
who were generally only too pleased to be called upon
>1 in dispensing justice to their fellow-colonists.
ThefolloWU was full of disappointments
and failures. On the 8th of Juns, a hard frost fell in
some localities, cutting down not only tin- grain and
116 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
root crop, but also tin- Leaves on the trees. Three days
after, a thunder storm with heavy rain came. On
strong, rich land, the wheat and potatoes recovered,
but the barley, where frozen, died out. On the 19th
mother heavy frost came, injuring the
Standing wheal even where the car was full, and making
any that ha i been sown late useless, even for seed.
Tie- plain hunt flw returned from their summer trip
with half loada The annual ship from London to
i Factory was driven from her moorings at that
place \*y a storm. Tie- captain, instead of trying to
re-enter the harbor, made sail, with all the yearly
supplies for the colony, hack to England, thus causing
a dearth of European goods in the settlement. The
cold, drizzling, frosty weather which followed, in
October, destroyed the fall fisheries, which had con-
stituted hitherto their principal food for the winter.
The clamoring of the population for something better
than the arbitrary justice administered by the magis-
trates appointed by the Council, made it apparent to
the company that judicial procedure must be sustained
in a more efficient manner, and that by a lawyer who,
under the title of Recorder of Rupert's Land, or other-
wise, could exercise all the powers of a judge. Mr.
Thorn, wTho was resident in Montreal at this time, and
who had been called to the bar of Lower Canada this
same year, was appointed, at a salary of £700 per
annum. He reached Red River in 1839.
In 1836, the first petit jury was empanelled, and a
man named Lewis St. Dennis found guilty of theft,
and sentenced to be flogged, a mode of punishment
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 117
*bich * • repeated in public, from its unpopu-
larity with the The second occasion when,
according to law, this operation should be performed
in L841; it was then done in tbe prison, the oper-
ating official being masked, and for security locked up
until after dark.
Ed the third and last experimental
farm by the directors o! tbe Hudson Bay Com]
and a gentleman by the name of Captain George Mar-
half-pay offl Iged in London at a
high -alary to proceed to Red River, accompanied by
d men with their families. These arrived in the
Bay in the fall of 1836, and. with the exception of Mr.
y himself, passed the winter at York Factory.
Not relishing the bleak look of the Bay, Capl
Carey mad.- his way to Red Rivet dnring tin- wi:
around the fort, the Captain
the rich alluvial point north of where the
oiboine enters the Red River, and adjoining the site
of Old Fort Carry. Operations were begun m March.
Lumbermen were sent to the woods, timber taken out
and rafted down to the spol selected! and builders
at once put to work to erect boosefl for those who had
wintered at Fork Factory, and who arrived at Fort
•i duly. The most improved and costly
implements were imported from England, and the
enterprise launched on a scale tar beyond anything
known hitherto in the country. Elated by the spirit
of the enterprise in which they were engaged, the
>f th«- wonder* they intended
only in raising cereals, but in every
118 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
other branch of agriculture, and the profitable results
that would follow, first to their employers, and,
the settlement Considerable interest was
raised., and it was considered almost a foregone con-
clusion that the Hudson Bay Company would be able,
by this means, to supply their own demands and close
up the only market the settlers had for their surplus
I at that time. By the spring of 1888 then- were
twenty acres in crop and an area of one hundred acres
enclosed, half of which was allowed to remain undts-
d by the plough. Sheep were also procured, and
shepherds brought from Scotland to tend them, there
being sometimes ■ flock of three hundred, the wool
from which was sold annually by auction, averaging
about twenty-five cents per pound. It was soon
apparent that experimental farm number three was
going to be no more successful than its predecessors,
notwithstanding its superior facilities. It took all
they could produce to feed the employees; and the
company continued, as before, to take the eight bushels
from each man who had no other means of earning a
shilling.
The laborers brought from England became noto-
rious for their beer-drinking, and as their contracts
expired, the Captain was only too pleased to sign
their discharge. This institution continued in exis-
tence from March, 1837, to June, 1847, ten years and
two months, when Captain Carey left with his family
for Canada. What the results were to the Hudson
Bay Company is not known. There can be no doubt
that as far as the Captain was concerned, the specula-
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 119
tion was profitable. On applying for the renewal of
their license in 1837, we find in the report submitted
to the Colonial Office by Governors Simpson and Telly,
on behalf of the Budson Bay Company, a reference
made to these experimental farm-, as well as to thir-
teen schools, two Protestant and some Catholic mis-
only ju j that out of the thirteen
n<\ namely, that of St
John's, received a grant from the company. Tin- other
he rank and file of the community
ived their education, were unendowed, and pi
cully unknown | lur trad.
I'1 1840, the Hudson I npany considered it
v. in the interest of their trade, to take advan-
of the provision contained in their charter giving
t}l"m t!- ■ in the fur trade A Cana-
dian named Laurent had infringed on those
rights. His house was forcibly broken open, and the
fun therein sensed by the eomp fficera Two
lowed The last culprit they sent a
oer to th< Bay, with the tfa
that he would be sent to England and punished for
his crime These harsh measures only enraged the
in, and instead of stamping out, only made
itrike the deeper.
n the si.,,lx or the Dacotah Indians, and the
Saulteaux living in the neighborhood of Red River
ment, there bad been for a number of years a
t animosity, and collision often prevented
by the intervention of the half-breeds, who latterly
drawn into the disput,. themselves, and who, be-
120 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
tween the years 1840 to 1844, had joined the Saulteaux
in giving battle to the Sioux whenever a hostile meet-
ing occurred. A peace was effected between the half-
breeds and the Sioux in the fall of 1844, on the
strength of which the hunters returned to the plains,
smoked the peac pipe, Mid passed the .summer
amongst the Daeotaha Shortly alter, a number of
Sioux returned the compliment by making a friendly
visit to the whitea in the settlement, where, after a
brief stay, they returned to their own country in
safety. A second party came to Fort Garry in the fall
of the same year. On one occasion daring this visit,
and while the Sioux, Saulteaux and whites mingled
freely with each other in apparent good fellowship,
suddenly the discharge of a gun was heard, and two
Indiana fell dead, one a Sioux, the other a Saulteaux,
the same ball seriously wounding a white man also.
Fearing this to be an outbreak on the part of the
Saulteaux, the visiting Sioux were lodged safely inside
the fort, the two bodies were brought in, and inquiry
elicited the fact that it was a Saulteaux who had fired
the shot ; he was found standing close by, while all
the rest of his tribe had fled. On being questioned,
he said, " The Sioux killed my brother and wounded
myself last year, I then vowed the revenge that I
have now taken; I am satisfied ; let the whites do with
me as they will." He was instantly committed to
prison, tried by a jury, found guilty, and sentenced to
be hung. The gallows was erected over the prison
gate, and he was executed on the 5th of September,
1845. Being the first, it was thought by the authori-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 121
ties that an attempt at rescue might be made, but
none such was attempted. This had a salutary effect
on the red men of the settlement, who were becoming
overbearing and insolent towards the whites.
In 1S4G, a sever.' epidemic visited the settlement
The winter had been uncommonly mild Early in
the 3 r a prevalence of influenza, measles broke
out, 1 by a bloody flux, which, after decimat-
the Indians, commit! ful havoc among the
whit' 8th of dun.' to the 2nd of August,
the death-rat.- averaged per day an aggregate of one to
i of the population. In September of the
sain.' year, several companies of tie- 6th Royals,
amounting in all to about 500 men, including artillery
and sappers, under command of Colonel Crofton, who
was also ap] rrived in the settle-
ment The sent out und. •!■ instruc-
n the War Office prov.-d a bo ffl to I he settlers,
by giving a tone to a home market
for the 'consumpti m of their produce, quieting dis-
affected persons, and defending the frontier line during
the trouble made by the Americans on the Oregon
were recalled in 1848, expending
during their stay in I emeni no am than
000, besides giving an impetus to mal ener-
ally. The Royals were succeeded by 140 pensioners,
under Major Caldwell, who was also appointed Gover-
and who, during the regime allotted him, did not
Lfiv- entire satisfaction to the people. These were re-
called in June, 1865, and succeeded by the Canadian
Rifles in 1857, who were the last British troops in the
122 BISTORT OF Manitoba.
colony, until the arrival of Sir Garnet Wolseley in
1870.
The spirit of free trade, which h:i<l been growing
stronger and deeper, despite the company's efforts to
stamp it out, r i fresh impetus in 1849.
William Bayre, a French half-breed, was arrested and
imprisoned t'<»r trading with the Indiana in furs. Some
time previona bo this, three half-breeds — lieGinnis,
nude and Goalette — had been similarly dealt with,
but were held <>n bail to stand their trial at the first
criminal court. 1 >n the day appointed, the 17th of
May, large hands of the Metis, or half-breeds.
cone; round the court-house, thoroughly armed.
No attempt was made to disturb the proceedings of
the court, but it was well understood that they were
there to protect the free traders, as they were then
called, from punishment. Say re admitted that he had
traded furs with the Indians, and a verdict was found
against him ; but he was discharged on proving that
he had received permission from one of the company's
officers to do so. McGinnis, Laronde and Goulette were
not proceeded against ; and as the prisoners left the
court in a body, they were greeted with applause, the
discharge of firearms, and the shouts of " Vive la
libertie, and trade is free."
This trial brought to a crisis a disaffection which
had existed ever since Mr. Thorn's appointment. Many
of the settlers persisted in looking at him, not only as
a recorder, but as the paid servant of the Hudson Bay
Company, and though none could impeach his upright-
ness and integrity, they held that he could not be
HISTORY 01 MANITOBA. 123
completely unbiased in his decisions, and particularly
so, where the interest of his employers was concerned.
The display of armed force on this occasion, with the
demonstration succeeding the trial, bo influenced Mr.
Thorn, that he retired from the bench until 1850.
utime Colonel Caldwell presided as judge, con-
ducting the proceedings of the court after the manner
of a court-martial. In 18 is* involving compli-
ns of ;t Very BeiioUS and scandalous nature came
before the court ml Pelly, the complainant in
this case being an officer of the pensioners, and the
udant an officer in the company's Bervicc ; the
charge, that of defamatory conspiracy. A large num-
ber of witnesses were called from the most influ-
ential residents of the settlement As it was l.elieved
that only a man of large legal experience could
thoroughly weigh the multitude of conflicting influ-
a and assertions crowding into such a dispul
was arranged for Mr. Thorn to take the bench. The
verdict of the jury was iM favor of Captain Fosse, the
complainant, with damages for three hundred pounds,
Colonel Caldwell, who had attended court mor,
was I with the conducting of the case and
tie- verdict, that he addressed a statement of his views
eon to the Board of the Eudson Bay Company, in
[and Mr. Thorn was removed from the
office of record.t, hut accepted the clerkship of the
court on a scale of pay equal to that which he had
drawn asjud lone! ('aid well assumed the duties
of judge till 1854, when he returned to Scotland, and
was succeeded by Mr. Johnston, a distinguished pleader
124 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
at the Canadian bar, who, during the four years of
his occupancy, was fortunate enough to escape adjudi-
cating on any cases in which public prejudice had
asserted itself, either for or against. In 1858 he
returned to his practice in Canada. From that date
until 18(32 the duties attendant on the position were
discharged by Dr. Bunn, the principal doctor in the
colony, in an able and efficient manner. On the death
of this gentleman, in 1861, Governor McTavish suc-
ceeded him as president of the court till the appoint-
ment of John Black, in 1862, who retained it till the
transfer of tl ry to the Canadian Government.
A census taken this year showed the colony to
contain 5,391 souls, represented as follows: 873 nan,
married and widowers; unmarried men, 145 ; women,
married and widows, «77 : sons, over sixteen years,
382 ; under, 1 :> 1 4- ; daughters, over fifteen, 373 ; under,
1,292. The material prosperity of the colony was
represented by the following : Seven churches, twelve
schools, two water and eighteen windmills, 745
dwelling-houses, 1,066 stables, 335 barns ; in live stock,
there were 1,095 horses, 990 mares, 2,097 oxen, 155
bulls, 2,147 cows, 1,615 calves, 1,565 pigs, and 3,096
sheep. In implements there were 492 ploughs, 576
harrows, 1,918 carts, 428 canoes, 40 boats, and 6,329
acres under cultivation.
CHAPTER VI.
•ion of the Portage V Flood
v\ ( 'hurcli Bduoatioa -More New Settlers
—Dr. *ch<. Mail Servioe Tin- Old F«-rt
— Steam* r w.
'I'm: venerable Arch Cochrane La one whose
oame will ever remain ed with the history of
(he IVnx to liis untiring zeal and efforts much
of its prosperity is dne, especially in the opening and
building up of i of which is that
of Portage la Prairie
The Archdeacon, bat through the natural
population, and the advent of colonists
homes to this western world, the parent
■ ment on the banks of the Red River was getting
overcrowded, came west along the Assiniboine, in the
sprit: L851. Elis observant on perceived
that with the lighter soil the harvest would come in
from one to two weeks earlier than in the former
district. Having decided to open a new mission here,
Lrchdeacon purchased from Chief Pe-qua-ke-kan
the point of land on which the town of Portage la
Prairie now or a certain sum, paying for the
ion goods. The old chief* also bequeathed
ie settlers, along what is now known as the Slough
Road, and to their children, the island of which men-
tion is made in my introduction, for the consideration
every man should give him a bushel of wheat,
126 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
yearly, as Ion*;- as he (the old chief) should live. The
consideration was observed, on the part of the settlers,
until his demise.
On returning to the rapids, the Archdeacon com-
municated the result of his observations to his
ihioners, a number of whom, in the following year,
accompanied him to bis new mission field, taking up
claims and settling thereon Amongst those were
Peter, William and John Qarrioch, Fred Bird and
family, Charles and Martin Cummins with their
fami in Garrioch, John and Henry Hudson, and
a few others.
The year L85J is memorable as being that in which
the fifth and most disastrous flood on record occurred,
in describing which I cannot do better than follow
the graphic account of Alexander Ross, who was an
eye-witness and participator in these events, and who
writes as follow- ■
" On the 7th of May the water had risen eight feet
above the high-water mark of ordinary years, over-
flowed the banks of the river, and begun to spread
devastation and ruin in the settlement. Boats and
canoes were in great request for the saving of lives
and property. All was hurry, bustle and confusion.
Some had to take shelter in the garrets, some on
stages, some here, some there, in little groups on spots
higher than others, anxiously waiting a boat or some
friendly hand to save them from a watery grave.
From one hundred and fifty yards wide, the usual
breadth of the river, it spread to three miles on each
side, and for several days rose at the rate of nearly an
5IST0RV OF MAXITOI'.A. 127
inch per hour. On the 12th, half the colony was under
water, and a clean sweep waa ma le of all fencing and
loose property on both aides of the river for a distance
of twenty-two miles in Length. In all thi at so
low and flat is the country that not a single house
pted, all were submerged j not an inhabitant but
had fled Tl i of children, the lowing of cattle,
9, and the howling of >mpleted
this and melancholy scene. On the 22nd,
• t its height, and the remarkable
coincidence v. rved that on the sunt- day of the
:ii twenty-six years pr< the water had
been at its height also, bul - higher than
the time of which we now write. During eight days
before (he c Iwelling-houses and barns were
floating in all directions, like ail, with
nd ]» mltry in them. ( tathousi
cupboards, tables, chairs, feather I
and every variety of household furniture drifting
along, added to the universal wreck. In L82(J
only one man was drowned, so also in I
Some few horses, horned cattle and pigs were drowned
in the hurry and bustle. But in other the
;al. The very mice, snakes and
squirrels could not find a hiding-place above or below
ground All their efforts to save themselves were
vain, the destructive element forced them to surrender ;
they sti! even the frogs were overcome
in their favorite element, and could be Been sitting and
seeking refuge on every log, plank and stick that
floated along; the very birds and insects deserted the
12$ HISTORY <»F MAMI'uliA.
place, so complete was the desolation. Nothing was
to be heard but the howling of the dogs in the distance,
nothing seen, far as the eye could reach, but water,
water, water. No cock-crowing in tin- morning, not a
plough at work, not a bushel of seed in the ground,
nun half bewildered, pensive and mute, looked ;it each
other and mourned their loss. The Sabbath almost
undistinguished in the week days, the churches empty,
the hells mute, the sound of the mill-stone no longer
o
heard : where cattle used fco feed boats sailed and fish
swam. Twenty 1 of labor of man and* beast
hastened to be ingulfed in Lake Winnipeg; many
houses gone, many deprived of their all, the loss to
the sufferers who can estimate, especially that felt by
the Canadians and half-breeds. The people, like a
retreating army, lost much in their flight Little fire-
wood, less shelter, few tents, the weather cold and ice
on the water, deprived them of all comfort. On the
breaking-up of the river, the channel got choked up
with ice, which caused the water to rise seven feet in
an hour or two. This, occurring at night after the
people had gone to bed, came on them so .suddenly
that before they were aware themselves and their beds
were afloat. Cattle and sheep were drowned, and two
men who had gone to rest on a hay-rick found them-
selves in'the morning drifting with the current some
three miles from where they had lain down the night
previous. Others again, in the absence of canoes or
other assistance, took to the house-tops, some to the
water, hanging to the branches of trees and bushes till
daylight brought them relief. In the midst of this
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 129
scene of distr e pigs were swept away, one of
which was known to swim two days and two nights
without relief, and yet was caught alive. The cold
as well as tb »ed SO hard that one man was
forced to rut up his plough into firewood to save his
children from i Ither articles of furniture
shared a similar fate, At its height the water had
spread out on each side of the river -i\ miles for a
distance of fourteen miles in length. Not a house was
pted. Loaded boats could he seen sailing over
the plains far beyond the habitations of the people.
tousle was as novel as it was melancholy.
Three thousand five hundred Bonis abandoned their all
snd took to the open plains. The loss of property .besides
that of the crop, is estimi ,,000 sterling, or
$100,000. Thepeoj. huddled er in
«-ry height and hillock that presented
>e Canadians and half-breeds on the Ajsini-
e; the pensioners and !><• nfeurons at the Little
Mountain, and | ; tch with their cattle at the
lid. In tli.- midst of the Buffering attendant
uch a calamity it l0tice the efforts
Gonial Governor Caldwell, Bishop Anderson and
Dr. Black, of Kildonan, to render whai nee they
could to th.- stricken people in theirdi A whole
month elapsed, from the LStfa of May to the 12th of
dun.-, before they could return to their desolated homes,
and begin the work of rebuilding or repairing, as the
required."
The Bishop of Rupert's Land, in his notes
on the flood, speaks thus, referring to that of
■KltR?
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 131
1820: "Though there is greater suffering and loss,
elasticity and power to bear, as also
larger ]I it. In lv_v,. the settlement
was then in its infancy, there were but few cattle; a
le boat is said to have transported all in the middle
eh settler of the b
p has a large stock. The on rd of the
first flood of 1826 we had read at home, who had then
hnt one c dow, after all hi fifty or sixty
to<», there was hut little grain, and the
'..nit was felt even when the water* were
rising. Their dependence throughout was on the
by supply of fish or what might be procured by
the gun. Now t amount of grain in
private hands, and even with the deduction of the land
which is this war rendered m r number
In this light it iscomp
tiv(1.' : tli- Whole Of the Cultivated land was
&«n mi ler, and nearly all of the houses carried off by
It was, as many have called it, a cleaner sw
But there were then few booses or farms below the
middle church or on the asmniboine above the upper
fort; the rapids and the Indian settlement were still
in the wiMness of nature. In L826, a larger number
of thox- who were onattached to the soil and without
in the country left the settlement. Since that a
large population has sprung 'up who are bound by
birtfa to the land and look to it as their home, whose
family ties and branches are spread over and root
tlir" very soil, making a happy and con-
tented population proud of the land of their birth.
132 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Compared with 1826, the flood of 1852 will occupy a
far larger space in the public mind. Instead of a few
solitary settlers, unknown and almost forgotten by
their fellowmen, they are now parts of a mighty
in linked by sympathy and interest to other
land
The cause of the flood of 1852 has been the matter
of much dispute, some attrihutii: n ice-jam on
[mage Greek But the more reasonable explanation
not only of this, but of all the historic Red River floods
occurring previous and subsequent to 1852, is that
which attributes them to an increase in the volume of
the bead waters. When we consider the vast extent
of country drained by a comparatively narrow river
like the Red, it will be evident that a very small
increase in volume, in each of its many tributaries,
would cause any of those disastrous floods which have
become matters of historic interest. The Red River
rises in Otter-tail Lake, Minnesota. At Fort Aber-
crombie it is joined by the Cheyenne River, and from
thence flows north into Lake Winnipeg. Near the
city it receives also the waters of the Assiniboine — " the
swift flowing." Its entire length is about six hundred
and sixty-five miles, five hundred and twenty-five
of which are in the United States. In its course of
one hundred and forty miles through British territory
it drains about ten thousand square miles in the
Province of Manitoba, and is navigable for about two
hundred. Its valley is noted for its excellence and
fertility. The Assiniboine, whose waters it receives
at Winnipeg, rises near the North Saskatchewan, hav-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 133
in^r incipal tributary the Qu'Appelle.or " Who
calls ? " River, as also the Little Souris. After tra\ ers-
ing about five hundred miles from its source, it joins
the Red at the above-mentioned place, draining, on its
aboui si thousand square mil
»kwy. lai of rolling prairie lands.
11 i ' le for about six hundred miles west of the
I baein which receives the
Bow, oof only of tl « already spoken of, but
the mighty Saskatchewan, or "the swift cur-
hich we call Lake Winnipeg, is two hundred
nI|,i and from five to fifty-!
lni1, a coast line of upwards of one
thousand miles, with an area of nine thousand A
northern extremity it discharges its waters into the
p, which enters Budson Hay at Port
Lake Winnip res the drainage of
lyfoui hundred thousand square miles of terri-
Pr«- - leaving the Bed River for the Portage
settlement, John Garrioch purchased from Mr. Mini,
Ben., the machinery of a windmill. This he brought
with him with the intention of putting it up for
grinding par] .one- reason or other the
proceeded with at once. John Hud-
son purchased the machinery of the mill from Mr.
Garrioch for some land, and proceeded at once with
rection. It would be interesting to those who
have never seen anything but a well-equipped steam
power, to have a look at this old mill, situated at the
south extremity of what is now known as Main Street,
134 HISTORY OF MANITOl'-A.
close by the dough, on one of those days when it
could grind, which was only when there was a strong
north or south-east wind blowing. Settlers could then
be seen coming from all directions with large or small
quantities to be ground, when the wind was favorable.
On receiving fifteen or twenty pounds, they would
n home t baked into bannock. At such
times all was hurry and bostle round the mill, with
one ooming and another going, while bags of grain
piled pn top of each other stood in all corners, filling
\ available space The old mill served its purpose
till lN7o\ when it was taken down and part of its
timbers utilized in the construction of a blacksmith
shop, which was built, by William Longdon, precisely
on the site occupied by the old mill, and is still stand-
ing After doing service in the designed capacity for
manv years, it became the headquarters of the Mar-
quette li I journal published in Conservative
interests, by Thomas Collins, Esq., now of British
Columbia. For several years previously, however,
the old mill had fallen into disuse,
In the year 1853, Mr. Cochrane began the erection
of a log church, 40 x 85, with a tower and spire about
seventy-five feet in height. The site chosen wTas
close by the river, and east by south of where the
town of Portage la Prairie now stands. This church,
afterwards known as St. Mary's, was finished in 1854.
Hargrave, in his " Manitoba," speaks of this as being
erected in 1857. The church records, now in posses-
sion of the present incumbent of St. Mary's, the Rev.
Mr. Macmorine, contain the following document,
which will be proof conclusive of what we advance :
HISTOKY OF MANITOBA. 135
"The first marriage in the parish of Portage la
that of John Anderson and Christina
rd, who were married by banns, on the 20th
the Rev Thomas Cochrane, assistant
mini 3t John's The witnesses on this occasion
were James and Thomas And. rson. On April the
ast mentioned, Thomas Anderson, was
man bh Demaris, by E Sillier, in this
church."
Here the people from Poplar Point. High Bluff and
vicinity I to worship, and it is to the predit of
those early settlers to say tl they were
always to be found in their ; i divine worship
on the Sabbath. A few years later, in 1866, the spin-
was taken down, leaving only the tow< was
f<mnd { ng win. is to which the country
was nibjecl were straining the body of the church.
,,,r' I tili 'ss;:. when it 9 .,.„ down
ant| removed The ry only now indie
W,H " that, lie within
M.t its inflm
ing out aid beyond our mortal vision, exl nds
er than we can at present know, hear or
he pens these lines, the inspiration of those old-
ti,M" with their associations, comes over
tic writer, and many an incentive has be drawn from
them, to do to others as he would wish to be done
Tic- tall, proportionately Imilt form of the Archdeacon
►re me; standing si ,j ot-
to, in fact reputed to be, in his
day, the strongest man in the North- West-Soften, when
136 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
raising the church, lifting the end of a heavy log
again>t two nun at the other; the plain practical dis-
course, from which there was DO evasion ; the rich
music which filled the large edifice, ascending upward
and outward, from the sanepiary on earth to the
sanctuary above, in the words of " Jerusalem the
Golden." or " Lead, kindly light, amidst the encircling
gloom," or " Son of my soul, thou* Saviour dear" or
some other of those grand old hymns i choing and
re-echoing in the woods close by, all pass reverently
before m
With the inception of a mi— ion, next to the church
itself, the Archdeacon's first care was the education of
the youth, a work in which hoth he and Mrs. Cochrane
actively engaged themselves. A log building was
erected, on the north side of the river road, close by a
bluff on the banks of the river, where Mr. Cochrane
had his home. Here Peter Garrioch, for the space of
three years, taught the young idea how to shoot. On
his retirement, the Archdeacon's son, the Rev. Thomas
Cochrane, assumed control of the little school. During
his regime the log building became too small, and a
new and more commodious edifice was erected, near
the centre of the village, which still stands in good
order and repair, enclosed within Dr. Haggerty's
grounds, but now used as a residence. In 1864, Mr.
Cochrane also retired, and J. J. Setter, the late sheriff
of the Central Judicial Court, was appointed. Mr.
Setter, who is a native of the country, left the parent
settlement in 1856 for the United States; becoming
tired of oaming, he returned, and came to the prairie
BISTORT OF M LNITOBA. 137
portage in the fall of 1859, where he located a claim
at the west end, close by Malcolm Cummins, the Indian
school-teacher, which he afterward- disposed of to Mr.
Sinclair.
Having been encouraged by the settlers, who were
anxious to have a mill to grind their wheat, there
: none in the neighborhood, with the exception of
William Hudson's windmill. Mr j pro-
ceeded with the i of a small water-power mill,
: a site on the south side of the Assiniboine
Stiver, which gave every promise of having sufficient
water for that purpose. Thi ding year, how-
ever, showed the I appearances, while
to complete the demolition of prospective hopes, a fire
which swept through thebosh at this time burned the
structure down before it had dons any work, and
while the owner lay ; 1 with sickness. On his
appointment to the charge of the school be continued
to di his duti< r until the February
of 1870, when be left with the Portage contingent to
release the prisoners under Kiel, or retake Fort Garry
if possible. His work in this respect La given in the
following pages. He was appointed sheriff in Decem-
ber of 1871, an office he retained till the 24th March,
1890. Mr. Setter has been an active participator in
the most stirring events of the Province, and it is to
the personal influence of such men that much of the
solidity of our Manitoban institutions is due.
In addition to the above, the Archdeacon also
established a mission school for the Indians at the
I end, on what was known as the mission farm.
10
138 history OF MANITOBA.
Mr. Oummina was appointed teacher, and discharged
the duties of this position till 1 865, when, on the demise
of its founder, the school was closed. Mr. Cochrane
was a warm friend to the Indians, often relieving their
wants in times of distress by judicious gifts of beef,
cattle, and other necessaries.
The decade of 1860 brought to the Province and
the settlements many oew settlers who have figured
prominently in the history of the country; amongst
whom stands prominently fcfce name of Dr. Schnltz,
then a Btadent at • College, Kingston, now
Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, a man whose
loyalty and devotion to the best interests of the
country of his adoption, and to the rights of the
lers against aggression on the part of the Hudson
Bay Company in the matter of free trading, or against
the usurpation of constitutional power b}' any but
those legally appointed to dispense the same, brought
him into many personal dangers, out of which nothing
but a strong will, such as he possessed, backed by
great physical powers of endurance, could have brought
him safely. In 1857, the Canadian Government
organized an exploring party to report on the coun-
try, under the leadership of Professor S. J. Dawson
and Henry Youle Hind. After devoting two years to
their work, these gentlemen made their report to the
Government, which, being published in 1859, attracted
considerable attention in Canada, and was the means
of inducing many Canadians, as well as English, to
come and settle in the country. In this same year the
first printing press was brought into the Province by
history OF MANITOBA. 139
William Buckingham and William Caldwell, who
established the first newspaper in the country, called
ct Garry these arrivals were
looked upon with dislike by the Hudson Bay Company,
BOUght by every means possible to induce the
people not to patronize the paper. It is hardly n
\va> in favor of free trade.
In I860, Mr. Buckingham sold oat to Mr. James R
an eminent scholar, of the lied River College of St.
it that time sheriff and postmaster, who in
turn resold to Dr. SchultJB in 1864. In the following
5 Dr. Sennits, having also bought out Mr.
Caldwell's ini n >le proprietor, and under
his regie ed bo spread broadcast the
principli t discontent was
iers, which, later
on, assumed the form o! opposition to the company.
bigh -handed measures taken by the company in
i this Feeling. The con-
stahle, in the discharge of his duty, would enter the
1 party, with or without liberty.
No place wa> sacred from bis intrusion. With a long
be would puke up the clay chimney, and if such
a thing as even a mink skin were discovered the
unfortunate settler was immediately bundled off before
an officer of the fort, and either committed for trial
in-' Future date Or mad- to sutler pains and penal-
pot, Treatment thus administered, with
all the high-handedness of recUtapeism, was not calcu-
i to soothe th Fa people who breathed
the very spirit of freedom from the billowy prairies
140 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
by which they were surrounded, not to speak of the
influences exercised on them by their contact with
American hunters and traders The Nor'wester con-
tinued under Dr. Schultz's superintendence till 1868,
when it was sold to Walter R. Bohn, who continued its
publication until he became involved in the troubles of
L870.
In these days of associated press reports, and full
Eraachised newspapera, it is interesting to look back
at the contents of this old pioneei sheet, published in
this then out-of-the-way corner of the world. While a
large part consisted of advertisements, a glance over
the contents shows selections from standard poetical
works and magazines, startling headings, and original
contributions of considerable merit. A beautiful poem,
entitled "Far Away," attracts our attention, also
quoted by Hargrave, but which will bear repetition.
M Upon the shore of evermore
Wt sport like children at their play,
And gather shells where sinks and swells
The mighty sea from far away.
ik Upon that beach no voice nor speech
Doth things intelligible say ;
But through our souls a whisper rolls
That comes to us from far away.
" Into our ears the voice of years
Comes deeper, deeper, day by day ;
We stoop to hear, as it draws near,
In awfulness from far away.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 141
" At what it tells we drop the shells,
We were so full of yesterday ;
And pidk no more apon tluvt shore,
But dream of brighter far away.
M And o*6t that tide, far out and Wide,
The yearnings of our eonll do stray;
\\ c long t«. go, ire do not know
Where it may be, but far away.
11 The mighty deep doth slowly creep
Upon the ihore irhere ire did pity ;
The rery sand irhere ire did stand
A moment since, swept far away.
11 ( mr playmatei all, beyond our call,
are peering hence as we, too, may,
I FpoO that |h01 in. re,
end tin- bonndlen far an
•• We'll trust the wave and Him to save,
ith irhoae t'..'; as marble lay
Tin- rolling deep : for He can keep
< >ur souls in that dim far aw
In 1857, gold was discovered in the Saskatchewan
valley, by two miners, Darned Tim Love ami Jim
Clover. A scientific society was also formed at Fort
Garry in the fall of the same year, called "Tin; Insti-
tute of Rupert's Land,*' with Chief Factor McTavish
as president, and \)r. Sehultz, secretary.
In 1857, the United States Government organized
postal communication with Pembina on the boundary
line, from whence a carrier brought the mail to Fort
Garry. In 1858, the Canadian Government endea-
142 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
vored to established a mail service between Canada
and the Red River, by way of Lake Superior, but this
proving a failure, the project was abandoned.
In L859, El H. G. (i. Hay, now long and favorably
known in the country, came from the States to put
the machinery in the first steamboat that plied on the
River; bo satisfied was he with the change, that
he decided to remain, and settled down at St Andrew's,
where he built the first sham grist-mill in the Red
River settlement. Beginning small at first, through the
course of years bia establishment assumed consider-
able proportions, but was unfortunately destroyed by
fire in 1887. He removed shortly afterwards to the
Portage settlement. Mr. Hay has ever taken a promi-
nent position in the country's affairs, during the
stormy times of 18G9-70and later, and was for many
years leader of the opposition in the local house.
In the year 1860, the settlers in the eastern portion
of the settlement at Poplar Point, feeling the incon-
venience of the distance they had to come to worship,
determined to build a church in their own locality.
A site was chosen on the north side of the Assiniboine
River; where, nestling among the trees, stands to-day
in good order and repair, a neat log church and par-
sonage, built by the early settlers of that date, many
of whom — the Taylors, Spences and others — have
moved to more north-westerly settlements, in order to
obtain more land for their numerous families. This
year also saw the arrival in the Portage settlement of
J. If. House, an American, who established a trading
store, but after remaining a couple of years, removed
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 143
to the White Horse plains, Leaving his son Charlie
House in charge. At the latter place he established
another branch of his business, as also at Westbourne.
In the fall of this year also, the Hudson Bay Company
small trading store near to that occupied by
In the sprin I, Mr. Lane, who was in
ge of the oompai at White Horse Plains,
e to the Portage, and selecting a location at the
of the settlement, now known as Lee's
farm, built what termed in Portage lore, "the
about one hundred feet square,
with Large gates opening towards the river, as well as
towards the plains on the north. The master's house
situated to the north of the enclosure, and from it
ran a gallei ; rapet, at a convenient height, so
that a man could Look over, To the west of the mas-
[ence, to the east the
. l/.inc and ice-house. The stockade
i r the massacre in liinne
when thi e Sioux had began to arrive in the
country. It was built of 4x 10 oak planks, twenty
feet long ; at every ten feet a 10 x 10 square post was
round ; stringers ran from these, to which
the plank was spiked An Indian burying ground
occupied the bank of the river, immediately in front
of tl wlicn the writer first saw it, which was
after the company had removed to their more central
location. At the present time only one of the original
houses remains, that in which Mr. Lee resides. The
stockade and warehouse have been removed, and the
little roofs of wood and canvas, which covered the
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 145
Indian graves, have disappeared also. Very quiet,
indeed, is this wonted mart of trade and barter, dis-
turbed only by the lowing of domestic Cattle and the
peaceful ripple of the swift-flowing river.
In I860, the cathedral at St. Boniface was destroyed
by fire, as also the bishop's palace. So rapid and
M.m that nothing of value
1. A blind old man named Ducharme. residing
in tl lost his way amidst the OOnfosion, and
burned t<> death. The records of the establish-
ment, with a large and costly library, also perished.
On tlf 30th of May. 1861, another lire occurred in one
of the hams belonging to I blishment, which
destroyed lour large buildings lull of valuable St
but no lives. To complete this story of Incident, the
of charity died ; this occurring
durii i. the body could not be Interred,
but was placed in the church, waiting the subsidence
of the Hood.
In 1861 and L862, the settlers around Bigh Bluff
concluded to t'^low the example of those at Poplar
Point in church-building, and the present edifice,
known as St. Margaret's and standing in what is now
called the old village of Bigh Blnff, is the result of that
effort With the beginning of the sixties came a
quickening pulse-beat Emigrants began to come in
in numbers. The Indians, regarding the land beyond
a certain limit, as far west as Bigh 151 nil', as inherited
from their forefathers, began to grumble, as claim
after claim was taken up, while no treaty had been
made with them in reference to the same, and the
146 HISTORY or MANITOBA.
settlers had to ;ict on their good behaviour. If any of
them failed to accord to the Indians what they con-
sidered proper treatment, it was no uncommon thing
for them to kill an ox, or help themselves to something
else of his property, to make up for his lack of due
attention, an ordeal which the narrator himself passed
through. The year :ii important one in
many respt eta Previous t<> this, the settlements south
of the boundary line were advancing in the direction
of the Red River, In the spring of the said year, a
hi-w ail service was organized by the American
Government, to Pembina, with which the settlement
authorities connected once a week. In 1862, also, was
built the steamer / nternationiJ, a hundred and fifty
feet long, thirty-feet beam, drawing forty-two inches
of water, with a registered tonnage of 133 J tons. On
her first trip to Fort Garry, where she arrived on the
26th of May, she had on board a number of passengers,
amongst whom were Governor Dallas and family,
the Bishop of St. Boniface, John Black, the new
recorder of the colony ; John McLean and family, and
a number of miners, on their way to Cariboo gold
mines, British Columbia. Lord Milton and Dr.
Cheadle also arrived in the Red River settlement
about this time, whose travels and experiences in the
Rocky Mountains were published in the following
year in a work entitled, " The North-West Passage by
Land."
CHAPTEB VII.
John Id .1.1.. with Indiana Kenneth MeB
lining of Winnipeg < forbett Ca
Council sling Mote Trouble with [ndiam
;•! Ojibeweya An Unpopular Candidate Beei of 181
(Faio'fl Vint Grasshoppers.
The name of John McLean introduces us bo a gentle-
man who, though not figuring prominently in the
politics of the country, fills a large space in the his-
■ lament. ( m arriving at Fort
Garry, McLean endeavored to find suitable lands
whereupon to settle his family, and commence farming
Not being satisfied with his researches
in that neighborhood, he pushed his way westwai
ettlement of Portage la Prairie. Bei
d from a French half-breed, named i;
lot fronting on the slough, seven and a half chains
Ktendjng north two miles, for the sum of
in gold Some year- Utter he bought from P
Garrioch, his neighbor to4he west, ten chains more,
in all seventeen and a half chains, which,
after farming successfully for nineteen years, he sold,
with the exception of a small plot on which is situated
his house and outbuildings, for the sum of thirty
thousand dollars. At the time of McLean's introduc-
tion to the settlement there was in the old parish of
Portage la Prairie, which extended from George
Adams' on the east to the Hudson Bay fort on the west,
148 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
some sixty houses, with an average of live souls in each.
The only white settlers that he knew, west of Fort
Garry, were J. M. House, of Whitehorse Plains, Hall,
of Headingly, and Garret, of Sturgeon Creek — the
population being Indians and Metis, descendants of
the early settlers from the Red River settlement. In
July of 1862, lie planted his first seed potatoes, from
which he received a good crop McLean's welcome
certainly not a cordial one, and for years his path
beset with many difficulties. So unfriendly were
bis with til*- first settlers that many of his
early purchases in stock were made from and through
the intervention of Archdeacon Cochrane, the natives
refusing to sell him live-stock. McLean was especially
unpopular with the Indian-, who regarded him as an
immigration agent, and who, time and again, resolved to
burn him out, and carried on for years a sort of
aggressive war against his person, family and posses-
sions. The reason of this was his relationship to,
and the interest taken by him in, the incoming settlers,
most of whom called at McLean's house to rest or
trade, or receive information as to unclaimed lands,
and the Indians were known to have threatened to
have a head of stock for every claim he had been
instrumental in having secured, a threat which was
carried out to some extent, six years later, as the
following pages will show. The real root of the trouble
was the fact that no treaty had been made with them
as to the lands situated in what is now known as the
Burnside settlement, and northward towards the lake,
and they did not wish to see those lands claimed and
BISTORT Of MAMTor.A. 149
occupied by white men, without some arrangement on
the part of the Government, or the Hudson Bay
authorities. The matter, however, was rectified some
later when Governor IfcTaviah was sent.
It was no uncommon occurrence, at the time we
write, for the Indians to drive their carts into
McLean's potato or turnip field, and at once proceed
to help themselves. It' any of the roots were too
1, they were carelessly thrown aside and others
pulled up. thus destroying really more than they took,
and occasions were not wanting when he had to use
his rifle in order to protect his life and property. The
following incident is a sample of what he had to con-
tend against, and it also shows the coolness and cour-
Of the man: One Sunday aft. 'i noon, while quietly
it home, WOfd was sent him by Mrs. r
rioch, a neighbor residing elose by, that two
Indians wen- laying concealed amongst some brush
on the Bide of the slough, a short distance from the
house, witli the manifest intention of stealing the
BS, for which his el- lot son and daughter had gone
to the plains; and if necessary, in order to secure their
purpose, to kill the children also. On receiving tins
information, Mr. McLean at once proceeded to Ins
bedroom, where, disrobing himself of his customary
garments, he Boon reappeared in full dress, tall silk
hat, dress coat, etc., — royal receptions being rare in
this out-of-the-way settlement, McLean had not much
occasion for donning his robes of royalty, and with
such a metamorphosis had no difficulty in passing the
spot indicated without the Indians recognizing him.
150 IIIMOIIY Of MANITOBA.
As he passed on the north side of the road, his keen
eye saw the two bucks lying concealed amongst the
brash on fche other side. Passing on as it* in great
tort distance west, then ci
ing to the bank of the slough, came up softly to where
the Indians were concealed, and before they were
aware sprang in on them Seizing one fellows gun,
and wrenching it from his -rasp, he tlnvwit into the
slough, and presenting s revolver to the other buck's
I, told him to "lire oil'" or he would blow his brains
out, a request which was at once complied with. Hav-
ing disarmed them, John lovingly told them to get out,
and not be found in a similar position again, on
pain and penalty of being sent, earlier than they
desired, to the happy hunting grounds of their fathers.
Having referred to their threat of having a head of
cattle for every claim he located, the following are the
circumstances under which they partially succeeded :
When the present member of the Local Legislature,
Kenneth McKenzie, Esq., came to the settlement in
\ he called on Mr. McLean, desiring him to guide
him over the country, and assist him in selecting
several claims. McLean, accompanied by his eldest
son, Alec, a young man of more than ordinary nerve,
who had also seen some adventures with the red
man, requiring considerable pluck, started out, tak-
McKenzie over what is now known as the
Westbourne, Gladstone and Totogan Districts, decid-
ing finally to locate on Rat Creek. The trio returned
to the Portage to get two yoke of oxen and a breaking
plough belonging to McLean ; having secured which*
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 15}
IfcKenzie and Alec returned to the creek, and laid
off, with the aid of a pocket compass, eighteen hun-
dred acres, running a furrow completely round their
botvi tli aides of the creek, then short 1'urrows
ward and westward, about a mile and a quarter
on both aid This finished, they returned
to the Porta-.-, where they were warned that some
• tinted out to the Indians Mel -attic.
After this, ^>v some Lime, they cither herded the
catt! in*' member of the family watch-
or drove them hack two or three miles
on the prairie, and there watched them. One after-
noon, all the male members of the family beifl
from hum.-, an Indian from the Bun :». which
was situ w where Cairn's brewery now stands,
and old Hudson Bay tori, came down to
Charles Cummins', the next lot to McLean's Here
divesting himself of everything but his breech-clout
and grm, he asked Cummins to describe the color of
ihoot BOme of " that had
man's " cattle, meaning McLean. He then proceeded
north to where the cattle were grazing, just about
where now >tands the Portage brewery, and deliber-
ately shot one ox and cow dead, and fired at another,
badly Wounding it. The building which served as the
saloon, and which wa reral years under the
management of Charlie Bone then in proce
I erected The workmen employed in the con-
struction rushed out to see the cause of the firing,
when the Indian, seeing that he was observed, fled to
the camp at the \ 1. Alec, who was the first to
152 HISTORY QF MANITOBA.
reach homes foond an American and a half-breed wait-
ing there, who informed him of what had occurred.
He at once proceeded to the camp, but the Indian,
fearing McLean and the result of his cowardly act, had
left for the Yellowqoill Reserve, twelve miles farther
west.
McLean did not always fare the worst, however, as
the following anecdote will show. An Indian who was
friendly to him kept him posted as to who it was that
showed the Indians his cattle, and suggested the
following plan, by which the betrayer became himself
the victim. When any cattle were killed after this
manner, the Indians had a regular pow-wowover the
carcass, to which they invited a number of their half-
brothers, the Meti-, many of whom, on the occasions of
these feasts, chewed the cud of enjoyment at McLean's
expense. At the south extremity of what is now
known as Campbell Street, McLean had a large yard
in which, when the mosquitoes were bad, he coralled
his cattle, making a smudge in the centre to drive off
the insect marauders. Here the cattle from the entire
neighborhood would gather. This yard had an
entrance from the Slough Road and an exit northward
towards the avenue. Having let all the cattle in,
McLean would quietly let his own out by the Avenue,
and drive them away back on the plains, where some
members of the family would herd them for the night.
The Indians generally came along after dark, and pick-
ing out an animal like that pointed out to them as
belonging to McLean, would slaughter it. In this way
several fine cows were killed by the Indians belonging
«
v.
H
JOB N M«i. i
f Pioneer Srttitr.)
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 155
to the very parties who had shown them McLean's
animals. A couple of lessons of this kind, and the
identification of the hide by the owners when at the
•. turned the laugh on the other side of the cheek,
the practice was discontinued
The taking up of BO many claims l»y -McKenzie on
the occasion referred to, bo irritated the Indians, that
a speedy settlement of their rights had to be effected.
lieKenzie, in this case, to smooth the irritation,
promised to settle with them for the land, if the
Government failed to do so. After completing his
location, he returned to Ontario, and in the following
year, i.e., 1869, brought out a portion of his family.
The fall of 1862 witnessed a terrible massacre of the
whiter in Minnesota by the Sioux Indians. Fifteen hun-
dred settlers were murdered according to the most ap-
proved methods of red butchery. The massacre began at
the town of New Uln, on the Minnesota River, under Chief
Little Crow. Men were shot down, women violated
and then murdered, children tortured and thrust living
into stoves, or cut down with the tomahawk. So
intense was the exasperation against the Sioux and
so strong the thirst for vengeance, that those settlers
who escaped left poisoned cakes in exposed positions,
in order that the starving savages, in their search for
food and plunder, might eat them and die. It is also
reported that ornaments made out of the bones of
those Indians who were taken and executed during
this rising were publicly exposed for sale at St. Paul.
There can, however, be no doubt that though the
Sioux were a restless and bloodthirsty race, the
11
156 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Americans were themselves to blame for not only this
but other uprisings which marked the pages of their
diplomatic records with the Indians. Indeed, on this
occasion the Indians on the war-path took every means
available of assuring the Red River settlers that they
had no quarrel with the children of the Great Mother
over the sea, and a company of traders who were
preparing to go to St Cloud byway of Fort Aber-
crombie were warned by them not to go, as that Fort
was besieged. Acting on this advice they returned to
Fort Garry. The mail carrier, Joe YVhitehouse, who
at the time entrusted by Governor Dallas with
important transactions, thought that, owing to the fact
of his beim' well known to the Indians, he could man-
age his way through, and proceeded despite the warn-
ing. Excitement ran high next day, however, when
runners reached the settlement with the news that
Joe had been shot. It would appear that, while in
the neighborhood of Fort Abercombie, he was crawling
along, dressed in a white cape, so as, if possible, to
escape detection. A buck observing the white object
among the grass fired. On going up to see what it
was, Joe was found dead. He had on his person bills
of exchange and other valuable papers which, when
demanded afterwards, were given up by the Indians
to Governor Dallas. Joe's body was taken inside the
fort and interred. One of the regular stages plying
between the Red River settlement and the States was
also stopped and the passengers killed and scalped.
This uprising interfered for some time with the trans-
port of goods and mails. Communication was first
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 157
re-established by the arrival of Dr. Schultz, who
happened to be at St. Paul when the massacre broke
out, and who, accompanied by an American, succeeded
by travelling at night, without building camp-fires, in
Bkirting the Sioaj territory by way of the Crow Wing
trail. After being once captured by the Chippewas,
they reached Pembina in safety. The year L862 also
saw the beginning of the present city of Winnipeg.
BfteKenny fz Co. erected a -tore right on the corner of
what is now known as Saskatchewan Avenue and
Main Street, in the vicinity of the upper fort. This
was followed by other buildings in L863. The fall
of the year brought other accessions to the Portage
in. 'iit in the person of Kenneth IfeBain with his
family, and several others who settled down in the
growing nucleus of tl at town, and who after-
wards figured prominently in the troubles of 1869 and
In December 6f this year occurred the famous
Corbett case at Fori Garry, Mr. Oorbett, who was a
Church of England minister at Headingly, was arre
on a charge of attempted abortion on a young girl
whom he had seduced. The gravity of this charge
was the cause of much disquietude in the settlement,
Locused being of a warm and generous disposition,
a kind friend to the poor, as a rong supporter of
the principles of free trade and, consequently, an
opponent to the Hudson Bay administration. He had
also been a witness for the prosecution against the
company before a committee of the House of Commons,
during the winter of 1856-57, when certain charges
158 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
were preferred against the rule of the Hudson Bay
Company in Rupert's Land. Many of Corbett'a friends
believed that the charge was the result of animus on
the part of the company. Be that as it may, Corbett
was tried before a jury, found guilty and sentenced to
months' imprisonment, bin confinement seriously
affecting his general health and sanity. Early in
April a petition, signed by 400 inhabitants of the Red
River settlement and 110 of the Portage settlement,
amongst whom were Archdeacon Cochrane and his
son, the Rev. Thomas Cochrane, praying for Corbett's
release ami the remission of the sentence which then
remained unexpired, was presented to the Governor
and council of Assiniboia, contending that in the
opinion of the petitioners the law had been sufficiently
vindicated, and that ecclesiastical penalties following
the sentence of the civil tribunal would be far the
more grievous, involving loss of social standing, repu-
tation, ministerial privileges of house and home, and
leaving a dismal prospect for himself and family in
the future. Before moving officially in the matter
Governor Dallas forwarded the petition to Judge
Black, who replied that he could not recommend the
curtailing of the imprisonment, the court, before
passing sentence, having considered all mitigating
circumstances. In conformity with Judge Black's
opinion, Governor Dallas refused to comply with the
prayer of the petition. A meeting of his parishioners
and friends was called with a view to his forcible
release from prison, which was effected on the 20th of
April, as follows : The petty court held on this date
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 159
was as usual largely attended. The cell in which
Corbett was confined was situated in rear of the court-
room and under the same roof. The business having
been conclude 1 and the audience dispel few
determined friends surrounded the door Leading to the
cell, overawed the gaoler, an old Frenchman about
sixty ■'. and with a crowbar hurst the pad-
lock and staple! Corbett, hearing the noise and sus-
pecting wh it was the matter, had put on his overcoat,
and -• his liberators, ka
tie- door opened he stepped out, and was driven home
imily at Headingly. Warrants were at
issued for the arrest of twelve of the leaders in this
affair. .Jane ■ William Hallett
and John Burke, all leading men in the parish, were
anion it was arrested and tin-own Into
•n, hut before any further proceedin 1 be
taken against Hallett and Burke a strong force of
Corbett'a sympathizers appeared at the fort, headed
by Corbett himself, and requested an Interview with
Qovernor, which was granted. They demanded
the release of Stewart, and without further parley
proceeded to tear np the pickets which enclosed the
n yard, broke open the gaol, and released their
friend No farther attempt at recapture was made
Hudson Bay authorities, A few days later
theii magistrates, in ■ letter addressed to the Qovernor,
advised that no further proceedings be taken against
the rioters in the present state of feeling in the colony.
There can be no doubt of Corbett \s guilt. In his letter
to Bishop Anderson he acknowledges as much. On
160 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
his release he returned and lived with his family at
Headingly, but soon afterwards went to England,
where he was reported to be studying medicine and
agitating against the Hudson Bay Company.
Beyond the District of Assiniboia, that is to say
I of Fort Garry, the Hudson Bay Company exerted
little or no judiciary power. The Portage settlement
in moral and ecclesiastical matters was largely con-
trolled by Archdeacon Cochrane. The civil adminis-
tration consisted of regulations mads and enforced by
councillors elected every year by the settlers. Whiskey
and beer wen- made and sold by license, as at present,
and many humorous and stirring episodes can be told
of these old-time elections and troubles. The personnel
of the Council of 1^G4 was as follows: Associate
Judges — Frederick Bird, John McLean, Farquhar
McLean, John Garrioch, Thomas Anderson, Peter
Henderson, Charles Anderson, and the late Hon. John
Norquay ; the constables were William Hudson,
Henry Anderson, and J. 1). McKay. For High
Bluff district, there were Charles Anderson and
Thomas Anderson. The oath was as follows : "I hereby
swear that I will do my duty as a justice of the peace
of Portage la Prairie according to my ability. So help
me God."
In the beginning of this year, owing to a series of
disturbances which occurred in the Portage settlement,
a numerously-signed petition was presented to the
Hudson Bay authorities at Fory Garry, praying that
they should be included within the municipal limits of
the District of Assiniboia. The Council, in replying
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 161
to the petition, stated that without military support
any attempt to extend new jurisdiction would be
hopeless to secure the desired end — ^ood government ;
but they would request Governor Dallas, who wm
short ; to England, to represent their case before
the proper authorities [a December of L868, under
of the Rev. Archdeacon Cochrane, a
council and court of justice had been formed, after the
: the General Quarterly Court of Assiniboia,
with a president ite judges, and clerk. The
ffiee was for one year. Trial by jury, as the
birthright of every British subject, was established,
and all functionaries belonging to the said council and
court elected by the people, As might be expected,
from the mixed population of the settlement, sectional
iften ran high, and there were occasions when
[Uired tl '1 influence of Mr. Coch-
to guide the liberty-loving subjects of this
miniature republic towards the paths of peace, justice
and brotherly kindn< of these episodes
are humorous in the extreme, the writer proposes to
carry his readers from our well-disciplined courts of
the present day back to one or two of these old-time
trials, which were generally held either in the old
school-house on the river road, or in one of the settler's
( )n one occasion a party of Sioux had camped
in front of David Cussitar's home, immediately between
the house and the river. Cleaning his gun one even-
ing he put in a charge of powder to dry it out, and
going to the door tired it off in the air. The Indians,
who were always on the watch for indemnification in
161 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
the shape of an ox or a cow, for some real or imaginary
wrong, lodged a complaint against Cussitar for firing
into their tepees to John Garrioch,one of the associate
judges of the Court. Cussitar was called to appear on
the above charge, which he did, but not being privi-
leged to conduct his own defence, John McLean
Msumed the r4U of special pleader in his behalf; a
Sioux interpreter from the States being present in
their interests. After taking the evidence of some of
the Indians, Jim Pavel, a relative of the Favels still
resident at the river crossing, was put forth as the
principal witness for the prosecution. On being asked
by McLean if he had seen the flash, he replied, " Yes."
" How did it go ?" said John. " Did it go up in the air
or towards the Indians' tepees ?" " It appeared to go
up in the air," replied Favel. McLean then proceeded
to show that there was no evidence to convict; that it
was an injustice to the settlers that Indians should be
allowed to squat on a man's property wherever they
pleased ; that in the event of firing off his gun in the
direction of their tepees he was liable to be brought
up on a charge of shooting with the intention of trying
to drive the Indians out. The interpreter, desiring
to cross-question McLean, advanced to him with a
large black book under his arm, saying that before
they would hear his evidence they would administer
the oath, which McLean refused to take until the
interpreter produced his authority or commission to
do so. " What book is that you have got any way ? "
said John. " Is it an almanac, or a Bible, a Pilgrims'
Progress, or Burns' Poems?" The unfortunate inter-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 163
preter, being unable to read, could not answer whether
it was on any or of all of these he proposed to swear
McLean. It wa- ion evident that, despite the
leaning of the presiding magistrate towards the Sioux,
an opportunity was not afforded on this occasion, at
least, of awarding them an 01 or eow from ( 'u-sitar's
herd as a solace to their wonnded feeling
In this year also, the Rod Lake Ojibewaya came to
visit the Sioux, who had settled down at the Portage,
ami who vrere camped near John Garrioch's, close to
where Edward Scott now Uvea The ( tjibeways during
tlmir visit remained at Paeheta'a house, possibly better
known to many as Farquhar McLean's old home,
situated on the corner of Broadway and the river road.
After having several meetings, with a view to estab-
lishing a peae . which the Sioux were anxious
to do, but which the ( tjibeways always postponed to the
following day, being apparently more anxious for
feasting and amusement than anything else, an event
occurred which showed the true design of their visit
At this time the place on which Mr. Scott lived was
occupied by a man of the name of Spence, who was
sickly, and confined the greater part of the time
to bed. His wife, consequently, transacted most of
the business, and superintended the necessary work
around the place. Having to go for hay to the plains,
as out north was termed by the old settlers, she hired
a young Sioux, a lad between fifteen and eighteen
years of age, to drive one of her carts. The Ojibeways
seeing Mother Spence returning in the afternoon with
the Sioux driving the hindmost cart, could not resist
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 165
the temptation — a Sioux scalp. Concealing themselves
in fcbe loi . they waited until the unsuspecting
Indian bad coin,- down the river road to a point a little
of where Drain now lives, and opposite the old
pit on the bank of the slough; then with a yell
rushed out, brandishing their tomahawks and
knives. The Indian seeing that it meant life or death
to him, dodged I the carts for some time, but
was speedily headed off and shot. Before hie body
could fall to the ground an Ojibeway with his scalping
knife, with dexterous rapidity, made a circle round
the top of his head and pulled off Ins scalp lock, then
lined the body till every man of them, seven in
number, had plunged their knives into the unfortunate
Sioux, and, after further mutilating the remains in a
manner too horrible to relate, they threw the body
into the old saw-pit, and taking the scalp placed it on
ground, and danced around it with fiendish glee
ing indulged in this for some time they retired to
Pacheta's. Mother Spence drove on as if nothing had
happened, which was, no doubt, the best policy under
the circumstances. The whole settlement was by this
time on the qui vive, anxious as to the probable result,
which might seriously affect even the settlers them-
selves. On the Ojibeways retiring to Pacheta's house,
the Sioux congregated around the old saw-pit, and
swinging their blankets, shout. kJ for the Ojibeways to
out and fight, calling them cowards and other
scornful epithets in the Indian language. The Ojibe-
ways, however, would not come, and the Sioux, after
awhile, retired to their camp, carrying with them the
166 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
lad's mutilated body. After the Sioux had got to a
safe distance, the 1 ►jibewaya came out of the house, and
challenged them to fight, calling them also cowards,
etc. This pantomimic warfare continued for a day or
two, during which the Sioux, seeing too plainly the
object of the Ojibeways vi-it, made no further pro-
while the latt-r returned to their
Camping-ground at Re 1 Lake soon after the above
occurrei:
In 1864, a gentleman, a recent arrival from the
States, had been nominated foi president of the council.
The nomination was unpopular, and voices of dissent
were heard from many quartern An indignation
meeting was called-— there was no trouble in getting
up these then — and while the crowd was collected in
.lane-- White-ford's hoiw on the River Road, discussing
the pros and cons of the situation, Farquhar McLean,
an old Hudson Bay man, who figured prominently in
the affairs of the settlement, and in the rebellion of
1869 and 1870, dropped in. After some conversation
Farquhar said : " Gentlemen, I intend to vote against
that d d Yankee, and I want every man who
means to do the same to come over and have a drink."
This decided the matter at once, and the entire com-
pany, president and all, found their way to Farquhar's
house, where, true to his word, he treated them all.
A short time after, the same individual who had been
nominated for president, and who also filled the office
of tax collector, proceeded to the west end, accom-
panied by Farquhar, to collect revenue from some
traders. Having imbibed too much of the traders'
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 167
whiskey, he became so demoralized that he could not
walk. Farquhar got him along as best he could for
some time, bat wearying of this kind of thing, and
to a log heap that stood close by Charles
blacksmith shop, he took this worthy indi-
vidual, and placing him heels np and head down, left
him be finished his job, looking at him he
said : « Yell do choke, it'll rin o
The rammer of 1864 v. ,rable because of Its
intense heat For weeks the thermometer registered
and ten in the shade. No rain fell till the
middle of July, and this long-continued drought
followed by a return of the grasshoppers, who, after
devouring the rising crop, made s dean sweep of
that remained in the shape of vegetation.
ary dispensation having been secured
i the Grand Lodge of Minnesota, lodge of
incorporated at Port Garry, under the
iie " Northern light Lodge," with Dr. Schultz
bipful Master, and Archdeacon Hunter, Chap-
lain. The eve of St, John, the 27th of December, was
observe. I by th« members as a day of festivity.' In
the afternoon the installation of officers was proceeded
with, at the conclusion of which addresses were
delivered by Archdeacon Hunter, Rev. William Taylor,
Dr. Schultz. The officers-elect for 1864 were:'
Schultz, W. M.; Mr. Bannatyne, S. W. ; William
Enkster, J. W. ; Mr. Coldwell, Secretary; Mr. Sheal,
Treasurer; Archdeacon Hunter, Chaplain; Mr. Hall,'
S. D.; Mr. Curtis, J. D. ; Dr. Bird and Rev. W. Taylor,'
Stewards, and Mr. Morgan, Tyler. From the lodge-
168 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
room they proceeded to dinner, where suitable toasts
proposed and responded to by Judge Black, Mr.
Clare and others. Afterwards the evening was
intlv spent at the residence of A. G. Bannatyne,
who threw open his rooms for that purpose. In 1864,
also. Dr. Ray, the famous explore! passed through the
settlement on his tour acn.s^ the continent, his aim
being to d the practicability of establishing
telegraphic communication throughout British terri-
tory. He was accompanied by Mr. Schweiger, a civil
neer from Canada, who executed a complete
ey of the route, and also prepared an exhaustive
report, which was handed to the company. The enter-
prise, however, was never carried out, the feeling
being that, with the wild tribes of Blackfeet and other
Indians roaming through the Saskatchewan valley,
the attempt would be futile. The Hudson Bay Com-
pany had, however, in anticipation of this work,
imported many tons of wire, which was stowed away
at various posts throughout the country, and which
was afterwards sold to other lines established after
the transfer of the territory to the Dominion Govern-
ment.
In the fall of this year, the Portage settlement was
favored with a visit from Standing Buffalo, with
three hundred lodges of the Sioux nation, in all about
three thousand persons. No damage was done to the
property of settlers, other than by the Indians assist-
ing themselves to what they required from the open
fields. Here the main body remained, while Standing
Buffalo, with a few men, proceeded to Fort Garry to
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 169
interview Governor McTavish. John McLean, who
had this year begun to carry the mail between the
settlement and Fort Garry, was on his return trip
laden with Hour and provisions for himself and Mr.
Corbett, who was moving to the Portage settlement,
when he met the deputation near Poplar Point.
Knowing that he would be solicited with "Something
to eat, boy," as also the destructive propensities of the
Indian when roused, be adopted a rase to Bave the
load from their curiosity and inquisitiven.ss. Alec,
who was then a young lad, had accompanied his
father on tins occasion. Coming off the waggon,
John walked along by the side, and instructed Alec
to driv.- on and not to stop when they came to the
Indians. The goodfl were covered closely with a can-
vas cover, to save them from getting wet On coming
Dp with the band, MeLean was accosted, as he expected,
with "Something to eat, hungry/1 with their handi
led on the pita of their stomachs, and a few grunts.
A plan of action ed itself to hie mind, as if by
intuition. Calling on Alec, who was driving on,
to stop, he went up to the waggon, and taking out a
which contained the cakes and bread which Mrs.
McLean had prepared for their journey, opened the
mouth of it, and scattered the contents among the
hungry savages. In the scramble which ensued, the
Indians forgot all about the waggon, the attention of
each being occupied in securing as many cakes as
ible. Meantime Al.c had driven on, leaving
quite a distance between him and the hungry Sioux.
On reaching Fort Garry they were kindly received by
170 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Governor McTavish. who gave them a liberal present
of provisions, on receipt of which they went away,
promising to do their fending at the Hudson Bay forts,
in the interior. Had any overt act of violence been
committed on these strangers by our Saulteaux, or
Bungays, who hated the SlOttl jost as much as they
feared them, the result might have been sad indeed.
In the spring of 1865, it was found that the vast
swarms of grasshoppers which had destroyed the crops
of the previous year had deposited their eggs, and the
young proved as destructive M those of 1864.
CHAPTER VIIL
of Arehdeaoota Cochrane Notes oil < Hunt*
act I hristiaiiity Too Much l'».cr "1
Lo"— 1 >r. M> K.i- Si tinir Atfniy— McLean's
•L
In tlif fall of L865 occurred the death of the vener-
able Areli'l.- hrane, a man who might well be
called the father of his people.
The Archdeacon had just lately returned from
Ontario, whither he had gone to return no more to
the wildernet d it, hut hearing of the
kation of the hoppers ami that the crops were
entirely eaten up. he retained in hot haste and unex-
pectedly, to do what good he could amongst the people
who were bo dear to his heart and amongst whom he had
labored for forty years. While at Weetbourne, one
warm afternoon he went in to bathe in the White
Mud or Weatbonrne River. The water was cold, and
the old man received a chill which brought on diar-
rhoea. He resorted to his usual and only remedy,
Parr's Life Pills, but these only aggravated the disease.
Mr. and Mrs. John McLean, who were close friends of
the Archdeacon's, hearing of his illness, drove out to
r bourne on the Sabbath to see him. While they
were there Mr. Cochrane expressed the desire to be
• yed to his home in the Portage. McLean not
g able to take him that day, made arrangements
to return next morning, when, accompanied by his
19
174 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
son, he brought the Archdeacon and Mrs. Cochrane
home, the old man reclining on a mattress Laid on the
bottom of the democrat. He lived only a few weeks,
yielding up his spirit willingly to the Master whom he
had so long and faithfully served He died on Friday,
the 7th of October, 1865. Forty years previously, on
the same day of the week and month, the 7th of
October, 1825, he landed at Red River, to become
assistant to Rev. Mr. Jonea at what was called the
Upper Church, now the Cathedra] of St. John. At the
time of his demise he was seventy years of age, and
was universally regarded in the colony as the founder
of the English Church in Rupert's Land. Previous to
Mr. Cochrane's arrival at Red River, Mr. Jones, who
had sole charge of St. John's, or the Upper Church, had
established a mission six miles farther down the river.
A wooden church was erected, known as the Middle
Church, now as St. Paul's. Between these two missions
Mr. Cochrane and Mr. Jones labored conjointly in
1825. In 182G, Mr. Jones returned to England on
leave of absence for a }Tear, leaving Mr. Cochrane in
charge of the field. In his wanderings up and down
the river, the beauty of the scenery around what was
known as " The Rapids," now as St. Andrew's, attracted
Mr. Cochrane's attention, and he conceived a love for
the place, which only strengthened with time. On the
return of Mr. Jones in 1827, he removed thither, and
commenced a mission on behalf of the Church Mission-
ary Society, preaching to the settlers in his own house
on Sunday till a log building was erected, which served
as a church and school, until a building fifty by twenty
BISTORT OF MANITOP.A. 175
was completed and opened for divine worship on May
■i i 1 B32. It was in this school that Donald (Junn,
one of the Red River historians, taught for many years
the youth of his day and generation. Not satisfied with
Mr. Cochrane extended his efforts Farther north,
and in behalf of the Indians, established a mission
twelve miles farther down the river, now known as the
Indian Mission, or St Peter's Be persuaded the red
men down on the lands and cultivate the soil,
: them personally in Bowing and reaping, and
trin'tending daily the construction of the church,
necessitating a walk of twelve miles to and from his
home. This has been considered the mosi successful
of Indian missions. To this day the snug houses and
farmed 6 occupied by a Christianised Indian
population. The church odrew'a becoming too
small to hold Mr. Cochrane's Increasing congregation,
he commenced in 184'j to mike preparations for the
erection of a large stone church, which, when com}>!
in \~ considered the finest and most substantia]
of Protestant churches in the colony. It was conse-
d by Bishop Anderson on his arrival in the
country, being almost his first otlicial act as Bishop ol
Rupert's Land, and known as the Lower Church.
While proceeding with the erection of this church, so
pparently was Mr. Cochrane's affection for
Th " that h< the desire to be laid,
at hi >, at the south- w< r of the tower.
On realising that his hour had come, he gave instruc-
tions that his remains should be conveyed to his loved
Vndrew's, and that hi hould remain anight
176 history OF MANITOBA.
in each mission church which he had founded on the
way thither, a request which was carried out so far as
Poplar Point, Headingly, St. John's and St. Andrew's
were concerned. On the south side of the entrance to
the church, and close by the walk, a plain flat stone
marks the last resting-place of Archdeacon Cochrane,
whither his remains were conveyed by J. J. Setter,
William Garrioch, John Corrigal and John McLean.
In 1885 a beautiful memorial window was put in the
east end of the church, which was designed and sent
from England at a cost of about 5?1,000. A scholarship
was also founded in St John's College in his memory,
which amounts to-day to about three hundred and fifty
pounds sterling.
Before bidding farewell to this eminent pioneer and
missionary, who filled a space in the country's history
which none will probably repeat, it might be in place
to show his force of character by a few anecdotes.
Amongst his parishioners at St. Peter's was an
Indian named " Quewe Den." This man, for some
reason or other, had left his own, and taken up with
another man's wife, refusing to contribute to the sup-
port of his early and legal spouse. The Archdeacon,
who made it his duty to become acquainted with his
people's wants and circumstances, for in this respect
he waa almost a father to them, had remonstrated with
Quewe anent this matter, but Quewe refused to com-
ply with his request. One memorable Sunday the
Archdeacon said to his old officer, " John, go into the
bush and cut me three withes, and bring them to the
church." The service being over, it was customary for
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 177
the male portion to gather outside where, seated on
the grass umpiring their pipes, private or public affairs
became the theme of conversation. Calling his officer,
he said, " John, bring those withes and follow me." Pro-
ceeding to where the men were sitting, he approached
Quewe", and said, "I have asked you time and again to
return to your legal wife, and allow this woman to
retain to her own husband. Now, I shall beat you
until you promise to do so." In questions of morality
the Archdeacon's fiat was law, from which there was
no appeal. Seizing hold of Quewe, he requested John
to give him a withe, or more vulgarly termed a gad
Then began a tussle. The Indian, who was a younger
man and very powerful, resisted the Archdeacon's
mpt at castigation to the utmost oJ his strength,
but it was soon evident that in the old man's hands his
attempt! w.-iv useless. In fact, to put it in common
phrase, he had not the ghost of a show, and the Arch-
il belabored him there and then until he agreed
to return to his legitimate wife.
While the present stone church at St. Andrew's was
being built the foreman mason, an old Scotchman,
who still resides in the Red Rivet settlement at Lower
Fort Garry, would often, in the course of some little
altercation with the Archdeacon, say, " Mr. Cochrane,
the church is too large, the people at the end will never
hear." "Duncan McCrae," said the old man sternly,
"you go and stand at the end, and I will occupy the
place of the pulpit, and try whether you hear or no."
Proceeding to the position designated, the Archdeacon,
in his usual pitch of voice, said, " Duncan McCrae, you
17S HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
are doing injury to the yohng men of the settlement,
you are keeping too much beer beta Do you hear,
Duncan McCrae ?" " Yes," said Duncan, " I hear." " I
thought you would," retorted the Archdeacon.
Travelling one day on horseback, and coming along
close by when- his old oilier resided, lie saw him plough-
ing in the field While yet unperceived he observed
that, every little while, John would retire into a bush
which Bkirted the field, and that his steps on returning
to the plough were rery unsteady, at last so much so
that he could not follow at all, but fell down right in
the furrow. The Archdeacon, win; was a strong
enemy to intemperance, shrewdly suspected that, con-
cealed in the bush, John had something stronger than
cold water. On investigating, he found a keg of beer.
Cutting what he termed a withe he came to where
John was lying prostrate on the ground, and adminis-
tered such a flogging as brought back the dawn of
sobriety and sensitiveness to John's humiliated consti-
tution.
In a sermon delivered upon a certain occasion, he
thus describes the characteristics of his Red River
hearers on coming into church : " Looking in the dis-
tance," he says, " you see a cloud of dust or snow flying
in the air, from out of which emerges a steaming
horse, behind which is seated the proud half-breed,
with his fine cariole and robes, his ling-longs and his
bells, and as he walks up the aisle he seems to say,
' Who's like me V Then comes the proud Scotchman,
dressed in his best home-spun, and as he glides in on
tip-toe, as if afraid to disturb his neighbor's devotion,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 179
says, 'Who's like me?' and lastly, there comes the
mean Orkneyman, who prides himself on his industry
and frugality, and who, as he brushes past his neigh-
bor with hasty steps, seems to say, 'Who's like me?'"
In L865 B band of Sioux were camped where now
stand the Aloway & Champion Bank, McKenzie's
carriage shop, and other buildings, close by the famous
Union Square. By some means whiskey had been
obtained, and they were having1, in cant phraseology,
a " high old time." A quarrel ensued between a Sioux
belonging to the camp and a Bungay Indian, who
made his home with William daddy. It would appear
that the latter had taken a strong fancy to a pony
belonging to one of the Sioux. Saving imbibed
ighwhisl art a row, the Bungay proceeded
to Daddy's house to get a gun. This being out of
repair, lie seised a knife, and started back for the camp.
ing hold of the rope by which the pony was tied
he endeavored to take it away, when the Sioux,
coming between him and the pony, cut the rope and
ht what remained of it. The Bungay then did
-ame to the Sioux. This was repeated time and
again by both parties, till the Bungay found himself
grasping the pony by the head with the rope all cut
away. The Sioux, seeing but one resource left, seized
a gun from a cart close by, and covering the Bungay
shot him in the back, killing him instantly, the body
falling on the ground face down. No sooner had the
sound of the shot died away than the whole camp was
in motion, tents were struck, carts loaded, ponies
hitched, and soon the entire camp could be seen wend-
180 HISTORY <>i MANirni'.A.
ing their way northward over the prairie, leaving the
dead man lying on the ground Word was sent to
Fred Bird, William Hudson, William Gaddy, John
McLean, and others, who at once proceeded to the scene
of the shooting. A cart was procured, and spreading
the Indian's blanket on the ground they rolled him in
it, and putting him in the cart took him to the west
end, where, at the corner of Dr. Cowan's old residence,
on the Slough Road, now owned by It. C. Culbert, they
dog a hole In which they deposited the remains of
"poor Lo." Here a dilemma presented itself. The
hole was too short, and the Indian's knees protruded
above ground, and absolutely I bo be straightened.
* I'll straighten them," said John McLean, and suiting
the action to the word he jumped straight on the
obstinate knees, pressing them into a position below
ground, which they retained, and the earth was filled in.
On the 13th of October the Rt. Rev. Dr. McCrae,
the new Bishop of the Diocese of Rupert's Land,
arrived in the Red River settlement, seventeen months
after the departure of Bishop Anderson. He at once
assumed charge of the parish of St. John, and also
took steps for the resumption of work at St. John's
College. The harvest of 1865 turned out better than
was anticipated, notwithstanding the ravages of the
hoppers in the spring. The mischief done by these
was, in the Red River settlement, chiefly confined to
that part occupied by the Scotch farmers, who were
supposed to be better able to bear the loss than the
settlers in any other portion of the community. The
crops in the parish of St. Paul were totally destroyed.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 181
The other portion of the colony which escaped, yielded
reen thirty and thirty-five bushels per acre. The
fall hunt turned out a more complete failure than had
been known I * The Sioux, driven from their
old hunting ppounds, scattered themselves over the
country Usually hunted by the Red River people, and
the butialo fled in large herds before them. The
result was a scarcity of food amongst the French-
Canadian half-breed section of the community, who
depended for their subsistence chiefly on the buffalo
hunt; the lake fisheries, hov icoeeded as well
as usual. Wheat brought this fall six shillings per
bushel; barley, oats, peas and potatoes gave their
ordinary retm
In the spring of 1866, as John McLean, assisted by
several of the male and female members of his family,
was preparing to put in some potatoes on the west
of what IS now known as Campbell Street, on the
south corner of which the old house stood, an event
occurred which has been much misunderstood. The
Held extended north to the avenue, taking in the
-round now occupied by the Baptist and Presbyterian
churches, Roe's stables and other buildings. A little
west of the house, at this particular time, were two
traders' tents, belonging to some half-breeds, and
amongst the party encamped here were two young
women. Alec had just left his father to put up a stake
as a sight to run his furrow, when one of these came
running up, pursued by a half-breed named Francis
De Mouris,a man who was noted for the predominance
of the animal propensities, and whose presence,
182 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
especially when under the influence of liquor, of
which he was fond, was a source of terror to the
women of the settlement Hastening to where
McLean and his oldest daughter were standing, she
called out, " Save me ; save me from this man." On
Kiss McLean telling the girl to come beside her and
she would be perfectly safe, she at once rushed to
Clementina's protection. De Mouris, not caring to run
tilt with Clementina, who was a keen shot, and alwavs
prepared, left off pursuing the woman, and running to
where McLean was, said, " Will ye fight me ?" John
replied that he had no desire to quarrel with him.
• Will you wrestle with me, then ? " he said. McLean,
looking at him closely, saw that he had a knife in his
hand, and that he meant fight, reached down to the
ground, and picking up an old-fashioned sickle which
lay close by, said, " Stand back or I'll cut your throat
with this." Francis at once turned as if to go away,
but on seeing McLean throw down the sickle, sprang
back on him like a tiger. McLean, however, was pre-
pared for him, and in the offset, throwing his foot be-
hind De Mouris, tripped and threw him heavily on the
ground, the knife flying out of his hand by the force
of the fall. McLean picked up the knife and threw it
towards the slough. With the loss of the knife,
De Mouris seemed to lose all courage, and getting on
his feet, said, " You will soon see me again," and ran
for Wm. Gaddy's, which was situated a short distance
east of McLean's, jumping over the fences on his
way thither. He soon reappeared, running, with a
double-barrelled gun, and made straight for McLean's
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 183
house. The children, seeing De Mouris coming, called
to their father that Francis was to shoot him.
John went into the house by the hack, and taking
down a Colt's revolver, which hnng inside the front
door, facing the Slough Road, placed it on a stool in
loorway be handy, and proceeded through
the front. By this time Francis had reached the fence
in front of the house. Calling to McLean, he said, " I
have come to sh< me words having pa
■ven them, John replied. " Shoot and be d d."
De Mouris at once fired, the hall passing close to
McLean's head, who lost his sight for a moment as it
were by the flash. Ee stooped down to grasp the
revolver, at which De Mouris snapped the BCCOnd
I. which, though charged, did not go off. The
children McLean stoop, thought he had been
shot, and called out that Francis had shot father. By
time McLean had rallied himself, and covered
De Mouris with his revolver, who dodged behind a tall
stump. The ball in passing knocked a sliver off
the side. Being compelled to leave his shelter,
through McLean pursuing him, he got behind a horse
of the latter's, which had gone down to the slough to
drink. John again fired at him below the horse's
belly. The animal galloped off, not relishing the smell
of powder so close, and De Mouris was left at McLean's
mercy, who forebore to fire, seeing that he was directly
in the line of the traders' tents close by. At this
moment Alec ap] when De Mouris raised the
gun, and again snapped the barrel at him, with the
former result. Alec at once covered him with the
Is^ HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
revolver and fired, the ball striking him in the spine,
when he fell. Some of the traders at this juncture
came forward, and taking the gun from De Mouris'
p, broke the stock against a tree. On Miss
McLean coming up to where he lay, he asked her for-
giveness for trying to shoot her father. John at once
proc daddy's, who, on hearing the shooting,
had gone down to Fred Bird's. He overtook him,
however, just as he wa9 going over the steps in front
of Fred Bird's house, and said to him, " Now that you
gave Francis the gun to shoot me, you had better come
and attend to him." Francis was picked up and
removed to his home, where he died in about a couple
of weeks. His last words were, " Do nothing to
McLean; I brought it on myself." The McLeans
were duly indicted, especially Alec, against whom the
charge was made. Information descriptive of the
event was forwarded to Judge Black, who, accom-
panied by Governor Dallas, visited the Portage early
in August, to inquire into the matter. After an
investigation, which was held at the old Hudson Bay
fort at the west end, Alec was committed to stand
his trial for manslaughter at the quarterly court,
which met at Fort Garry on the 24th of August.
Bail for his appearance at the said court was given
and accepted — four hundred for himself, four hundred
for Mr. McLean, and four hundred for Robert Bell.
On the case coming before the grand jury, a true
bill was returned, but Alec, acting on the advice of
his counsel, Mr. Enos Stutsman, special agent of the
United States Treasury at Pembina, had crossed the
HISTORY OF MANITOBA, 185
Line the night previous, Mr. Stutsman seeing, from
the color of the jury, that his client was, in popular
phrase, "going to have a poor show." Penalty being
demanded by the court from the bondsmen, Mr. Stuts-
man pointed out that McLean had been delivered to
the court, in fact, had come himself, and that they
themselves were responsible for his own appearance,
having allowed him t< thus relieving his
bondsmen New bonds having been accepted for his
appearance, a special day was appointed, the 25th of
September, to proceed with the case. On this occasion
McLean vras present ''// propria persona Mr. Stuts-
man, in his defence, said, that had ho known, when he
took the case in haul, as much about the people
of Rod River and their courts as he had since learned,
he would not have counselled his client not to appear
at the previous court. The investigation which
followed showed that men mid women at the Portam
were in the habit of constantly carrying firearms for
self-protection. The jury, after hearing the case,
acquitted the prisoner. Even if they had brought in
a verdict of guilty, life was still dear to Alec, and he
had determined and was prepared to make a bold dash
for freedom. For, as he stood in the box apparently
helpless, he was in reality well armed ; while on either
side of the aisle leading to the door were friendly
is also armed, who were there for the ostensible
purpose of aiding him to escape if necessary, while his
: sat against the door, and would not allow it to
be closed. A hoi also in waiting, close by, to
take him across the bound
CHAPTER IV
ke Indium The
\ Bail bread Kills an Indian
Indian Letter to the Prinoe
of V Indian af-
\ Oomj
Oaa Dr. Schult mi.i Bound Lib
ed 1
On the L3th of May, 1 866, the firat conference of clergy
»ad in the diocese of
Rup 1 l,v Bishop Machray in
the St John's Ten clergymen and
d laymen eon be meetii
Tb p read a long address dealing with the
leadii in the d among which was the
jishment of a th< -ailed St.
the name of the original institu-
aa also founding a scholarship in connection to
the Cochrane scholarship, in memory of
the d Archdeacon. The sum of one hundred
•ad pounds was immediately subscribed for
The Rev. John McLean, of London,
1 the office of Warden, and the
Church Missionary Society intimated its intention to
support sis pupils. A collegiate school was also to be
lished in connection with the college, to be taught
by tin- Ward.n, the Bishop, and the Rev. Samuel
Pritchard, whose private school was amalgamated with
the n the library, also formed by Bishop Ander-
Ins HB3TOB1 OF MANITOBA.
son, was largely increased by Bishop Machray, aided by
various societies and people friendly to the enter-
prise.
In the following June, as a party of Indians belonging
to Standing Buffalo's bond who had been visiting
Chief Factor Clare at Fort Garry were returning to
they prere attacked about a mile from the
fori by a band of Red Like Indians, who iired into
them, killing four of the Sioux. The remainder Bed
for their lives, and would probably have been pursued
by the ( tjibewaya had not a party of the settlers, seeing
the attack, fearlessly ridden up to the scene of action
and stopped the slaughter. The bodies of the four
murdered Sioux were horribly mutilated. Charles
Mair, now of Prince Albert, who was present on the
occasion, writes as follows concerning it : " After the
scalps had been torn off, the most horrible and devilish
barbarities were committed upon the bodies, and when
the ingenuity of the sterner sex had been exhausted,
the squaws roped themselves with the entrails of the
dead men and smeared their bodies with blood squeezed
from the quivering flesh, which they gnawed and tore
like dogs. They then crossed over to St. Boniface,
where, after indulging in war dances and other mystic
ceremonies, it is said they actually proceeded to par-
take of Sioux viscera."
Fearing a return of the Sioux to avenge their slain
warriors, an immediate session of the Council of Assini-
boia was convened, and authority given the Governor
to collect from among the settlers, fifty to one hundred
armed and mounted men to meet the Sioux on their
history 0F MANITOBA. |s;t
return, and either persuade them to go back to the
plains or prevent them from doing further mischief
during their stay in (he colony. As the Sioux did
not return, the necessity for using this power did not
occur. This was the last Indian fight in the aefchbor-
i Of Fort Cany.
On the 18th o£July,an altercation took place bet*
fc<H*n, residing near Kurt Garry, and a
half-breed named John Desmaris, close by the do
de shop and within the walls of the
In the beat of the dispute the half-breed drew a knife
and l}"- todiM for* abdomen
till his intestines were protruding. In this condition
,lk,", ">' bop, and asked the clerk foi some
'bind "phis wounds. Be died on the follow-
',,,"mn- «<*'* inqu beld and a
' wi,t"111 nwrder was returned. Desmaris was
™ into prison to await his trial at the \»;
irt TheofficialCreeinterpreterdeclining
' m the present instance, another was appointed,
who had a babi< of Bpasmodically grinning and smiling
as ako bowing alternately to the bench and to the
«"'•• This looked so much like a burlesque on
:r'v,,f'tl" », that quite a ripple in court
was occasioned thereby. Desmaris was sentenced to
1 on the 4th of September, but was also
med that the Governor had power to commute
foe penalty. A strong feeling existed on the part of
)tl"'1 of tiie murdered Indian, several of whose
Ptebed close by the prison, and they
•"' fo*< if Desmaris were not hanged they would
190 HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
the law in their own hands. A petition numer-
nu.lv signed by the general public and some of
tented to the Governor,
fog for a commutation of (he sentence. Through
this influence it was changed to banishment tor life.
tfter some difficulty in conveying Desmans out of
the settlement without the knowledge of the Indians,
he WSS sent from one post to another, and ultimately
restored to liberty in New Caledonia.
:• also Governor HcTavisb returned from
England, whithet he had gone to represent the griev-
ances of the disaffected chief factors and traders
before the Hudson Bay Company directors there.
His mission, however, was unsuccessful. On returning
to Red River, he at once proceeded to Norway House,
to attend the annual meeting of the council of chief
factors and traders which was always held there.
During this summer also the Rev. Mr. Bompas arrived
in the Red River settlement, accompanied by Mr.
Gardner and Dr. Schultz. The first-mentioned pro-
ceeded without delay to his appointed field of labor
in the Arctic Circle, where he remained till he was
created Bishop of the diocese. The beginning of this
winter saw the arrival of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Spence,
also Mrs. Scott and son, at Fort Garry, the latter party
on a tour of business and pleasure, the former to stay.
Mr. Spence represented himself as having been an
officer in a foot regiment under Colonel Gorman, that
after quitting the army he practised for a considerable
time as a land surveyor, and last, but not least, as a
politician. His first appearance in this latter capacity
BTJ8TOBT OF MANITOBA. 191
was at a public meeting held in the court-room, and
convened by him on Saturday, the 8th December, the
>f which room he had obtained by virtue of a
ed byanumberof the inhabitants req
&aol to place itatthedis]
of a <'d ^r the purpose of memorializing
Government to be received into and form
a P!irt of ( ration of British North
America, and to express our desire to act in unity and
co-operatinn with the neighboring colonies of Van-
md British Columbia, and to further British
Interests and confederation from the Atlantic to the
The object of the meeting being known, it
•' apparent that there vras a strong ond< i
rent' wh ' • advocate annexation to the
(*ni' By an ingenious device the designs of
partially frustrated. The □
■■»"■ Precisely a< thai time,
Kr.Spence or an hour pre vio rding
nts Bpence and four other gentlemen met
at the rooms. Having obtained possession from the
sheriff; they proceeded at once to business, passing the
lolutions, also that three cheers be given in
bonor of ber Host Gracious Majesty the Queen.
With such.nproarious expressions of enthusiasm was
all this accompanied that it is said the little gray-
beaded gaoler resident on the promises thought that
the five Englishmen assembled in the court-room were
a little off their base or cracked in their upper
story.
The ,": foe meeting disposed off, our five
[9J HISTORY 01 MAN HOT. A.
loyalists dispersed. On their way across the Hudson
Bay land reserve, which separated tlif village of Win-
nipeg bom Fort Garry, they met "Dutch George" at
the bead of h numeroua following of citizens in cari-
olefl and on foot, a considerable number of whom were
laboring under the influence of Hr. Etnerline'a "Ob
be joyful," a supply of which he had also brought
along for free distribution. On learning how they
D outwitted, George'fl wrath knew DO hounds.
[enounced it aa i piece of Bbarp practice, asserted
that they (the company that were with him) were the
public, and not the live unknown individuals without
•take in the country. These denunciations had such
an effect on the mind of the chairman, Colonel Robin-
son, who had previously held a commission in the
United States army, that he at once returned and
placed the position before the sheriff, requesting
renewed permission for the use of the room, to which
that functionary, after hearing the explanation, gave
his assent. As the news had already spread, a general
rush was made from the village to the court-house,
which was literally packed. A new chairman was
elected, and the proceedings of the former meeting
were, by vote, declared informal, null and void. This
was carried by an overwhelming majority, and with
tremendous applause. A more difficult task followed,
however, no person, apparently, having any new reso-
lution to pass ; and the tendency and temper of the
meeting being rather to oppose any possible motion
than support any policy leading to a definite result,
confusion became worse confounded. Several per-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 193
tried to get the ear of the meeting, but without
I toe individual, more hopeful than the others,
began to speak, when he was asked by Dutch George
to pay that last treat which he had at the bar. some
months previous. This persona] reminiscence led to a
m the course of which the
liter, Mr. Bmerline, received a blow from the butt
end of a whip-handle, which produced a copious flow
of blood and prostrated him close to the table of the
Clerk of the ('<»urt. An ardent friend of Qeorge's at
once sprang on the platform, and throwing off his c
squared up to the now infuriated crowd, and began to
"Come, landlord, till the flowing howl.'' A scene
of wild confusion reigned; parties and part} feelings
drowned in a host of personalities, as individuals,
themselves hurried to and fro by the turbulence o!
hit rudely against others who, eager l'<>v the
I <>n their involuntary and crowd-cramped
ilantfl with violence. After some time the entire
Qght a hasty and uproarious exit from the
doors, some imagined with the view of continuing hos-
tilities on a more extended scale outside. But the
cooling influences of the December wind Led them to
seek shelter at Mr. Emerline's, where an orgie was
instituted, which ended about midnight in the demoli-
tion of his bar and the general destruction of his bottles
and earthenware, not to speak of the damage done to
his fluids.
Mr. Spence next posed as a legal practitioner in
I, as such, had certain clients which brought
him repeatedly under the notice of the ruling powers.
194 history 01 MANITOBA..
We do ii"t. however, propose to follow him through
the mazy labyrinths of law. The Ccmadicm Neumdl
April 1 4th. L 867, contained the following translation
of a letter which -nt from the Indiana
of the Red River settlement to his Royal High)
the Prince of Wales: "To the first-born of our Great
Mother over the sea. Great Chief, whom we call
Royal Chief, we and our people hear that our rela-
tions, the half-br I tin- palc-faccs at R.-d River
have asked you to come and see them the next Bum-
mer, ami we and our people also wish you to come and
vi^it u^. Every lodge will give you a royal welcome.
We have the bear ami the buffalo, ami our hunting
grounds are free to you. Our horses will carry you,
and our dogs will hunt for you, and we and our people
will guard and attend you. Our old men will show
}-ou their medals which they received for being faith-
ful to the father of our Great Mother, the great Royal
Chief. If ycu will come, send word to our guiding
chief at Fort Garry, so that wre may have time to meet
and receive you, as becoming our great Royal Chief."
The Nexus of the World, of the 21st April, 1867,
speaks of this letter thus : " The letter itself is unique,
and we doubt wThether the mail bags of any nation
ever carried its like. The Indians, who feel a great
degree of traditionary respect for the royal family,
and with a certain taste for barbaric show and glit-
ter, felt that an ordinary ink and paper invitation
would scarcely convey the earnestness of their wish
that the Prince should come, so they have sent their
request in a style peculiar to themselves. The mate-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 195
rial on which the letter is written is the fine, inner
rind of birch bark, surrounded with s border of gilt.
The tetters of the heading are in red, white and blue,
the capitals throughout being in Old English gilt."
This document lay in the house of Dr. Schultz for
inspecti n fof some time previous to being sent to
England. The original draft was written in English
and translated into Indian by r young half-breed
attending school in Winnipeg; Mr. Spence was the
reputed prime mover and manipulator of the invita-
and serious dm; entertained as to whether
the Indians of Red River knew anything of the matter
at all. The fact also remains, that in the matter of
ornamentation, the Indians knew more about porcu-
pine quills and dyed moose hair — the natural products
of the country — and about wampum and beads, than
about the use of gold in decoration. In the following
dune, a letter was received by Mr. Spence from the
secretary of the Governor-General of Canada, enclos-
v of despatch, from the Duke of Buckingham
and Cbandos t«» Lord Ifonck, in which the, Colonial
Secretary acquainted the latter that the address from
the chiefs, forwarded through his Lordship, had been
presented to the Prince of Wales, who desired that his
sentiments on receiving their address should be com-
municated to the chiefs, adding that Ins Royal High-
was unable to visit the country, but would have
been much gratified had it been in his power to com-
* ply with the invitation.
About this time three Americans came to the Por-
tage settlement to pass the winter and to trade,
196 BtSTOB! OF MAXnoi'.A.
named Bob O'Loane, Billy Salmon and Jim Clewett.
Salmon was a retired sergeant of the American army.
At the west end they rented a boose and stable, the
one to live in, the other to keep their peltries and
goods. The plac distant, possibly thirty feet
from each other. In the Stable, which was used as a
store, they had a cask containing about one hundred
and fifty gallons of whiskey. Amongst the Indians
who frequented the Portage at this time, was one
named Wolverine, a man who was at the bottom of
every mischief, as also a noted thief. The Indians
knew of the liquor being here, and formed a plan to
get } n of it. On Sunday morning, Salmon saw
Wolverine making for the stable door where the liquor
was stored. Realizing his mission, Salmon ran to
prevent his getting inside, but before he could reach
the door the Indian had got there. Clewett, who
generally slept in the stable to protect the goods, on
seeing Wolverine come in, attempted to put him out,
but the Indian drew a knife and gave Clewett an
ugly wound in the side, from the effects of which
he fainted and fell on the floor. Wolverine seeing
Salmon coming to put him out, put his body to the
door to keep him from getting in, while Salmon
tried to push it in. Allowing the door to come suffi-
ciently ajar, the Indian used his gun with fatal
effect on Salmon, shooting him in the side, who,
believing himself to be mortally wounded, made for
the house. Wolverine then opened the door, gave a
yell and fled. At the discharge of Wolverine's gun,
another Indian, who was close by, jumped on th
history OF MANITOBA, 197
fence, and swinging his blanket began to chant the
war-whoop. < t'Loane, who was in the house, realizing
was brewin| I bis Henry rifle and
fired at the shouting Indian, who fell off the fence
-r-nail. Be then ran along the Slough
Road, eastward, for all he was worth, passing in bis
baste Borne of the neighbors at work, and leaving
ion and Clewett in the house, both wounded.
John McLean, bearing of the fracas, at once proceeded
to the scene of the Bhooting, although warned by his
tbors not to do so, as the Endiaus would shoot
him. On entering the porch, McLean found Clewett
g with a severe knife-wound in the side On
mination he found it was not fatal, as the knife
had followed the rib, glancing out. II.- raised him up
and u'"t him inside the h< I otherwise attended
»n •nt.rinu tin- inside door, lie found
tched out where be had fallen, and
suffering great pain, as he was bleeding internally.
McLean at once proceeded to place the injured man in
an easier position < letting some buffalo robes, he made
a bed for him in the corner; then causing him to put
whole arm round his (McLean's) neck, he lifted
him, as gently as possible, on to the couch he had just
ared After doing what he could for the wounded
man. be left, promising to return as early as possible.
On his way home he passed the body of the dead
Indian lying on the avenue, with two or three squaws
sitting round, loudly lamenting his untimely decease.
McLean informed all the neighbors of the result of
iracas, and asked them to come and sit with the
198 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
wounded men for the night fa the evening, quite a
number pat in an appearance, among them Farquhar
McLean, and some other white settlers. The half-
breeds were afraid to remain, while the whiskey was
in the stable, fearing a return of the Indians hut were
willing to do so, provided it was removed. A waggon
being procured, the two lid listed by several
others had the hogshead rolled on, taken away, and
dumped in a manure heap, close by John McLean S ivsi-
•\ where it remained safe and unmolested till the
following Monday, when O'Loane returned, and tilling
the liquor into smaller barrels, took it away. He also
had Salmon conveyed to Winnipeg, against Ins desire,
which was rather to remain in the Portage, as he
feared the effects of the shaking of the waggon, which
certainly was the means of hastening his death. He
died shortly after reaching Winnipeg, and was buried
in St. John's cemetery. The hogshead still remains,
not in the manure heap, but at the bottom of McLean's
well, where it does duty as a curb.
In November of this year also, Chief Factor Clare,
in charge of the upper fort, of whom we have made
previous mention, left Red River for England, to
attend to some private matters which required his
personal supervision for a few months, for which he
obtained leave of absence. Shortly after quitting
Fort Garry he became seriously ill, but being anxious
to <ret home, he pushed forward on his journey, reach-
ing the home of his relatives in London a few hours
before he died. Being highly respected in the settle-
ment, the news of his sudden demise caused quite a
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 199
commotion amongst his friends. Being a member of
Cotmcil of Assiniboia this caused a vacancy, to
which ti drew the attention of the
irpublic A petition was drawn up in favor
<>f Dr. Schultz, which along with a letter from Mr.
Spence, was handed to the clerk of the Council. The
r informed Mr. Spence and the petitioners that,
as it was by the Governor and committee of thellud-
nany. and not by tin; Council of Assini-
m embers of the latter body were appointed,
the petition would he sent to England. Bat he also
informed petitioners that a counter-petition had been
I from other inhabitants, and that both would
be transmitted ai once. This counter-petition caused
quite a dust for awhile and called forth editorials,
instructive than complimentary, of which the
following cimen: ilution of the unsatis-
factory state of things, it was stated that people
were openly discussing the propriety of taking the
rnmeni from its present hands into their own ;
while the authorities were accused of being prepared
to sell summonses or saltpetre, writs or writing paper,
or to furnish as part of their business, liquor or
marriage licenses, pemmican, law, justice, pain killer,
powder and peanuts, or, in fact, anything that is in
their line of trade."
A case of considerable in me before the general
quarterly court held in February of this year. The
firm of Me Kenny & Company, spoken of in the
previous pages, the partners in which were Henry
McKenny and Dr. Schultz, had dissolved partnership
200 HISTORY OF M LKTTOBA-
in lv 54. So complicated were their affairs that
apparently do settlement could be effected without
resorting to litigation. In May of 18(55, Schultz
entered an action against Mckmny for three hundred
pounds, as the Mini still due him before he would con-
aenl to the cloning of the accounts of the firm Owing
to the amount of d< tcumsntary evidence to be examined
in this case, the court appointed ■ commission to inves
tiLr.it. >. and by oonsenl of the parties concerned, act as
arbiters The members of this commission were
Judge Black and Francois Bruncau. The death of
the latter, in the summer of I si;"), from fever, broke
np the arrangement — it was again brought up in
February of this year, but owing to the unavoidable
absence of McKenny in England, was postponed till
May. On coming again before this court, Dr. Schultz
publicly declared that the court had permitted itself
to be bullied and browbeaten, and had neither the will
nor the power to do justice. He was at once stopped
and ordered to retract the offensive expressions, but
refused to do so. He was then informed that until he
did so he could not be heard personally at the bar, but
was at liberty to appoint an agent, which he refused
to do — and several cases in which he was interested
remained unheard. One of the creditors of the firm
was a Mr. Frederick E. Kew, of London, England, who
also acted as commission agent for them there. This
gentleman visited Red River in the spring of 1865,
and closed his accounts with the firm by taking a joint
promissory note for fourteen hundred and sixty pounds,
being the balance due him. On leaving the settle-
r-B.Miii*r-
GROUP OF EARLY SETTLERS.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 203
ment, he appointed Mr. John [nkster his agent, to
collect from the firm thifl amount. In L865, Mr.
[nkster instituted several actions against BfcKenny
and Sennits, demanding from each half the Bum still
due on the note. On farther consideration, he with-
v the case, before any action had been taken
regarding it by the court. In Angust of 1866, he
raed Mi'Kriiny For the total Bum then outstanding,
about six hundred pounds, the original amount having
been reduced to this by instalments paid on account.
IfcKenny contended that be should not be sued alone
for the entire amount, and demanded that his Former
partner, l >r. Schults, should be proceeded against at the
Bame time, The judge, however, instructed the jury
Oil such a n lore the court, either
party singly, or both together, might be raed for the
whole amount, as the hohler of the note might deem
expedient. The result was i verdict in Eavor of Kew,
and sgainst R£cl£enny. [nkster availed himself of this
r to close with IfcKenny for half the sum, which
was paid in May of 18G7, and commenced action
against Schults: for the remainder. Though cited to
appear at the May court, Dr. Scliultz quitted the
settlement, previous to ti o of the court, having
made a declaration before a magistrate relative to his
non-appearance, which was not produced in court, and
in consequence, judgment was given by default. On
his return, lie was called on to pay the balance; he
endeavored to obtain a new trial, which the judge
d for insufficient reasons. Inkster repeatedly
applied to Schultz to meet the judgment, which he
204 BISTOff! OF MANITOBA,
refused to do. After waiting eight months, without
apparently coming any nearer the realization of his
object, he resolved to enforce it. and with the reader's
permission, I will now allow the Doctor to tell his own
story, as we find it in the pages of the Nor-W<
"Once more the doors of the Hudson Bay Com-
pany's prison have opened to the persuasion of an
oaken beam, handled by the stoat arms of men who
as careless of the frowns as of the favor of this
augosi humbug, the Hudson Bay Company. The case
occurred in this wi-e. In one of the quarterly courts
judgment was obtained against Sheriff IfcKenny for
a sum of money. Being sheriff he paid half, and suo-
led in cajoling the simple-minded agent of the
plaintiff into bringing an action against Dr. Schultz,
his former partner, for the other half. By some artful
dodging a judgment was obtained against the Doctor
in his absence, and his application for a trial of the
before a jury disregarded by our. Hudson Bay
judge. The Doctor, thus treated, refused to pay unless
a trial was given, and the agent of the plaintiff, feeling
probably the injustice of the position, would not push
it. The sheriff meanwhile, caught in England, pays
the other half, and then follow the events of Friday.
At nine in the morning of Friday, the sheriff with a
posse of constables entered the trading house of Dr.
Schultz, and the Doctor appearing, a demand was
made by McKenny for immediate payment of the
sum. The Doctor asked to see his authority for its
collection, which McKenny refused to show, and said
that he must seize the goods. Schultz replied that
BISTORT OF M \xiT(U:a. 205
none of his property should go without the evidence
of proper authority. The sheriff then declared every-
thing seised, and directed the constables to first take
out a large pair of platform scales, which they pro-
» until stopped by the Doctor, who then
needed to secure the door which bad been opened
HcKenny, The sheriff then laid bands on the
was thrown over some bags (not struck),
mi,! on rising, directed the constables to arrest Dr!
ritz for assault on the officers of the law. The
Doctor told him that he was willing t.. be arrested, hut
not that Ins property be removed The Doctor then
E up, ami offered no resistance till rudely
n hold <»f by the constables, when he threw them
off, without striking; aid then IfcKenny, callip
51,1 present t thai the Doctor musl
bound! aid directed one of the constables t,, bri
The Doctor said that was unn.-(vssary, that he
nbmit to be tied so long as no indignity was
offered The Doctor then held his arms to be tied,
which was -lone by the constables, without opposition!
HeKennVj however, then began to draw the ropes
tight, till the effect was painful, and being Warned t<>
t, he refused, and so was again thrown over by
mow tied prisoner, after this there was no resis-
ad the Doctor was hurried of! in a cariole,
out even being allowed to put on his overcoat.
I »r. Cowan was sent for, hut shirked the case and sent
for Goulet. While waiting the arrival of Goulet,
Schultz requested, as there were a number of con-
Stables present, that the court-house doors should be
206 HIM OK Y Of MANITOBA.
locked, and he should be unbound long enough to
write a note to his wife, who. as yet, knew nothing of
the case. This was refused, And the effort of writing
while in this bound position canted BO much pain that
by a violent effort one inn was Freed, which HcEenny
perceiving, made a rash, but was met and floored.
The other constables then joined their efforts, and the
prisoner was crushed by constables, gaoler and sheriff,
till a Clothes-line was produced, which was tied and
pulled till the blood gushed from the arms of the now
helpless prisoner. Goulet arriving, after a consulta-
tion proceeded to hear McKenny's charge of assault on
the officers of the law. Goulet then proceeded to
commit the prisoner, it being four o'clock. Thrust in
and locked up without food or fire, the Doctor was left
to reflect on the vanity of human things generally,
and of the belief in the rights of a peaceable man to
his liberty in particular. So ended the first act. A
ludicrous interlude occurred before the closing scene.
Constable Mulligan was left in charge of the now
seized goods in the Doctor's store, and when Mrs.
Schultz wished to barricade it against the sheriff,
Mulligan refused to go out, and was nailed and spiked in,
where he remained till late at night, when, hungry
and half-frozen, he humbly petitioned to be let out,
and emerged cursing. the law, McKenny and seizers
generally. Schultz was locked up at four. Before
nightfall the news had spread like wildfire, and angry
men sped their horses to the town, where they met
others equally as excited as themselves, earnestly dis-
cussing whether to break open the gaol at once, or
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 207
wait till morning brought its hundreds to assist. But
the news that the Doctor's wife had been refused
admission to him by the fort authorities decided the
question at once. The Doctor must not stop, even one
night, under this ac In the meantime,
Mrs. Schultz had been granted permission by the sheriff
to take some food to her husband, and remained with
him till the noise of sleighbells announced the tidings
of release. First there came a party to the door to
obtain peaceable entrance, then a request from the
Doctor to let his wife out of the inner door of the
prison, then a rush of the Doctor himself, who grappled
witli the constable* who were barricading the door;
then the Upsetting <-f the gaoler, and the holts drawn
by the d< ife ; and then, as the expectant crowd
the attack on the 1 >«-ct< >i- within, came the heavy
thump of the oaken beam. Boon the crash of breaking
timbers, and then the loud hurrah, with maledictions
on IfcKenny, and the escort of the Doctor to his home.
It is well to know that no disreputaUe characters
were among the party. When the constables, of whom
there were ux, with eight specials, eeased to resist, the
victors ceased their efforts, and no violence was used
hut the breaking of the door and the marks of a
clenched fist on the face of one of the specials, which
would not have been there had he not rudely assaulted
Mr-. Schultz, in her efforts to draw the bolts. No
npt was made to recapture the Doctor or his
friends, and on the 4th of February he repeated his
application for a new trial. A general council was
laid later on in the month, when it was agreed to
208 history OF M kNITOB A.
le to the Doctor's request, which was set for the
5th <>f May. At this trial evidence was produced by
Dr. Sennits, through EL L Sabine, a land surveyor,
who had been in Sennits** employ, and who testified to
having Been the I)«>etor pay the plaintiff the sum of
hundred and Beventy-five p ands, on consideration
of this debt, no legal receipt being asked for or given
rher party."
CHAPTER \.
Second Bpieoopal CongroM Diooenn Fund Sp<
line c.uiH-il of Manitoba i Trial of MfoPhenon
ppen l-'n->t
Oommemoi 3t Andrew*! Day Chnrlei Cortii Little Six
Wolverine.
29th of May. 1867, the second congress of
y and lay d< from parishes in the dio
tpert'a Land was held in St. .Johns school-room.
Eight clergy and nineteen laymen composed the n
in<;. Amongst tl ated by Bishop ICach-
thai the con! rame the name of
l owley had been
the archdeaconry of I tamberland, vacated
by Mr. Banter, whose long service on th< ment,
kno/. i' the ( Jree langa neral useful*
the Bishop commended. The clergy anpply
called for serious consideration, many of the ministers
leavi' nt when their experience was
more valuable than ever. It iraa proposed to offset
by obtaining native clergymen, educated at St.
.John's College. The latter institution was working
successfully. The Budson Bay Company bad re-
newed their grant of one hundred pounds, which they
had given annually to the old institution. The
England Company also subscribed a similar
Sinn, and the Church Missionary Society agreed
ive two hundred pounds per annum. An effort
210 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
was made to raise an endowment fund for the War-
den's chair of theology, the first contribution for
which came from Clinton, < hit , where Dr. Ander-
son, late Bishop of Rupert's Land, was incumbent.
The endowment for the scholarship in memory of Arch-
deacon Cochrane at this time amounted to three hun-
dred and twenty pounds The Bishop desired to raise
this hip to a value of twenty pounds per
annum-. Parish schools, which had hitherto been sup-
ported by the Church Missionary Society, and which
had been established in every parish but one, would
have to be supported by the parishes themselves, as
the Society had decided to withdraw the support it
had, till then, afforded these. A book depot, started in
1866, with the object of supplying school material,
had succeeded well. The Bishop regarded the organi-
zation of a diocesan fund as a vital one, for the follow-
ing reason a :
1. To assist promising young men to qualify for
holy orders ; to maintain clergymen actually employed
in parishes and missions ; and to pension such as, from
ill-health or old age, might be incapacitated for duty.
2. To support schools, disseminate Bibles, prayer-
books, and other religious works, and to form parish
libraries.
The Bishop, in urging this scheme, said that the
means at their disposal were limited, the people poor,
and the tide of emigration, so hopefully expected
during the last few years, had not commenced to roll
in ; that the sums collected from the weekly offertory,
the receipts from special collections on harvest gather-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 211
and other occasions, and donations from private
individuals, composed the entire means at their dis-
These were distributed amongst the various
schemes referred to. Bishop Machray dosed bis
address, referring to the larger and denser population
of the parish of St Andrew aa offering a better field
for the above operations than any other portion of the
settlement The Rev. J. P. Gardiner had opened a
night nehool and classes for adults, had set on foot
missionary meetings, mutual improvement classes,
popular lecture- with penny readings and music, the
proceeds of which were devoted to a library.
About this time Sergeant Mulligan, late of her
Maj« iment, was appointed constable,
and had the honor to be the first policeman in Winni-
at a sal pounds per annum
In 1867, Mr. Spence, Of whom we made mention in
the preceding pages, moved his residence from Fort
ry to Portage la Prairie, where, from his peculiar
disposition, he was not long in inaugurating himself
as one of the leading factional spirits of the settle-
ment. The position of the settlement, outside the
pale of the judicial district of Assiniboia, with no
laws hut what they made themselves, and what they
chose to observe, made it just the place for such a
man as Mr. Spence, and very soon we find a republi-
can monarchy, if such there could be, with Spence as
president, and Findlay Ray secretary. The name of
the settlement was changed to ( Caledonia, and then to
Manitoba. Its boundaries included hundreds of
square miles, extending indefinitely into parallels of
212 HlSToKV OF MANITOl'.A.
latitude and longitude. The only denned boundary
was the eastern one, which consisted of the western
limit of the municipal district of Assiniboia. A
council was also chosen, and an oath of allegiance
administered to all those who would take it. The
first desideratum with the new government was the
erection of a eourt-hbuse and gaol There being only
one way of securing this, namely, a regular system of
taxation, a customs tariff on imports was decided on,
and preliminary measures taken to collect the same,
■t it-t* was served on all n mongst them the
officer in charge of the Hudson Bay trading post at
the Portage, who replied that he would pay no tax or
duty on the goods imported for trade at his post,
unless ordered to do so by the government of Rup
Land. The council decided that, seeing they could
not force him to do so at present, they would make it
hot for him when they got the gaol built. A shoe-
maker by the name of McPherson, who lived at High
Bluff, had made himself obnoxous to the president
and other members of the government, by asserting
that the money obtained through taxation, instead of
being retained to build a gaol, was being expended in
the purchase of beer and whiskey, for the use of the
government and council of Manitoba, a report which
was generally credited as being true. Expostulations
were of , *^o use with McPherson, who only repeated
the story with addendas. At last they resolved to
indict him on a charge of treason, and a warrant was
issued for his arrest. Constables William Hudson and
Henry Anderson were at once despatched to bring
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 218
him dead or alive. It would seem that, before start-
out, th< tlemen had imbibed considerable
government whiskey, as the noise they made in pro-
1,1 McPl eted the attention
"*' I bo, by this means divined the
it Arrived at the house,
Hudson entered, while Anderson kept watch at the
J,t' found M d cleaning his revolver.
lucing his warrant, he endear handed;
to enfor rson, entering at this moment,
found Hudson and licPherson in close --rip. The
eluded both, and ran oil' with
the intention of getting within the boundary of the
■r\ of Ajsiniboia. The constables procured a
i on licPherson, who, seeing that.
he was goin[ rtaken, rushed out into
M1')W •>" l!l" plains, and was, after a severe
in which all bis clothes were torn, secured
and brought t<> tin- Portage in a jumper. It happened
this afternoon that John and Alee McLean, who had
Huddlestone's, on the High Bluff
on their wav home, when they saw. com
ing behind them, a jumper with three men in it. On
nearing McLeans sleigh, one of them jumped out and
ran np to McLean and his son. His clothes were all
turn, and he held his pants np with his hands. At
the same time another of the men jumped out and
ran after the first McLean thought they were run-
ning a race, and called out. " Fair play." McPhersOn,
in coming up to him, appealed to him in the words,
■ me; save me, McLean!" At this moment Hud-
214 HlsToiiY 01 MANITOBA.
son oame up also, and attempted to force McPherson
away from McLean's protection. John, who carried a
two-inch aagnr, with which he had been repair-
ing a hay-rack, said, " Stand hack, or I'D rin the
aagnr through ye." Be then desired an explanation,
which was given by both men ; also demanding to see
the warrant. One of thr constables who was in the
jumper said. • Don't show it to him, he'll tear it."
•. tlif warrant was produced, McLean read it,
and thm inquired when and where the trial was to be,
advised McPherson to go with them, and assured him
that he would be there to see that he got justice, after
which the prisoner of the republic and his captors
proceeded to the Portage.
When McLean reached home he found three miners,
Bob Hastie, Yankee Johnston, and Mr. Chapman,
waiting his return. After supper, accompanied by
the above and two other men, making in all a company
of seven, they proceeded to William Hudson's house,
which they found full of persons who had gathered to
hear the trial, which had been on for some time. On
entering the house they found Spence seated at one
end of a table, while McPherson occupied the other.
A lamp stood in the centre. McLean asked what he
was tried for. Spence replied, " Treason to the laws
of the republic." " We hae nae laws," said John, and
" Wha's the accuser ? " " Mr. Spence,'' said one of the
constables. Turning to Spence, with indignation
written on his face, McLean said, " Come oot o' that,
you whited sepulchre, ye canna act as judge and
accuser baith." At this stage of the proceedings
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 215
Hudson ordered McLean out of the house, saving that
if he did not go he (Hudson) would throw him out.
Me Lean replied that seeing it was Hudson's house he
would go out, but not through any fear of him or
Anderson either, Endson then told dim to strip,
aing to fight, to which McLean replied that he
would wait to see if there sras any necessity to <lo so,
and proceeded towards the door. Bob Hastie, seeing
on and Anderson preparing to follow McLean,
to the latter, " Ye're no gaun oot yer lane," and,
seizing IftePherson by the neck of the coat, said,
"Come oot o' that an no be sittin' there like ft. role,"
and pulled him away from the table. A brother, of
Anderson's, observing Bastie's movement, caught him
by the neck, and pulled him on his back. Bastie, who
was a powerful man, jumped to his feet in s moment,
and seising Anderson threw him bodily against the
table, upsetting stove, lamp, table, Spence and all.
At this juncture the miners drew their revolvers and
tired at the ceiling. In less time than it takes to
write these words the house was empty, each one
making his or her exit on the double quick, through
the door or window, whichever was the most con-
venient in the darkness, Spence, who had fallen
under the table, was heard to implore, " For God's
sake, men, don't fire, I have a wife and family I " I n ft
short time the lamp was relit, and after getting things
straightened McLean and the miners started for home,
taking McPherson with them. This event broke the
back of the republic completely. The following day,
while on a visit to Kenneth McBain's on the river
216 BISTORT Of MANIIOHA.
1, McPherson was again made the subject of arrest
by one of the constables, in IfcBain's boose. James,
one of the sons, seeing the attempt, seized a chair, and
btened to knock the le'a brains oat it' he
dared to repeat the act. atePherson at once sought
out Spence, and asked bim what he was following him
op for. Spence replied thai personally he knew
nothing of it. and that so far a> he p rned the
who] r was dropped. A new suit of clothes
was given him in place of those destroyed during the
arrest, and thus the matter ended McPherson still
resides in the Province at Lower Fort Garry, and his
recollections of the Portage republic and its associa-
- are still green, as well they may be.
In L867, the Hon. Alexander Campbell, Canadian
mi&sioner of Crown Lands, gave instructions for
the commencement of the now famous Dawson route,
which was intended to form a line of communication
between Lake Superior and Red River, and a sum of
fifty-five thousand dollars was granted from the Upper
Canada Colonization Road Fund for this purpose. The
work commenced in May at Thunder Bay, extending
westward towards Dog Lake. Two distinguished
travellers also visited the settlement this year, the
Right Hon. the Earl of March, and Edward Hill, Esq.
Their principal object being hunting, and the country
around Fort Carleton offering many incentives, they
proceeded thither.
About the middle of December, 1867, the venerable
McLean commenced Sunday evening services in the
village of Winnipeg. No church being there as yet,
BOSTORT OP MAXiroiiA. 217
the building occupied and used as a theatre was placed
at the Archdeacon's disposal by the Leasees. The room
was general 1\ and the services discon-
tinued during rough weather. In the rammer of ls,;s
they were again resumed in the court-room at. Fort
Garry, and in the fall the small church of the Holy
Trinity waa opened, in which Archdeacon McLean
offici ularly.
In the Port blement the grasshoppers were so
numerous in the fall of 1867 and the spring of l
that many put in no crop at all. A portion of a diary
• by the late Frederick Bird, the first representative
in the Local Legislature \'^\- Portage la Prairie, lies
before the writer, in which I find the following enti
M August Mh. 1867 Grasshoppers came. Llth — Com
ced cutting the barley. Ii'th- Boppera going off,
Ding. 13th — Still going, and some falling.
14th -Comm tutting wheat, hoppers still as
thick aa ever. L6th -Still as numerous." Bo end
The first occasion on which was commemorated the
patron saint, St. Andrew, occurred
in 1867. Mr. Emerline, better known to the old
resio I)utch Geo: entleman of German
action, had, by dint of perseverance in the sale of
fruit and smallwarcs, worked his way up to he land-
lord of the George Hotel, the principal one in the
village of Winnipeg at that time, and the centre of
conviviality. Emerline was a strong annexationist,
and had this year imported from the States a billiard
table, the first in the settlement, the profit on which
•21s HISTORY OP MANITOBA.
\va> bo large that he added another to his establishment
in the following year. He also established a Burns
Club, which met in one of his rooms, and which was
designed to provide means of social friendship to
Scotchmen resident in the colony, and to strengthen
tin- ties which hound them to their native land by the
study of the character and works of the poet by whose
name the club was known. Though not many noble
nor yet great attended these little meetings, it is
evident that they bad not only the feast of reason but
the means of promoting the flow of soul. Early in
the afternoon of St. Andrew's day enthusiastic Scotch
members, Mich as Jock McGregor, John McDonald,
John McRae, Alexander Mclntyre, Roderick McLeod
and othen of like ilk, convened at the George Hotel.
After a few hours spent in fraternal intercourse, happy
greetings and auld Scotch sangs, in which the utmost
harmony and good feeling prevailed, just as the deep-
ening hour of twilight was beginning to shed its gloom
over this little company of Jock Thamson's bairns,
some evil genius — or shall we call him imp of Satan ? —
suggested the superiority of the Hielands over the
Lowlands. The debate was taken up with interest by
both parties and quickly swelled into a tumult ; the
room becoming too small to display their partizan
zeal, with ringing shouts they rushed into the street,
and commenced to demonstrate with fists what words
had failed to do. Within a short time they were rein-
forced with the inhabitants of the village, some of
whom took sides with the belligerents while others
looked on, enjoying the row. Sergeant Mulligan,
history OF MANITOBA. 219
single-handed, attnnpted to quell the torrent. The
maddened crowd surged from one comer of the street
to the other, yelling vociferously, as one party or
another was pummelled and forced to give way; but,
as in all things the calm succeeds the storm, so in this
instance also pea restored. Tims ended the Brat
commemoration of Si Andrew's in Red River,
After the IfcFherson trial, Mr. Spence, with the
council, • bave allowed the affairs of the republic
Fault In February, 1868, he paid ■ xi.it
to Governor Dallas, at Fort Garry, to consult with him
relative to affairs at the Portage settlement The
Governor informed him that no duties would be paid
on the Hudson Bay Company's goods imported unless
levied on authority derived from the company them
as, and he, Spence, and his council could collect
duty only from such as paid it voluntarily; that he
and his agents might be legally resisted in any attempt
to levy 03 and that the administration of the
oath of allegiance was an illegal act. and laid him open
to prosecution. .Mr. Spence then addressed the follow-
ing letter to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
hich he received a reply in the following August
"La Pkaiiuk, Man.,
"Via Red Rtveh Settlement,
"February lath, 1868.
" My Lobd, As President-elect of the people of the
newly organized Government and Council of Mani-
toba, in British territory, I have the dutiful honor of
laying before your Lordship, for the consideration of
S&O msrroRi of kanitoba.
her Most Gracious Majesty our beloved Queen, the
circumstances attending the creation of this self-sup-
porting petty government in this isolated portion of
her Majesty's dominions, and, as loyal British sub-
jects, we humbly and sincerely trust that her Most
Gracious Majesty, ami her advisers, will be pleased
forthwith to Rive this favorable recognition, it being
simply our aim to develop our resources, improve the
condition of the people, and generally advance and
nrve British interests in this rising far West.
"An humble address from the people of this settle-
ment to her Majesty the Queen was forwarded to the
Governor-General of Canada, in June last, briefly
setting forth the superior attractions of this portion
of the British dominions, the growing population and
the gradual influx of emigrants, and humbly praying
for recognition, law and protection, to which no reply
or acknowledgment has yet reached this people.
"Early in January last, at a public meeting of settlers,
who numbered over 400, it was unanimously decided
to at once proceed to the election and construction of
a government, which has accordingly been carried out;
a revenue imposed, public buildings commenced, to
carry out the laws, provisions made for Indian trea-
ties, the construction of roads and other public
works, tending to promote the interests and welfare
of the people.
" The boundaries of the jurisdiction being, for the
time, proclaimed as follows : North from a point run-
ning due north from the boundary line of Assiniboia,
till it strikes Lake Manitoba ; thence from the point
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 221
struck, a straight line across the said lake to Mani-
toba Post; thence by longitudinal line .">1 till it inter-
sects latitude LOO : west, by a line of latitude 100°
to the boundary line of the United States and British
America; east, the boundary line of the jurisdiction
of the Council of Aasiniboia ; south, the boundary line
between British North America and the United
Stat
" I have the honor to remain, my Lord,
" Your Lordship's obedient servant,
"TlK.MAS Sl'KV
•• President of the Go
The following is the reply received to the ab<»
■ Downing Strut, M<>:/ 80th, 18(
&B, — I am directed by the Dnkeof Buckingham
and Ohandos to inform you tli.tt your letter of the
10th of February last, addressed to the Secretary of
State for has hen forwarded to this
department, and that his ( trace has al><> received a copy
of a letter addressed by you to Mr. Angus Morrison, a
member of the Canadian Parliament, dated 17th of
February last. In these communications yon explain
that measures have been taken for creating a so-called
self-supporting government in Manitoba, within the
territories of the Hudson Bay Company. The people
of Manitoba are probably not aware that the creation
of a separate government, in the manner set forth in
these papers, has no force in law, and that they have
no authority to create or organize a government, or
even to set up municipal institutions (properly so
"2'2'2 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
called) for themselves, without reference to the Hud-
son Bay Company or the Crown.
■ Her Majesty's Government are advised that there
is no objection to the people of Manitoba voluntarily
submitting themselves to rules and regulations which
they may agree to observe, for the greater protection
and improvement of tie' territories in which they live,
but which will have no force as regards others than
those win* may haw so submitted themselves. As it
is inferred that the intention is to exercise jurisdic-
tion over offenders in criminal cases, to levy taxes
compulsorilv, and to attempt to put in force other
powers which can only be exercised by a properly
constituted government, I am desired to warn you
that you and your co-agitators are acting illegally
in this matter, and that by the course which you are
adopting, you are incurring grave responsibilities.
<*
" I am, Sir,
"Your obedient servant,
Thus, doubly counselled, first by Governor Dallas,
and then by Buckingham, as to the responsibility of
the position which he had assumed, Mr. Spence
decided to lay aside, at once and for all, any further
hopes of building a republic at Portage la Prairie,
and began to look around for some other means of
subsistence. In those early days, much of the salt
consumed in this western country was obtained from
deposits in the neighborhood of Lake Manitoba. He
at once turned his attention to salt manufacture ;
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 223
allowed the interest in the place he had bought, or had
agreed to purchase, in the Portage to be transferred
to Charles Curtis, who had been some time resident
at Silver Beights, and who removed Spence and his
family out to the scene of his future labors, for a
• least, on the salt 5] ke Mani
On bis return to (he Portage, Mr. Curtia took
wnmedial -,. ,„id. being a blacksmith by
on the E i. at wh
known aa the Gilbert Home, where under the spread-
in- maple tree* his village smith}- stood
in which Spence bad Lived belonged to a
man named Latnont, who was paralysed on one side of
his ' ;l stroke of that nature. Lamoni bad
}"it be failing tomal lyments,
a, with Spei
si,,n Lament had kept store in the bo
' with attacks fnm, the Indian
yy motives, was M thoroughly intimi-
remove to more desirable
quarters The only protection he had was two ].,
and when Curtis took possession, large pi-
were torn out of the aide of the door by the frantic
the animals to get at the assailants on the
ide, during these melees. It required a stout heart
i a place under such circumstances, and
one outside the pale of civil law and protection, as the
then was; yet here Curtis brought his wife
and little children, built his shop close by the house,
and immediately set to work to beat out the plough-
share, and do whatever else might be required of him.
HISTORY Hi' MANITOBA. 225
An American by birth, the refugee Sioux who had
settled down on the portage plains, had do particular
Liking for him, and more bo from the fact of his being
one of the three who had kidnapped Little Six and
his braves at Bannatyne's, in Winnipeg. Mr. Curtis,
in L862 resided with his family at Sturgeon Creek,
in the vicinity of Silver Beights. Alter the massacre
in Minnesota, he waa employed in building huts for
the - it Pembina, and removing them there.
Little six. with eight of his braves, had taken refuge
in Manitoba from the United States authorities, who
had offered rewards for their apprehension, and were
g the rounds of the settlement, terrorizing settlers'
• of the settler himself, and help-
bhemselves to what they needed. Terrible reports
had spread about him, and Pears were entertained that
he might repeat, on some helpless family, some of the
hatcheries with which he Iras credited on the other
Side of the line. Mr. Oartis' family lived in a large
boose, with a good-sised kitchen attached; this
last was the only portion that was completed, and in
for the time being, the family resided. One
afternoon, daring his absence at Pembina, the door
Opened, and Little Six, with his warriors, walked in.
Mrs. Carl 10 taken by surprise and fear that
could not say anything, but sat down at the foot of
the bed, while the children gathered round her in
terror. After accommodating his followers with seats,
he sat down himself He then asked for a basin and
water. Mrs. Curtis pretended not to know what he
said. Seeing this, he rose and helped himself. He
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
next requested a brush and comb, but receiving no
from her, and seeing what he desired, went
and took them, and arranged his toilet with care
before them. This done, be spread his blanket on the
floor, sat down and lit a long pipe, and, after taking a
few wl:. • d it round to his followers. The
table-cover next attracted the gentleman's attention,
which ha imn i Mrs. Curtis to give him,
Mrs. Curtis shook hex head as much as to Bay no,
which seemed to displease him, as he at once drew his
knife, and made a pantomimic gesture with it, as much
as to say, ' 111 cut your heads off." In this trying situa-
tion Mrs. Curtis did not know what to do. Her only
hope was that some one would come along and relieve
her out of this terrible difficulty. One of the windows
looked out on a bay or meadow, where the settlers
made a large portion of their hay. Earnestly she
looked to see some load or jumper coming along the
trail. At length, as if in answer to the prayer of her
heart, she espied a one-horse vehicle coming along.
She jumped to the door, opened it, and, before the
Indians had taken in the action, signalled the driver
to come to the house, then returned inside and sat
down. In a short time the door opened and a neigh-
bor walked in. He had hardly time to take in the
situation, when, with a dash through the door, which
was now hardly big enough, Little Six and his eight
braves disappeared as mysteriously as they had come.
Seeing the lonely position in which Mrs. Curtis was
placed, he suggested the idea of acquainting her father,
who lived some distance away, and having her and the
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 227
children removed to the paternal home, in the present
excited state of the settlement, until the return of her
busl m Pembina. To this Mrs. Curtis gladly
assented, and the change was made that same even-
ber father only too glad to relieve them from their
trying position In a tew days Curtis returned, and
found the entire settlement in a state of excitement.
Some scheme had to be resorted to to get rid of this
band of Indian cut-throats who were popping Qp here
and there and everywhere. A meeting was held, at
which it was decided to offer there 1 dinner at Banna-
b, drag them if possible, and get them out of the
country to where their presence was Bpecially desired.
Under the guise of friendship, the scheme succeeded.
The Indians were invited to s grand pow-wow at the
of the above, where, as is their usual custom,
they ate and drank \'< The liquor of which they
partook, however, was dragged, and the whole nine
secured and transported to Uncle Sam's dominions,
where they were executed in the following spring.
It will be seen that the dislike to Curtis was borne
out by the Portage Indians, from the following inci-
dent. One day Wolverine, whose name appears in the
ad whose notoriety consisted of being
at the bottom of all mischief, evil and theft, who was,
in the true sense of the term, a bad Indian, came rush-
ing into the house to Mrs. Curtis, in a state of excite-
ment, "Wanting to see boy; wanted to talk to him."
Mrs. Curtis told Wolverine that he could not see him,
"not in." Wolverine, not satisfied, made to open the
door leading into the bedroom. Mrs. Curtis, placing
228 HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
her back against the door, told him he could not go in
there. He then seized her by the arm, ami pulled her
away several times, but she only resumed the position
before Wolverine could open the door. At last, draw-
ing his knife, he said. ' Me make you." Curtis, who
had been half-asleep in the room, hearing the scuffle
outside, opened the door, and taking in the situation,
seized Wolverine, as an Englishman would say, by the
seat of the pants and the Seoffof the neck, and pitched
him bodily out of doors. The Kangoaj riptive of
Wolverine's apparel 1 do not guarantee as strictly
accurate; it may have only been a breech-clout,
Indians don't always wear pants. Curtis, at all events,
got hold of something, at the extremity of the
Indian's back, and used it as a lever with the above
results. As he fell on his face he dropped the knife,
which Curtis had not seen before, and which he at
once picked up. Wolverine, on gaining his feet,
approached Curtis with outstretched hand, desiring to
shake and be friends, but Curtis, with a light blow,
knocked his hand to one side, and told him " be off
out of this," which he at once did.
CHAPTKK XI.
Death «.f ftftr.Curtu An Indian I
Thi.-f OoartoandT B P Food Mis
•h Hudson Bfty C..ni|.anv
towing Hon. Wm, MeDongalL
In tin- winter of ^7s-79, flour was scarce in the
settlement, ;ind not to be had, as also beef. Potatoes
could be obtained, but at a high price. With a desire
to assist his brother-in-law and family in this trying
situation, Mrs. Curtis' brother, then a young man,
ling with them, went t<> hie own home, killed an
animal he was raising, and brought tlir carca- to the
Portage. The Indians ooming to know of the meat, or
probably seeing it brought to Curtis' house, nine of
them came along the day following and demanded the
beef from Curtis. I lis wife had just gone out into the
garden, to look alter some vegetables, a few minutes
before the Indians came to the house, and, apparently,
had not observed their approach. While thus engaged
the children came running out to her, saying, " Ma,
come in ; the Indians are going to kill pa ! " Running
in, she found Curtis in the middle of the floor with
his gun in his hand, while nine Indians stood in the
doorway, in a defiant position. Mrs. Curtis took in
the situation at a glance, and knowing the dislike the
Indians entertained to her husband, she persuaded him
to lay down his gun ; then, standing between him and
the Indians, she told them they could not have all the
230 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
meat, but that they might have some of it ; that if
they continued this kind of work, assistance would be
had from Winnipeg, and they would be driven from
the Portage as they had been from Minnesota. The
Indians pretended to langh her down, and make light
of what she told them. By-and-by, however, one
back' ■ ly out; then another, and another, until
all had gone. Even then she was afraid to close the
door, in case they should resent it as an insult, and
return. Mr. Curtis was often raited by the muse,
and when beating out the glowing iron, or watching
the flames as they leaped up from his forge at the
stroke of his bellows, or some other suggestive inci-
dent, his thoughts would take permanent form in
M on the leading events of the settlements, many
of which are worthy of quotation, and of which we
give a selection. Some such occasion as the last
referred to was certainly the cause of inspiration in
this poem, which is as follows : —
My hammer on the anvil lay,
And thus it spake, or seemed to say :
" This is too bad ;
Have I not always stood your friend,
To fashion, forge — to make or mend ?
Then why so sad ?
" Why standest thou so gloomily,
And givest ne'er a thought to me,
Thy willing slave ?
Have I not toiled from morn to night,
And earned thee many shillings bright
By strokes so brave ?
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 231
" Say, hast thou heard me once complain
When thou didst smite, with might and main.
The hone-afa
ThoM merry times thou dost forget,
When, with heavy swing, I made thee sweat
Ami wipe thy head.
M Though times are hard as hard can be,
And wayward fortune Erowni oo thee,
( fod comfort lende,
Thai tag old, they row,
With whiskers gray, and wrinkled DfOW :
I'm your friend.
• With sorrow DOW those lines I see,
Which Father lime hai marked on ti
Vour good right arm shall earn you bn
And from tlie iron glowing red,
Full all yon need
44 Shake hantls with me ohm more, old friend,
For many merry days we'll spend,
pair.
Heap on the ooal, the bellowi blow,
See in yon cheerful, ruddy glow,
Hopes bright and fair.''
11 Old i ur words are good,
And but 1 gain my daily food,
•-■nt I'll be."
thought my hammer smiled with grace,
And rang out from the anvil's face
A merry glee.
But see, who comes ? Here's work at last !
And sturdy blows, both hard and fast,
The hammer plies.
29 2 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Full soon I earn the price of food,
And haste DM home with treasure good,
lavli^ht dies.
M\ good wife smiles, and says : "I'll hake
,.-u. old mau, a bonny eakr |
S .vase y«'ur claim t. "
The children clap their hands and shout,
" Hurrah ! — here's bread, without a doubt,
Thank> ko the hammer."
I thanked my hammer as I stood,
Dg Him who doeth good, —
44 Not so," it said.
( nice more its face of steel it raised,
Ami sang out softly, 44God be pra
He is the head.
44 Not unto mc thy thanks are owed,
But to the great, the living God,
Who loves thee still.
To succor stretches forth His ar$n,
Feeds thee, and keeps thee from all harm,
Then do His will. '
The second was made on the occasion of the removal
of the school-house from the river road to the centre
of the village :
Hearken, a voice from out the forge
Sings loud in praise of Mr. George,
Praise for his sturdy enterprise,
His tireless zeal, and counsel wise.
This school, brief time has passed away,
Since by the river side it lay,
11 We'll find for it a fitter spot,"
Said he, "and move it every jot."
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 233
With honest heart, and good intent,
Full many an hour and day he spent.
Asked all tb help with heart and hand, —
To ask with him was to command.
At willing work who could bestow,
Well spent has been our time we know,
it trains of carts, huge 1 • MO,
These last hauled out by Ogilt
The carpenters worked with a will.
With itrange derioe, end onnning skill,
F'.r \i ■ i , ■ rge, ire know be said it.
The better work the higher credit.
And why forbear I rd
< >f praise to ( iaddy and to Bird,
Who freely offered us the land
< >n which complete OUT school does stand.
With pride behold we every log,
•liool , ip!rte, end a pedagogue
i main astute
ronng idea how to sh
^s to Hill and to the school,
May all grow wis.' beneath his rule ;
And boys ami girll who hear this rhyme,
Upward the hill <.f knowledge climb.
Oar teacher rare wiD train you well,
•s with you to make it tell ;
Knowledge ii power, sr.-k to be wise,
Strive, boys and girls, to win the prize.
And now, good friends, both short and tall,
lven you credit one and all,
But ere I get me to my forge
Here's three times three for Mr. George.
234 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
The third was written at the close of a series of
entertainments which had been held during the
winter in the school-house alluded to in poem No. 2 :
My thoughts I'll collect
For a brief iff inspect,
And sing you a tell of on doing! in rhyme :
Th<- winter has passed
And spring OOBM at last,
And with innocent fun we've beguiled the time.
Mr. George in the fall
Proposed to us all
To fill up the winter with imrtinfl and song.
Y.»ung and old with a jest,
We have all done our best ;
The winter is o'er and we've not found it long.
Mr. George from his store
Read us proud "Ellinore,"
And many a piece fraught with wisdom and truth,
Till 'twas plain to us all
How pride gets a fall,
Wise lesson for old as well as for youth.
There's Mr. McLean,
I'm sure it's quite plain
He did all that he could that was jolly and funny ;
In right good broad Scotch
Filled up many a notch
With tales of instruction and stories so bonny.
And then Mr. Field
His "Dickens" would wield,
And we never got tired was it ever so long ;
About Pickwick and Weller
And Bob Sawyer, poor fellow,
And betwixt full many a good comic song.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 235
Then Mr. John Garrioch,
Though never in Carrick,
lived oil] so long ;
1861 on nose,
Ever read his daughter with sweetest of song.
Cold w.v
i-lit forth from the spring,
EUlero who never did fail ;
M ei expand]
• >d .standing,
"Cold Spring ml the '* Rose <■■ LUandale."
Thru there1! Mr. i
ii he luffen • terrible pain ;
Be just lias got married.
And sadly lie's hat :
And wishes to good in Ml he was single a
The fourth of 1871
between Mr. Kyan, the present jodge of the County
Court of the Central Judicial District, and Mr.
( kmniogbam, to which we refer later on:
Well, here I am 0HOfl m<»re again,
I scarcely know where to begin,
It's so long since I took the tloor
ilting for the do
rtw. — For politics are all the go,
length ami breadth the country, oh I
! in hound to go
And plank my vote for neighbor Joe.
I hardly know now what to say,
I - there any one can tell me, pray?
If not, then I will drum this kettle,
And try and 'lectioneer a little.
236 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
I'll not abuse Mr. Cunningham,
W a know he's not our countryman;
He's got his till of (Jovernment lunch.
So good-bye now to Billy Bunch.
Now, boys, 1 think it is too bad
He should call our man a little lad ;
Goliath said lad, till the stone did sting;
Lad I>avid slew hiiu with a sling,
I've got to say. upon my word,
thing to me is most absurd
They should bring a man our votes to beg,
Itom that noted city, One-eye-Peg.
Joe is a man both true and smart.
Who has our interest, too, at heart ;
A countryman wh<. lives with us.
A man we know we all can trust.
He's promised that with all his might
He'll advocate our cause and right ;
If he's elected you may bet
Your bottom dollar, our rights we'll get.
Let each and every one read his address,
'Tis printed in the Winnipeg Free Press ;
The platform is pure, and by it he'll abide,
And to Ottawa I hope he'll ride.
On polling day be all on hand,
Each one who can a vote command ;
March to the poll bold as a lion,
And plank your vote for Joseph Ryan.
For he's our own countryman,
And for our rights I know he'll stand,
He's the only man we can rely on,
Hurrah ! Hurrah ! for Joseph Ryan.
BB3T0BY OF MANITOBA. 237
Mr. Curtis died on the 6th of A 1874, having
just returned from the Palestine district, whither he
gone to secure a homestead and pre-emption.
During his stay there be had taken out logs for
buildings; an.! ako put up hay for his cattle. He had
also, prior to this, in company with Charles Hay, Esq.,
now of Vancouver, B.C completed a large bri
across Rat Cr isidenee of Kenneth lic-
Cenaie, Ben. ( )n the evening of his return, after paying
as his usua] custom, he
desired lira Curtis and the baby to sleep in another
room as he felt unwell and did not wish to be disturbed.
Bis wife, noticing that he acted strangely, determined,
tin- the child toe watch him. Towards
midnight, an Indian boy arrived on horseback, with
an order from his father, who had been employed by
Curtis, for some provisions. Curtis told the hoy to
put up his pony for the night, and desired his wife to
make a shake-down for the lad This done, he walked
out on the veranda in front of the house followed by
Ifra Curtis, lit his pipe, took a few whiffe, and fell
back on the grass. His wife ran to 1 ance. A
premonition, however, told her that it was in vain. The
last flutter of life was visible ; a moment more and
she stood in the visible presence of death ; her husband
had passed from the seen into the unseen, from the
hadow into the light that lies beyond. She
at once despatched the Indian lad for a doctor, and
woke up the children and neighbors. Being a promi-
nent freemason, the brothers of the craft, amongst
whom were Charley Mair, Sandie Anderson and Charlie
16
HISTORY Of M LNTTOBA.
House, took charge of the remains and had them in-
terred with masonic rites at St. Mary's cemetery. Here
they remained till 1«sn4. when they were taken up
and reinterred in our west end cemetery, where a
beautiful marble motrament marks his last resting-
place.
About this time also, an Indian who had been
stealing horses, tailing and selling the carcasses for
moose meat, was heard, while in a state of intoxication,
to make a boast of it. stating that he only lacked two
of having killed ten. most of them belonging to the
Portage settlement. Assome of the finest horses owned
by the settlers had mysteriously disappeared without
their being able to find any trace of them, feeling
ran high on the subject, and a warrant was issued by
the council for his arrest. A constable was at once
despatched, and the Indian arrested at Cram Creek.
He was brought into the Portage and tried before a
jury in Hudson's house, found guilty, and sentenced
to be hung on an oak tree that grew in front of Fred
Bird's old place. Exception being taken to the severity
of the sentence by John Garrioch and others of the
settlers, who contended that the council had no power
to take away life, it was agreed to send him down to
Fort Garry, to take his trial before the court of Assini-
boia. He was detained a prisoner in the house where
he received his trial. Fred Burr, a trader from Poplar
Point, and John McLean were placed guard over him
for the night. His arms were placed across his breast
and tied. During the night he managed to loosen the
rope with his teeth, and was endeavoring to raise the
history OF MANITOBA. 239
window and escape. McLean, who had been watching
his inov touched Burr, who was half-asleep,
and patting the revolver that lay at his side whispered,
"Let him try it." The Indian, hearing McLean whisper,
knew that his game was up, that his efforts to escape
bad been observed, and preferred remaining a prisoner
to being shot in bie exit through the window. He
was immediately re-pinioned, thia time with his hands
behind his back, and in such a manner as made it
impossible for him to loosen them. He was sent down
to Fort Garry next day in charge of two constables,
one of whom was Charles Curtis, and lodged in the
gaol there. Bat it appears the door was never locked
on him, and he made his escape, reaching the Poi i
before the constables. An order for his re-arrest was
d some months later from Port I farrj, and twenty-
men mounted on horseback went south of the
riyer to the sugar bush, in search of him. But the
bird had flown, and was leisurely rusticating north at
Lake Manitoba.
Prom an old book in the possession of Mrs. Frederick
Bird, I am enabled to give my readers an insight into
the COUrtS of those early days. The following is a
verbatim copy of the docket for January 7th, 1869 :
Tihritobv of Manitoba, I «
Quarterly Coubt. j & '**■
Court convened af W. Hodgson's house, January
7th, A.D. 1869, at 9 a.m.
I M )CKET.
1. Dan. Shea j
tw. Action for money.
James Ash am. j
240 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Po-tponed — brought back- postponed again to the
next court for want of evidence — brought back
in- verdict for plaintiff for E8 ana costa of
suit. Court orders an execution to be issued.
Settled by the pari nit,
2. James Asham ^ . .. B .,
[ Action tor the recovery or pro-
John Spmee. j Pertv
Postponed — brought back and dismissed
3. John Span \
Action to recover property.
1". McLean. |
brought back— judgment against plaintiff
by default.
4. The Public. ) . ,. , . ...
' Action tor recovery ot public
K McLean. I property.
Judgment rendered in favor of defendant, and ordered
that F. McLean be paid ten shillings sterling for
the freight and storage on the property in his
hands, upon delivering the same to the treasurer.
Many and humorous are the episodes connected
with these old courts. Amongst the early litigants
who figured prominently in its sessions was & gentle-
man, still resident in the Portage, on whose shoulders
the hand of time is beginning to bear heavily, and
who has already been referred to in previous pages,
who in those early years kept a store and also acted
as a real estate agent. A valuable farm, about three
miles east of the town, now owned by Mr. Richardson,
was amongst the properties which this gentleman had
history OF fiCANITOBA. 241
to dispose of. A bargain was made between him and
a man by the name of Tom Hellia Shortly after the
elusion of the transaction, our friend of the first
part began to haul away the fence rails, Hellis,
ing word of it, came along to where the primary
owner was loading up, and asked him what lie was
doin. ppose I -.M you the farm. I did nc4
the said the Beller, and proceeded with the
*ork Belli _• that he did not mean to desist,
grappled with him in close quarters. The old
gent!. man, who generally wore bis hair long, came off
ad Hellis could do with
him almost what be pleased. While they were thus
struggling, our old friend's wife came along, and
ring Hellis with a revolver, -aid. - \\y G-b-o-o-d, if
ye hurt ma man J II shoot y<-.' The Bame gentleman
being bort time president of the council in the
ties, a communication waa sent to
him by A. <;. Bannatyne, tin- first postmaster at Fort
3 '■ aneni postal communication between the
■r place and the Portage. Receiving no reply, he
told some of the settlers, who interviewed the presi-
dent about the matter, who replied thus, "What be he /
only a postmaster, I'm Governor of the Porta
In 1868 the Canadian Government, on hearing 0f
the distress in Red River, instructed Mr. Snow, a sur-
r, to proceed thither and open a road towards the
north-west angle of the Lake of the Woods. While
thus engaged, be agreed to purchase from the Indians
a block of land five miles square, at St. Anne's Point
(Du Chien), giving them flour, pork and drink in
242 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
exchange for the same. The half-breeds, considering
that they were entitled to the land, part of which had
been already numbered and claimed, at once lodged
information with the local government Snow was
at once brought before the courts, charged with selling
Liquor to the Indians, and fined 660. The discontent
caused by thifl transaction was so great that Snow and
hia paymaster, Charlie Mair (now of Prince Albert),
were for i time compelled to leave the locality. Mair,
who had been corresponding for the Toronto Globe, did
not help maltere any, m hia tetteri abounded with
naive allnsionfl to the native character, which raised
such a storm of indignation about his ears that he was
only allowed to remain in the Province through the
intervention of Governor McTavish, and on apologizing
to the leading half-breeds and promising to write no
more letters of such a nature. Snow was permitted
to resume his duties after satisfying the half-breeds
that he would content himself with doing the work
ordered by the Government. The manipulation of the
government stores by the officials in charge is spoken
of to this day as a piece of wholesale jobbery. The
Government intended the employees and poor people
to receive their provisions at cost. Instead of follow-
ing out their orders in this respect, employees were
charged from £3 12s. to £5 per barrel of flour, which
they should have had at £3. Some employees received
orders on a store kept by Dr. Schultz, which were
afterwards cashed by Dr. Bown, and a wholesale sys-
tem of jobbery indulged in, discreditable to all con-
cerned, and which latterly nearly cost Snow his life.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 243
In his deposition before the Government on May '21,
L874, CoL Dennis implicated Dr. Schuliz as being con-
cerned with Snow in the land transaction referred to.
In L868Sii ELCartierand Eon. William Mc-
Dougall were, by an order in council, appointed com-
missioners to proceed to England and put themselves
in communication with the Imperial Government and
the Qudson Bay authorities, with ;i view to the
acquisition by Canada of Rupert's Land, and to arrange
for the admission of tin- North- West Territories. They
sailed for the above country on the 3rd of October,
L868. The first proposition of the Hudson Bay Com-
pany was that they should relinquish the right of
government and claim to the land, but retain a royalty
interest in tin- land and mines, as well as certain reser-
vations for hunting, and some trading privileges. This
the commissioners declined t<> entertain, urging that
whatever arrangements were made must be conclc
and that all right of title to the land must he abso-
lutely relinquished by the company, as well as the
exclusive right <>t" trading, fishing, and other privi-
leges.
While these negotiations were going on, the Disraeli
Government, winch was in power, was defeated, and
in the changes which ensued Karl Granville was
appointed Secretary of State for the Colonies. On
the 18th of January, 1<S0!>, negotiations were again
resumed, and concluded by the 9th of March, which
were as follows: That the Dominion Government
should pay the Hudson Bay Company £300,000 on
the surrender of their rights to the Imperial Govern-
841 BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
men t, and thai the Imperial Government Bhonld, within
nth of such trai transfer the same to
Canada : the company retaining certain reservation*
of land in the vicinity of their posts, which were
ondercc a, and two sections in each survi
township, amounting to about one-twentieth of the
A pamphlet published this year showed the corn-
own ah ".000 acres in the fertile belt
preliminar . hill was passed by
which tl rial Government agreed to guarantee
a loan of 6300,000, to pay the Hudson Bay Company*
("i condition in requirements being complied
with by the Dominion Government, the date of trans-
fer being fi the 1st of I tetober, 18<
Preparations were at once begun by the Dominion
authorities for this event* and to take advantage of the
to survey t lie lines of the townships
which it was proposed to divide the Red River
■nunt. Col. J. S. Dennis was directed by Hon.
Wm. McBougall, Minister of Public Works, to proceed
to the above, and prepare a plan for laying out said
townships. After consulting with the United States
and the ( frown Lands 1 Apartment of Canada, Dennis
submitted his report, and on the 4th of October
received an order to proceed with his survey.
lifficulty having arisen with the Home Gov-
ernment respecting the paying over of the £300,000 '
to the Hudson Bay Company, the date of transfer
was postponed two months later on, to the 5th of
December. Meanwhile the Dominion Government
pushed its preparations.
^Sutherl^'
< .i:< il'l' <>l" I' \ IM V S5KTT1 HP!
BISTOBI OF MANITOBA. 2 k7
On the 28th of September, by an order in council, the
Bon.Wm. KcDougal] was appointed Lieutenant-Gover-
nor of the North-Wt >t Territories, at a salary of
10 per annum, and instructed to proceed at once
to Fort Garry and put himself in communication with
rn >r ticTavish, of the Hudson Bay Company, at
place.
Mr. IfeDougal] reached Pembina on the 30th of
October, accompanied by Ins family, A. \. Richards,
the Attorney I I, and .1. A. M. Provencher, Secre-
tary, and I 'apt. ( !amerorj ; as also 800 rifles and plenty
of ammunition.
Here he found a half-breed who had been awaiting
arrival for several days, and who served 1dm
with a formal notice toquit the territory. Disregard-
ing this protest, he pushed two miles farther to the
Hudson Day poet; from here he forwarded to the
Secretary of State a report on the condition of the
dosing in the same despatch Col. Dennis'
account of his reception by the French half-breeds,
and the feeling of the people anent bis reception as
Lieutenant-4 tavernor.
Prom this document, it would appear that while a
surveying party under Mr. Webb were running a base
line between townships six and seven, Riel, accom-
panied by about twenty French half- breeds, approached
the party and ordered them to desist, as the property
they were surveying belonged to French half-breeds,
saying that they would not allow it to be surveyed
by the Canadian Government, and that they must at
once retire from the south side of the Assiniboine.
248 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
During the altercation no violence was used, Riel
and a few of his men simply stepping on the chain.
Mr. Webb, though Beeing n<> arms <>n tbe French party,
thought it prudent to niire at once, reporting the
situation to GoL Dennis, who Applied to the Hudson
authoriti »vernor IfcTavish and Dr. Cowan
at onoe interviewed Ki<-1 anent the matter, who replied
that the Canadian Government had no right to pro-
ceed with the snrveyi without the consent of the
half-brec
th( r Leatang, who had charge of the St. Boniface
Mission during the absence of Bishop (now Arch-
bishop) Tache, who at that time was on his way to
attend the (Ecumenical Council at Rome, was appealed
to. Lestang declined to interfere, lest by doing so
the influence of the Church over the people should be
lessened.
Dennis went on further to say that meetings of the
disaffected half-breeds had been held at various places,
notably at the house of John Bruce, where resolutions
were passed to resist, by force if necessary, McDou-
gall's entrance into the territory ; that an armed
force of about forty French half-breeds had gathered
at the River Salle, on the road between Fort Garry
and Pembina ; also that another body under Riel was
camped at Scratching River, nearer the boundary, for
that purpose. Col. Dennis concluded his report by
saying that the attitude of the English-speaking
colonists was that, though they had every confidence
in the future government of the country under Cana-
dian rule, and were prepared to accept the new admin-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 249
istration, even though it had been made up in Canada
without ever consul ting them as a people — a fact which
they regretted, and which certainly was the cause of
the trouble on the part of the French — that they
were not prepared to face an issue with these people,
with whom they had hitherto lived in friendship,
hacked up as that issue would he by the Church of
Rome and the Indians; that as the Dominion Gov-
ernment had been the cause of this trouble, they alone
should assume the* responsibility of establishing what
and they alone had decided : that they were
willing, should the Council make an appeal to the
settlement, to meet unarmed and escort the Hon. Win.
M< l)ougall to Fort Garry, and show to the French
party under arms that they were opposed to the pre-
sent threatening movement assumed by them towards
McDougall.
< >n Learning tie- attitude of the French towards him,
licDougall remained at the Hudson Bay post, waiting
a reply from Governor MoTavish by Mr. Provencher,
whom he had despatched with a message. Provencher
was stopped at Scratching River, and sent back under
escort, with the warning that none of his party would
be allowed to proceed to Bed River.
I >n the Lai of December, Col. Dennis and Wm. Hal-
lett, by making tour of the prairie, avoiding
the French stationed at Scratching River, reached
the Hudson Bay post at Pembina, from Fort Garry,
and reported that the French were very excited and
that the Hudson Bay authorities were either powerless
or disinclined to take any steps to secure McDougall's
850 HISTORY OF MANlTiUlA.
entrance into Fort Garry. On the 2nd of November,
a party of fourteen men approached the post, and
warned IfcDougall to leave \<>t complying with
this notice, they renewed the warning nexi morning,
Ing that unless he and his party the post
hy nine o'clock they would not answer tor their lives,
and showing by other military preparations that they
• prepared to put the threat into execution;
IfcDougall deemed it wise to retire at once to United
States territory, whither be was esourted by a party
ranch, wlm. when they reached the post that
marks the 49th parallel, stopped, aud addressing Mr.
IfcDougall in Preach, said: " Fori mUS< nol return
ad this line."
About this time Minors began to be circulated at Fort
Garry that tie- insurgents intended to take possession
of the fort, of which the authorities were duly warned
by Sergeant Mulligan, Chief of the Police at Fort
Garry, and others-. Mulligan urged Dr. Cowan to call
out a number of the special constables, as also the pen-
sioners, for its defence. NO notice, however, was taken
of these warnings by Governor McTavi-h.
The mails which passed at this time were also inter-
cepted. All letters for tho^e favorable to Canada
were stopped, and a general surveillance exercised
over all matter coming to the settlement. This
occasioned great trouble in getting reliable informa-
tion as to the true state of matters.
CHAPTER XII.
BbeUkn of 1870 Kel and Governor MoTavish
Counci]
a and McDougaU &
i1 \ Smith
©of Scbultz Second Bffloi l; p rnment
°N &«*fcen , of November a Force of
armed men, to the Dumber of about one hundred
: H>Proaching • ry Erom the Etiver Salle
Road. They walked through the open gates, and pro-
r once t() bille( roughout the
vari,,u^ h"]: '■«• fori Appoaching Kiel, Dr.
an said, "What do yon want ben with all those
ed men ' • We have oome to guard the I
Wei "Against whom," said Dr. (Wan.
fast an enemy," said Kiel. The French at once pro-
ceeded to exchange their shot-guns for Enfield rifles,
1 t1"- - Bard, and placed the cannon
in position Eaving plenty of ammunition and small
arms, as also provisions and stores sufficient to last the
winter, they felt themselves masters of the situation,
and that the first grand act in the great drama of
llion had been consummated
Four days after occupying the fort, Riel walked
down to the office of the Ntf-WeaUr, to which we
have referred in the earlier pages, and directed Walter
Bohn, the proprietor, to print a proclamation, which
Bohn refused to do. He w* at once made a prisoner.
252 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
and a guard placed over the office, while the proclama-
tion was printed under the supervision of James
At this juncture, Riel was joined by \V. B. O'Dono-
vrho assumed the duties of treasurer, and who, at
this time, occupied the position of teacher in the
Roman Catholic school at St. Boniface; as also private
tutor to Governor McTavish's children, and who
began at once to collect the usual four per cent,
imposed on all men-ham foe, as was the custom with
the EndflOO Bay Company; also inspecting all goods
coming from the United States. He also seized
ral single and double buffalo hunting gone, with a
(juantity of ammunition, which was a severe loss to
the owners, who could obtain no redress, as " might
was right."
O'Donohue also, in a letter addressed to the Speaker
of the House of Commons, of the 26th of February,
1875, sayfl the insurrection was advised by Governor
Wm. McTavish, who, with other officers of the Hudson
Bay Company, also aided and abetted it from its incep-
tion to the very day it ceased to exist; that Riel
was in constant communication with Governor
McTavish, and in many cases under his instructions ;
that he (Governor McTavish) fully recognized the
provisional government; that Donald A. Smith, on
arriving at Fort Garry, recognized the government in
his own hearing, and, with Governor McTavish, was
Riel's adviser. During his stay in the fort, and after
the departure of both these from the country, Riel
continued to hold counsel with John McTavish, who
then represented the Hudson Bay Company.
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 253
The capture of the fort, with the seizure of the
arms, showed the Canadians that the aim of the
French was to establish a government by force if
necessary. A numerously signed petition was pre-
sented Governor IffcTavish, urging him to issue a
proclamation calling upon the insurgents to lay down
their arms. This was presented on the 12th.
Though unwilling I time the proclamation of
. which ran as follow
u Public notice to the inhabitants of Rupert's Land.
— The President and representatives of the French-
speaking population of Rupert's Land in council (the
invaders of our rights being now expelled), already
*war mpathy, do extend the hand of friend-
ship to you. our fellow friendly inhabitants, and in so
doing, do hereby invite you to send twelve rep
from the following pla John's, I ; II
ingly, l : >r. Mary's, 1 ; St. Clement's, I ; St Paul's, 1 ;
St- M I: Kil.ionan, I ; St. An-
,ln'v- l : Winnipeg or Fort Garry, 2,
in order to form one body with the above council,
consisting of twelve memben rider the present
political state of this country, and to adopt such
may be best fitted for the future welfare
of the same.
A meeting of the above council will be held at the
"ii Thursday, the sixteenth day of
ember, at which the invited representatives will
ttd.
I \j order of the President,
"Louis Riel.
"Four Gabby, Nov. 6th, 1869."
-"•I- HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
with the hope that they might influence the con-
vention to good purpose, they finally agreed to send
the following delegates to represent their interests:
EnGLISB RfXMBEBa
t Garry— H. F. Kenny, II. F. O'Lone.
Kildonaa — James I Joss.
St. John's — Maurice Luuman.
St. Paul's— Dr. Bird
St. Andrew's — 1 km. < Num.
I Stamen! i, Bonn,
St. Peter's Benry Prince.
St. James' — Robert Tait.
St. Ann's — George Gunn.
Headin-ly— Win. Tait.
Portage la Prairie — John Garrioch.
French Mi:mi;i:ks.
St. Francis Xavier — Francois Dauphinas, Pierre
Poitras, Pierre Laviellier.
St. Boniface— W. B. O'Donohue.
St. Vital — Andre Beauchemin, Pierre Paranteau.
St. Norbert — Baptiste Lowron, Louis Lacerte.
St. Anne's — Charles Nolin, Jean Baptiste Perrault.
John Bruce, President.
Louis Riel, Secretary.
The convention was held in the court-house, and
was guarded by one hundred and fifty of the insur-
gents, armed. This unusual precaution so worked on
the feelings of one of the English-speaking delegates
(Maurice Lowman) that he returned home.
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 255
The first day's business was occupied by the reading
of Governor McTavish's proclamation, which was a
weak production, regarded by the English as a farce, by
the French as certainly a weak show of authority, and
which had do influence on those whom it concerned,
and i protest on the part of the English members
against carrying arms.
The 18th and 19th, being quarterly court days, the
convention was adjourned till the 22nd, when they
again met, and a lengthy discussion Followed on the
advantages to be gained by union with Canada. After
dragging it- way for several hours without coming to
any definite conclusion, an English representative rose,
and proposed that the French lay down their arms,
and thai IfcDougal] be allowed to enter the territory,
that all parties might be enabled to lay their griev-
ances before him and seek redress. At this bus
tion Kiel rose excitedly, and said that McDougall
would never enter the territory, either as a pri
citizen or governor. This broke up the convention
for the day.
The following morning the French seised the books
and records of the Council of Assiniboia, and, at the
meeting of the representatives, declared it their inten-
tion to form a provisional government, which the
English delegates averred was a question they could
not < without consulting their constituents, and
the convention stood adjourned till the 1st of Decem-
ber.
Strange to say, at the quarterly court, though several
criminal cases were disposed of, no reference was
17
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
ma«le whatever to the occupation of the fort and other
unwarrantable act- committed by Riel and his asso-
Bitherto the French had matlc no attempt to
usurp the Budson Bay authority, but on the 24th,
Riel tut. red the office of Roger Goulet, Collector of
Customs, and t<>.«k possession of all books, papers, cash
an<l due-hilla Be also attempted to take possession of
good ing to the Canadian Government, which
stored on the premises of Dr. Schultz, over which
he placed a guard An opportunity occurring, the
ized and the door secured ; Riel, to enforce
his demand, brought out two cannon, and pointing
them at the D fetor's place, threatened to demolish it
if the goods were not given up. But Schultz refused
to do so. Riel, not desirous of being the first to open
fire, allowed the matter to drop for the time being.
During this and the meeting of the delegates on the
1st of December, an effort was made to induce Riel
and his followers to accept a medium course, namely,
to allow the Hudson Bay Company to rule until
matters c raid be arranged ; and that a deputation repre-
senting all shades of opinion be appointed to confer
with McDougall at Pembina. Riel pretended to be
favorable to this course, while at the same time he was
secretly seeking by false reports to incense the French
element against McDougall and Canadian rule.
On the 1st of December the delegates again met,
and the English representatives found the proposi-
tion to refer the matter to McDougall utterly dis-
regarded. A Bill of Rights was prepared, many points
in which they dissented from, and was carried by
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 287
a targe majority. After making another unsuccessful
attempt to confer with McDougall, they retired to
their homes in disgust, feeling aa if by their presence
had given a color of unanimity to proceedings
which might be conducive of very grave results.
The following is the Bill in detail :
1. The right to elect our own legislature.
2. The legislature to have power to pass all laws
to the territory over the veto of the executive by
a two-thirds vote.
3. No act of the Dominion Parliament (local to this
territory) to be binding on the people until sanctioned
by their representatives.
4. All sheriffs, magistrates, constables, to be elected
by the people ; a free homestead and pre-emption law.
A portion of the public lands to be appropriated
to the benefit of schools, the building of the roads,
bridges, and parish buildings.
6. A guarantee to connect Winnipeg by rail with
the nearest line of railway, the land grant for such
road or roads to be subject to the legislature of the
territory.
7. For four years the public expenses of the terri-
tory, civil, military and municipal, to be paid out of
the Dominion treasury.
B. The military to be composed of the people now
existing in the territory.
9. The French and English languages to be common
in the legislature and council, and all public documents
and acts of the legislature to be published in both
language
258 HI8T0BI OF MANITOBA.
10. That the judge of the superior court speak both
French and English.
11. Treaties to be concluded and ratified between
the Government and several bribes of Indians of this
territory calculated t<> insure peace in future.
LI That all privily >ms and usages existing
at the time of the transfer be respected.
18. That these rights be guaranteed by Mr. Mc-
Dougall before he be admitted into this territory.
14. If he have not the power himself to grant
them, he must get an Act of Parliament passed
expr raring as the rights, and until such Act
be obtained he mu>t stay outside the territory.
16. That we have full and fair representation in the
Dominion Parliament.
The first of December also being the day appointed
for the transfer of the country by the Imperial to the
Canadian Government, McDougall,who with his family
and suite had been residing at Pembina, watching
anxiously the progress of events, issued a proclamation
announcing his appointment as Lieutenant-Governor
of the North-West, not knowing that the Canadian
Government had delayed the completion of the trans-
fer in view of the unfortunate position of affairs in
the country — by this means making himself a laugh-
ing-stock to the insurgents, who knew that no transfer
had been effected. At the same time he issued a
lengthy commission authorizing Col. J. S. Dennis, his
lieutenant and conservator of the peace, giving him
powers to raise, arm and equip troops for that
purpose.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 259
Armed with this commission, Dennis proceeded to
Fort Garry, where he put himself in communication
with the friends of law and order, Taking possession of
the lower fort, he appointed officers in the different
I';iri ; began enrolling names. At first there
dderable enthusiasm among the English half-
breeds. Henry Prince, with his hand of Indians, also
volunteered, and very soon he had abont four hundred
men enrolled throughout the various parishes,
A report spreading that McDougall was enrolling
Indians to fight the French. caused a wave of indigna-
tion from the people of the Dakota and Minnesota
boundaries, who did not appreciate the horrors of an
Indian war. This called from McDougall a repudia-
tion to the effect that the Government had no inten-
tion of employing Indians far that purpose. As an
effect of this repudiation, and a feeling of lukewarm-
supplanting early enthusiasm many of the volnn-
sing men of means, began to realize the
fact that in the coming struggle they would be the
first to suffer. Dennis, finding that the project for
raising troops to secure and preserve the peace was
impracticable under existing circumstances, and his own
Commission worthless in view of the fact that no
official notification of the transfer had been made,
abandoned the attempt. Before retiring to Pembina,
however, he received a promise from Riel to confer
with McDougall, which promise Riel never intended
to fulfil, his aim being to get Dennis to cease enrolling
men. Dennis, finding the situation getting hot, and
without sufficient military force to fall back upon,
2G0 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
determined to vacate Red River ; and in order to
escape capture by Riel dressed himself as a squaw, and
was taken, pel dog train, to Portage la Prairie by Wm.
Drever, thence to Pembina, where he returned with
McDougall to Canada, leaving Pembina on the 18th of
I I vmber.
On the breaking up of the convention Riel, who
had heard th.it lleDougall's proclamation was being
printed at the office of the X"/- Wester, went down
to arrest Mr. Bonn, the proprietor, and take possession
of the otlicv. but in this case he was too late. The
proclamation had been printed, and was in process of
circulation, affording occupation for his armed guards,
who patrolled the street later on in the evening to
tear them down from where they had been posted.
This same evening he visited Dr. Schultz's house with
the intention of arresting the Doctor, whom, above all
others, he dreaded. The attempt, however, only suc-
ceeded in alarming Mrs. Schultz, who was an invalid,
the Doctor having gone to the lower fort to confer
with Colonel Dennis.
Excitement ran high in the town that evening ;
Canadians were placed under surveillance, and a feeling
of insecurity pervaded the entire place. About fifty
Canadians, who had enrolled under Colonel Dennis,
proceeded to Dr. Schultz's house to protect the stores of
the Canadian Government ; and, though imperfectly
armed, endeavored to put the place, which was soon in
a state of siege by Riel, in the best defence possible.
Several times a collision seemed inevitable ; both
parties, however, seemed anxious to avoid firing the
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 261
first gun. For three days they remained there, hoping
that Colonel Dennis would he able to raise a force to
relieve them, who, finding that be could not possibly
dose hrd a messenger named Stewart Mulkins,
with instructions for them to Leave Winnipeg and go
to Kildonan <chool-house, and to be careful to avoid
being the first to open fire, Mulkins was captured, and
the information contained in the despatch gave Kiel
increased confidence. Exhausted hy watching day
and night, as also cut oft' from wood and water, the
little force began to fear tl rateness of their
position, and determined to cut their way out on the
following day, when Lepine, lioran and A. G. B. Ban-
natyne were seen approaching them under a Hag of
truce, who informed them that Kiel knew that Dennis
had advised them to surrender, that if they would do
so and march up to the fort, they would be disarmed,
and allowed to go at liberty. Many of the < Canadians
doubted tin- sincerity of Kiel's proposal, but on being
assured by Bannatyne, the English Bpeaker of the
party, that the agreement would be faithfully kept
and their private property guaranteed, they agreed to
surrender. On arriving at the fort the gates were
closed, a feu de j&u fired in honor of the occasion,
and they found themselves prison
On the evening previous to this, Scott, Hallett and
Alex. McArthur, who were touched with the suffering
of the women and children, left Schultz's house, went
up to the fort unarmed, and asked Riel to allow the
women and children to he removed. Riel gave no
reply, save an order to his guards to have both Scott
history OF KANTTOBA.
and flallett imprisoned, which was immediately done.
The following are the names of the prisoners : Dr.
Schultz, Arthur Hamilton, Win. .!. Davis, J. B. Hames,
G. 1> ir, K. 1\ Meade, Henry Wood in ton, W. J.
Allen, Thos. Langman, L W. Archibald, Matthew
is, Robt. B. Smith, A.R. Chiaholm, T. C. Mugridge,
.1. H. A-hdown, J. H. Stocks, Mr-. Mair, Dr. Lynch,
Geo. Foilteney, Wm. Graham, Win. Nummins, Wm.
Kitaon, John Ferguson, Wm. Spice, Thos. Lusted, E.
E. Palmer, Archibald Wright, James 0. Kent, John
Eclles, (; ,1. A. W. Graham, John Hallett, Mrs.
O'Donnell, James Stewart, D. A. Campbell, Dr. O'Con-
nell, W. V. Hyman. James Mulligan, Charles Garratt,
T. Franklin, H. Weightman, Geo. Berbar, Peter
Mc Arthur, J. M. Coombs, John Ivy, Geo. Millar, D.
Cameron, Mrs. Schultz.
Dr. Schultz, with the majority, was confined within
the walls, while Scott, with a few others, was thrown
into the Hudson Bay prison outside. That evening,
Riel and his court toasted the success qi their dupli-
city in Hudson Bay rum, getting outrageously drunk.
The following day, he issued a proclamation or declara-
tion of independence. On the 10th, the new white
flag of the provisional government fluttered on the
breeze from the flagstaff of the fort, on which was
interlaced the fleur delis of France with the shamrock
of Ireland.
The condition of the prisoners is well described by
G. D. Mc Vicar, who writes as follows : " On arriving
at Fort Garry, we were received by volleys of mus-
ketry, and imprisoned in three rooms. In these rooms
HISTORY <>r "MAM h 269
we were packed so close that we had to break the
windows to keep from suffocation. In one there was a
bed and table, and in that room the poor fellows found
themselves in the morning in a position something like
the following: seven on the bed, two under it, two un< lev
the table, and the remaining spaee literally packed
with human beings. One man slept all night hanging
on the bed-post. We were fed on petnmiean and tea
lirty-eight, myself included, were removed
to Fort Garry gaol, the worst indignity of all. The
mall, and unhealthy — a narrow hall
and m.\ cells, I by nine, filthy in the extreme,
and crawling with vermin. Wrvr I remained until [
escaped with four others, putting in existence as best
could."
The position of the colony was now an interesting
one. Riel, without striking a blow or shedding one
drop of blood, was master of the situation. Col. Dennis
and MeDougall had returned to Canada. He had up-
ward- of sixty British political prisoners in close con-
finement, amongst whom were persons whose influence
and personal bravery he feared most. The fort, with
large supplies of ammunition, stores, etc., was under
his control. His armed guards patrolled the streets in
the eveni: Canadian suspects not imprisoned
were placed under surveillance. Security for per-
sonal or other property there was none. Such was
the condition of matters when, on the morning of the
10th, he unfurled the flag of the provisional govern-
ment. His enemies practically under his feet, he
turned his attention to the administration of public
BISTORT of MANITOBA.
affairs. John Bruce resigned the presidency, which
was assumed by Kiel ; Lepine was appointed Ad-
jutant -General ; Bannatyne, Postmaster- General ;
( >'l >onohue continuing as Treasurer. Councillors were
appointed, who met daily to confer on public matters.
Dr. Schultzs goods were taken possession of, under an
edict of confiscation, by the council, and a strong effort
made to win over the neighboring Indians to join the
Insurgents, which Ceiled, becanee of the only bit of
ralship done by McDougall while residing at
Pembina. He authorized Joseph Monk man, an English
half-breed, who had considerable influence with the
Indians, to visit their camps, explain the position, and
urge them to remain faithful to the Great Mother over
tin- sea. So successful was Monkman in his mission
that not an Indian joined the standard of the rebels.
His position being tolerably secured, and desirous of
having an organ through which to express his will,
Riel purchased, on the 22nd of December, from William
Caldwell, the Red River Pioneer, which, from its
inception, had been published in the interests of the
Hudson Bay Company, paying for it that same after-
noon with funds seized from the accountant of the
company.
The Canadian authorities, on receiving McDougall's
despatch, at once opened communication with the Sec-
retary of State, at the Colonial Office in London (by
telegraph), advising him from time to time regarding
affairs in the North-West. They also put themselves
in communication with parties who were supposed
to have influence with the insurgent element. Amongst
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 265
these were Vicar-General Thibault, who had been over
thirty years in the North- Wot, Col. De Salaherry,
as also Donald A. Smith, chief agent of the Hudson
Bay Company at Montreal. These all accepted a
ion for the purpose of effecting peace. Mr. Smith
empowered by special commission to inquire into
all grievances, and to report on the best means of
removing them. A proclamation was also issued by
the Governor-General, Lord Lisgar, authorised by
the Colonial Office, proclaiming amnesty to all who
immediately dispersed To further insure success, the
authorities at Ottawa opened communication with
Bishop Tache, then' in Rome, through his brother,
the Bishop of Bimonski, who was also in the II«>ly
City, asking if he would be willing to leave Rome
and proceed at <>nce to Red River, knowing that he,
if any, could wield an intluence over the insurgents
for good. On receiving an affirmative reply, he was
i by despatch to leave at once. The first of these
commissioners who arrived at Fort Garry was Vicar-
General Thibault, who reached the village on the 20th.
Mr. Smith followed on the 27th, while De Salaberry
remained at Pembina several days. Mr. Smith, not
knowing what kind of a reception he would receive,
left his commission and other papers at Pembina.
" Reaching the fort," he says, " we found the gate
open, but guarded by several armed men. On desiring
to be shown to Governor McTavish's house, I was re-
quested to wait till they could communicate with
their chief. In a short time, Riel appeared. I an-
nounced my name. He said he had heard of my arrival
HISTORY of MANITOBA. 267
at Pembina, and was about to send a party to bring
me. I accompanied him to a room occupied by ten or
twelw in. mi. whom lie introduced to me as members
of the provisional government Requesting to know
the purport of my visit. I replied that I was connected
with tiic Bndson Bay Company, hut also held a com-
mission from the Canadian Government to the people
of the Red River, and would produce my credentials
as soon as they, the people, were willing to receive me
I was then asked to take oath not to attempt to leave
the fort that night, and not to npeet the government
legally established. This I refused to do, adding that
being very tired, 1 had no desire to go outside the gate
that night, and promised to take no Immediate forcible
steps to upset the so-called provisional government,
legal or i « it might be, without announcing my
Intention to do so Etiel taking exception to the word
Illegal, which ! Insisted on retaining, O'Donohue, to
get over the difficulty, remarked, "That is, is I under-
Aning myself): to which I replied, " Pn-
y so." I took up my quarters in one of the houses
occupi.-d by the Hudson Bay officers, and from that
date till the close of February was virtually a prisoner
within the fort. I was permitted to go outside the
walls for exercise, accompanied by two armed guards:
a privilege of which I never availed myself."
On the 5th of January, 1870, Col. De Salaberry
arrived at the fort. Two days later the first issue of
the New Nation, Riel's official organ, came out, edited
by Robinson, an American. In a leader headed " Our
Policy," the following pertinent remarks appear :
268 HISTORY Off MANITOBA.
" Something as to our policy will be expected from us
in this Dumber, .ml we prooeed briefly to define our
ion. In common with the majority of this settle-
ment, we regard the Hudson Bay government as
obsolete end never to be resuscitated The Dominion
rernment, by its criminal blunders end gross injus-
tice to thifl people, lias forever alienated them, and by
their forfeiture of all right to our respect will prevent
us in future from either seeking or permitting its
protection.
" The Imperial Government we consider to be too far
distent to intelligently administer our affairs. The
rion arises, then, what form of government is best
adapted for the development of this country ? and we
reply unhesitatingly, that the United States Republic
s us to-day that system of government which
would best promote order and progress in our midst
and open up rapidly a country of magnificent resources;
but in our present dependent position we cannot obtain
what we need in that direction, and hence we will
hold it to be our duty to advocate independence for
the people of Red River as a present cure for public
ills. Our annexation to the United States will follow
in time, and bring with it the advantages this land
requires."
The arrival of D. A. Smith also was noticed, but not
as a commissioner to treat with the people, simply
stating that he had come to assist Governor McTavish
during his illness, in the management of the company's
affairs.
On the 9th of January, Thomas Scott, Charlie Mair
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 269
an<l W. T. Hyman, with several others, broke the gaol
and escaped Seven were recaptured Scott and
Hair reached Portage la Prairie; but Hyman, losing
his way, and the Qight being extremely cold, walked
till his feet were frozen, when be took refuge in a
bona wier of which informed Kiel, and Hyman
was recaptured and lodged in the prison inside the
walls of the fort, where Dr. Schultz and others were
confined.
After about three weeks' enforced residence at the
Rial approached Mr. Smith with reference to his
commission, desiring to see it; to know whether he had
authority or not to offer or accept terms with the
people. Smith informed him that he had left his
paper> at Pembina, bat that he would send a friend for
thnn if he would irive him an opportunity to address
tie- people, to which Riel i. and the messenger
a once despatched Kiel endeavored to get poe
sion of the papers before they reached Smith, who
now kept a dose prisoner, not being allowed to
speak to any one. The papers being forthcoming, a
ting was, with some difficulty on tin- part of Riel,
arranged for the 19th, at which the commission and
proclamation would be read. On the day appointed a
large concourse of people assembled There being no
puhlic building large enough to hold them, it was
determined to hold the meeting in the open air ; and
though the thermometer ranged twenty degrees below
the proceedings were kept up till nightfall, and
renewed the next day, owing to the reading of the
papers not being completed
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
The first day the business was very much interrupted
on frivolous points by Riel.
Mr. Smith began his address by requesting the
chairman and those near him to insist that all arms
should be laid down, and also the flag of the provisional
government pulled down and replaced by the Union
.lack. The chairman replied to Smith that that would
come better at an after stage. On the second day the
D lance was still larger. After all the documents
had been submitted to the people, Rid moved, seconded
by Bannatyne, that twenty Kn-lish representatives
be elected to meet a like number of French, to consider
object of Mr. Smith's commission and decide what
would be best for the welfare of the country.
Considerable di -tion was felt by the English
half-breeds and loyal French, who regarded it Mr.
Smith's first duty as commissioner to request the release
of all the British prisoners imprisoned without a just
cause, many of whom were known to be suffering
terribly from incarceration in a crowded room and
fetid dens of the prison ; also to demand the pulling
down of the fleurde lis and shamrock, and its replace-
ment by the Union Jack.
On the 23rd of January, Dr. Schultz, who suspected
from the whispering of the guards that his death by
shooting had been determined upon by Riel, resolved
to escape: A small gimlet and penknife had been con-
veyed to him ; a clever stratagem on the part of his
faithful wife. Sunday being very cold and dark, he
set to work, and after eight hours' labor had made a
hole large enough to squeeze through. Previous to
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 271
this, h». had cut his buffalo robe into strips; placing
/unlet firmly inside, he fastened his strips to it and
let himself down into the inner court. Before reaching
o
the ground the -trips broke, precipitating him on to the
"'neath and seriously injuring his leg. With con-
siderable pain he climbed the outer wall and threw
himself from the top, landing in a snow-drift formed
by the angle of the wall and bastion. Though wry
lame, he succeeded in making his way through the
Tillage to KiMunan, where he was kindly received and
I for under the friendly roof of Robert McBeth.
The night being very cold. Kiel's guards were too com-
fortable indoors to venture out, while the drifting snow
covered up immediately the refugee's footprints.
On discovering in the morning that his much-
dreaded prisoner had I Kiel Sent horsemen in
all possible directions to recapture him. His fellow-
prisoners, judging from the excitement among the
guards that Schultz had escaped, began to show their
feeling by indulging in songs, but Kiel put a ha
stop to their music by taking William Hallett.a much
eted half-breed, ironing him hand and foot, and
throwing him into that part of the prison from which
the Doctor had escaped. The New Nation, in comment-
ing on this incident, had the following: " It appears
the Doctor was confined in an upper room of one of
the buildings at the fort, closely attended by a guard ;
in the evening in question he requested the guard to
retire from the room while he changed his clothes.
The guard gone, the Doctor cut his robe into strips,
and having by some means procured a large gimlet
18
272 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
which he inserted into the wall below the window-sill,
he fastened the line to it and let himself down to the
ground. Two st Lttem were seen about the fort
late in the night, winch led to the supposition that his
pe was effected with the knowledge of some out-
side party. Bo this as it may. Certain it is that the
redoubtable Doctor is once more enjoying his rations
without having his potatoes progged with a bayonet,
and is permitted the luxury of a clean shirt-collar
without the ceremony of an examination for letters in
cipher."
On the 25th, the convention arranged for at the
previous meeting met in the court-house, remaining
in session, with the exception of two days, till the 10th
of February. The following was the personnel :
English.
St. Peter's — Rev. H. Cochrane, Thomas Spence.
St. Clement's — Thomas Bunn, Alexander McKenzie.
St. Andrew's — Judge Black, Don. Gunn, sen., Alfred
Boyd.
St. Paul's— Dr. Bird.
Kildonan — John Fraser, John Sutherland.
St. John's — James Ross.
St. James'— George Flett, Robert Tait.
Headingly — John Taylor, William Lonsdale.
St. Mary's — Kenneth McKenzie.
St. Margaret's — William Cummins.
St. Ann's — George Gunn, David Spence.
Winnipeg — A. H. Scott.
bistort of manitoba. 273
French.
St. Paul's— M. Thibet, Alexander Pagee, Maquer
Birston.
St. Francois Xavier — Xavier Page, Pierre Poitras.
St. Charles'— A. McKay, I. F. Grant
St. Boniface— W. B. O'Donohue, A. Lepine, Joseph
Genti'n. Louis Schmidt
St. Vital — Louis Riel, A. Beauchemin.
St. Norbert — P. Parenteau, V. Larouche, B. Lowron.
Pointe Coupee — Louis Lacerte, P. Delorme.
Oak Point— Francis Nolin, C. Nolin.
Point a Girouette — George Klyne.
Judge Black was called to the chair, Caldwell and
Schmidt acting as secretaries while Riel and James
played the role of interpreters. The first day
nothing was don<\ owing to the absence of three of the
French members. On the third, • committee composed
of Thomas Bunn, James Ross, Dr. Bird, Louis Riel,
Louis Schmidt, and Charles Nolin, were appointed to
draft a Bill of Rights to be submitted to Donald A.
Smith. The bill was reported to the convention on
the 29th of January, and afterwards discussed, clause
by clause, occupying in this criticism up to the 5th of
February, when it was finally adopted, and presented
to Smith on the 7th. It was as folio*
Second Bill of Rights.
Adopted by the convention chosen by the people of
Red River, after the meeting with Donald A. Smith,
February 3rd, 1870.
2^4 HISTORY 01 MANITOBA.
1. That in view of the present exceptional position
of the North-West, duties upon goods imported into
the country shall continue as at present (except as in
the case of spirituous liquors) for three years, and for
such farther time as may elapse until there be unin-
terrupted railway communication between Red River
settlement and St. Paul, and also steam communication
between Red River settlement and Lake Superior.
2. As long as this country remains a territory in the
Dominion of Canada, there shall be no direct taxation,
such as may be imposed by the local legislatures, for
municipal or other purposes.
3. That during the time this country shall remain
in the position of a territory in the Dominion of
Canada, all military, civil and other public expenses
in connection with the general government of the
country, or that have hitherto been borne by the pub-
lic funds of the settlement, beyond the receipt of the
above-mentioned duties, be met by the Dominion of
Canada.
4. That while the burden of public expense in this
territory is borne by Canada, the country be governed
by a Lieutenant-Governor from Canada, and a legisla-
ture, three members of whom, being heads of depart-
ments of the Government, shall be nominated by the
Governor-General of Canada.
5. That after the expiration of this exceptional
period, the country shall be governed as regards its
local affairs, as the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec
are now governed, by a legislature elected l?y the
people, and a minister responsible to it, under a Lieu-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 275
tenant-Governor appointed by the Governor-General
of Canada.
6. That there shall be no interference by the
Dominion Government in the local affairs of this terri-
tory, other than is allowed in the other provinces, an-1
that this territory shall have and enjoy in all respects
the same privileges, advantages and aids. In meeting
the public expenses of the territory, as the other
provinces have and enjoy.
7. That while the North- West remains a territory
the legislature has the right to pass all laws local to
the territories, over the veto of the Lieutenant
ernor, by a two-thirds vote.
8. A homestead and pre-emption law.
9. That while the North-WesJ remains a territory
l' 000 a year be appropriated for sel
roads and bridges.
10. That all the public buildings be at the expense
of the Dominion treasury.
11. That there shall be guaranteed uninterrupted
steam communication to Lake Superior within five
years ; and also the establishment, by rail, of a connec-
tion with the American railway as soon as it reaches
the international line.
12. That the military force required in this country
imposed of natives of the country during four
years.
[Lost by a vote of 16 yeas to 23 nays, and conse-
quently struck out of the list.]
13. That the English and French languages be com-
mon in the legislature and courts, and that all public
276 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
documents and acts of the legislature be published in
both languages.
14. That the Judge of the Supreme Court speak the
French an<l English languages.
That treaties be concluded between the Domin-
ion and the several Indian tribes of the country as
soon as possible.
It;. That, until the population of the country entitles
us to more, we haw three representatives in the Cana-
dian Parliament, one in the Senate, and two in the
Legislative Assembly.
1 7. That all the properties, rights and privileges as
hitherto enjoyed by us be respected, and that the
recognition and arrangement of local customs, usages
and privileges be made under the control of the local
legislature.
18. That the local legislature of this territory have
full control of all the lands inside a circumference
having upper Fort Garry as a centre, and that the
radius of this circumference be the number of miles
that the American line is distant from Fort Garry.
19. That every man in the country (except uncivi-
lized and unsettled Indians) who has attained the age
of twenty-one years, and every British subject, a
stranger to this country, who has resided three years
in this country and is a householder, shall have the
right to vote at the election of a member to serve in
the legislature of the country, and in the Dominion
Parliament; and every foreign subject, other than a
British subject, who has resided the same length of
time in the country, and is a householder, shall have
history OF MANITOBA. 277
the same right to vote on condition of his taking the
oath of allegiance, it being understood that this article
be subject to amendment exclusively by the local
legislate
20. That the North- West Territory shall never be
held liable for any portion of the £300.000 paid to the
Hudson Bay Company or for any portion of the public
debt of Canada, as it stands at the time of our enter-
ing t ition; and if, thereafter, we be called
upon to assume our share of said public debt, we con-
sent <>nly on condition that we first be allowed the
amount for which we shall he held liable.
After examining the bill, Smith gave his reply, con-
clude Hows: "I have now on the part of the
Dominion Government, as authorized by them, to
invite the appointment by the residents of Red River,
ieet and confer with them at Ottawa, of a dele-
gation of two or more of the residents of Red River
as they may think best, the delegation to confer
with the Government and Legislator*, and explain
the want- and wishes of the Red River people, as
well as to discuss and arrange for the representation
of the country in Parliament. On the part of the
Government, I am authorized to offer a very cordial
reception to the delegates who may be sent from this
country to Canada. I feel every confidence that the
result will be entirely satisfactory to the people of
the North- West; it is, I know, the desire of the
Canadian Government that it should be so."
The selection of delegates was the order of business
on the 8th, and involved more than the English
tf& BBROR? OF MAMTnllA.
represent had calculated on. Riel, Ross and
O'Donohue urged the recognition and reorganization of
the proviflioi rnment before delegates should be
appointed. The English delegates contended they had
not power to vote on this question without consulting
their constituents, that the Budson Bay was the only
verninent until the transfer. The result of
an animated discussion, during which Suther-
land and Fraser withdrew and consulted Governor
RfeTavish, who advised them in the following words:
" Form a government, for God's sake, and restore peace
and order in the settlement." On returning to the
convention, aft.i- some further discussion, a committee
was appointed to disease and decide the basis and
detail of the provisional government to be formed for
Rupert's Land and the North-West Territories. It is
only justice to Alfred Boyd, of St. Andrew's, to say
that he refused to take any part in this government,
and withdrew from the convention.
On the evening of the 9th the committee pre-
sented their report, recommending a council of twenty-
four members, twelve French and twelve English, also
the names of the officers, with the exception of the
President, which was afterwards filled in, and which
were as follows : President, Louis Riel ; Judge Su-
preme Court, James Ross ; Sheriff, Henry McKenney ;
Coroner, Dr. Bird ; Postmaster-General, A. G. B. Ban-
natyne ; Collectors of Customs, John Sutherland (now
Senator), and Roger Goulet ; Secretary of State, Thomas
Bunn ; Assistant Secretary of State, Louis Schmidt ;
Secretary of the Treasury, W. B. O'Donohue.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 279
The result of this election, according to the New
Nation, ran as follows :
"The confirmation of Louis Rid as President of the
provisional government of Rupert's Land by the con-
vention was announced mid salvos of artillery from
the fort and cheers from the delegates. The town
»med the announcement by a grand display of
tii-. -works and the general andeontinned discharge of
small arma The firing and cheering were prolonged
the night, every one joining in the general enthu-
i as the result of the amicable union of all parties
on one common platform. A general amnesty to
political prisoners will shortly be proclaimed, and the
soldiers remanded to their homes to await orders, and
everything be placed upon a peace footing. Vive la
Re/'
The adoption of the committee's report, with the
consequent rejoicing on the part of his followers, so
ied Riel that orders were at once issued giving
ernor HcTaviah, Dr. Cowan and Bannatyne full
liberty, as also the promise that all the prisoners
would shortly be released.
A ballot taken on the 10th for delegates to Canada
resulted in the election of the Rev. M. Richot, Judge
Black, and A. F. Scott. Riel objected to the latter, on
the ground that one half-breed at least should accom-
pany the delegates. On the 10th, he dismissed the
convention with the following remarks: "The first
provisional government assumes the full responsibility
of its acts. As to the prisoners, I only repeat the assur-
ance given yesterday that all will be released, some in
280 HISTORY Of MANITORA.
one way, some in another. A few will have to leave the
country, as men considered dangerous to the public if
left at large. The hardship in their ease will not be
great, m they are single men. Win. Ballet! will be
released after giving full guarantees. With reference
to Dr. Schultz, the position ifl this, he is exiled forever,
and if found in the country is liable to be shot. His
pro}- ded for the support of the
present government. I will further say that it is at
least desirable, and I would request it, that if any one
sees him in the country he should report it. A. D.
Lepine, who is in charge of the fort, will administer
the oath of allegiance to prisoners who are to be
released ; as for Schultz, as I have already said, his
goods are confiscated, as in this way some of those to
whom he is indebted will be provided for." Thus
ended the celebrated convention, and Riel having suc-
ceeded in getting the endorsement to some extent of
the English parishes — an object for which he had
schemed hard — was in no haste to release the remainder
of the prisoners, as was soon apparent. This delay,
with the harsh measures adopted towards Schultz,
raised the feeling of the English settlers against him,
and they at once organized a relief force under Major
Boulton at Portage la Prairie, and Dr. Schultz in the
lower Red River settlement. The account of this
expedition in the next chapter is from the lips of one
of the leading spirits.
CHAPTER XIII.
KtiontoRel Sutherland Kill.,! l'.oultoii and
Narrow fatSflM Excitement— Arch-
bisfaopT romRomc Schnlta Goes to Canada Trial
sad Death of Thomas Scott Gadd Arrival of Tache
Delegates t<><)?t.i\\.i Indignation in Ontario Return of Delegates.
"On the afternoon of the 9th of February, the Pori
contingent, to the number of fifty, well armed with
mms, ammunition and battering rams, which were
packed in sleighs, proceeded, as per appointment, to
unite with the settler* of the outlying district at
Poplar Point, haying previously elected Major Boulton
captain. The Dlght was .lark, and \\v bad just
reached Poplar Point when it began t<> snow heavily,
the wind also rising till it blew a regular old-time
blizzard, which continued during the night and all
day. Nothing of any account occurred till we
(bed White Horse Plain, where we were challenged
by a sentry, who demanded where we were going.
To this John Dillworth, who was afterwards taken
prisoner, replied, *To bury Mr. So-and-so.' This appar-
ently Satisfied the sentry, and we passed on without
further molestation till we reached Headingly, where
we were billeted among the settlers for the night, and
the next day in the church.
M At a meeting held in the above place, I was
appointed, with Murdoch McLeod, to work up the
lower settlement, while Gaddy and Sabine were sent
282 HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
among the loyal French half-breeds to the south. On
Saturday we started out, travelling all Saturday night
and calling at the house of even* prominent settler.
By daylight on Sunday morning we had reached
Mapleton, where we met Dr. Schultz at the home of
Chief Factor Murray, of the Hudson Bay service. Here
we had breakfast, after which we went to the church
and had a conversation with the people, urging them
to rise and aid u^ in the relief of the prisoners. Leav-
ing simpleton, we proceeded to St. Peter's, where we
arrived during divine service. I at once proceeded
into the church and took out Henry Prince, chief of the
band of Indians there, and Joseph Monkman, and
arranged for a conference. After a satisfactory inter-
view, we returned towards Fort Garry, calling again
on those whom we had interviewed on the way up,
reporting success.
" Travelling all Sunday night, we reached Redwood
on Monday morning, where McLeod left me and went
on to meet our own men, while I returned on Monday
night, meeting with good success everywhere with
the exception of Kildonan. At St. Andrew's I met
Henry Prince and his people, who were on their way
to Fort Garry, and who occupied the school-house,
parsonage and neighboring houses. This evening the
Doctor and Mrs. Schultz met for the first time after
his escape from the fort. Colin (now Sheriff) Inkster,
of Winnipeg, brought her down from Fort Garry in
a cutter. By this time Riel had heard of my move-
ments, and no less than fifteen sleighs and cutters
were scouring the country for me. Fortune, or a kind
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 283
Providence, however, favored me, for while I was in
one of the houses they all passed by, and I could see
then i ling a hill on tin- west side of the river
while i tending on the east, but did not know
re then.
"• 1 proc twards Fort Garry, reporting on the
way that the whole settlement was rising. Reaching
bouse of a friend, 1 laid down and attempted to
;. having been on the road three days and three
nights, but could not, my oerves were so excited.
Here MeLeod came to me, and told me that our people
bad passed the fort and reached Kildonan. Tl
ably surprise. 1 me, as the und. r>tanding was tliat the
meet at Redwood, and the Pori
men I at once arose and proceeded to
Kildonan, where I found Archdeacon Cowley in the
•f addressing our people, warning them that if
re were any bloodshed they would be held nspon-
Speaking for bis own people at St. Peter's, be
said. 'There would not a man of them turn out.' AJ
I entered the church I was asked, ' How is it?' I
replied, 'The whole settlement is pp and within three
miles of the chinch.' At this a tiger was given,
while many tossed their caps in the air. Archdeacon
Cowley, rinding things against him, left off talking and
retired, meeting his own people about a mile from
Kildonan.
"During my canvass, a French half-breed of the
name of Parisien dogged me for some time, till warned
by some of the friendly settlers to make himself scarce.
H- at once proceeded to Kildonan, and reported my
i Hi wSmh ■
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 285
movements to our men, who arrested him as a spy.
Here I found him under guard in the school-house. On
the following morning he asked permission to retire.
Geori;'' ( larrioeh was appointed guard over him, and he
rot unarmed. Passing several sleighs which
had come from Beadingly, amongst which was Mr.
Cameron's, Parisian made a dash at this sleigh and
ired a double-barrelled gun which was lying in it,
and ran for all be was worth. At once the cry arose,
tie- prisoner had I BCaped, and men, mounted and dis-
mount..!, started in hot pursuit.
"N( bhe river, one Sutherland was seen riding
up to learn tip cause of the gathering. 'Head him
off,' si iout. -d soma Sutherland had not tine- to take
in the situation before Parisian had dropped on his
knee and fired, wounding him in the hand. The b
reeled and threw him on the KC& While he was in
act of rising, Parisian put the barrel to Suther-
1*8 back and find, then making a dash for the
hush, which he reached before our men, only to be
dragged hack by Wildred Bartlefc and others, making
a drag rope of his scarf, which was tied around his
neck. Sutherland, after the second shot, rose, Walked
a few steps, and then fell. A company of his friends
gathered round him, and had him conveyed to Dr.
Black 'a residence close by, where aid was obtained,
but he lived only a few hours. The excitement
ogst our men was intense; so sudden was the act,
ital the termination. Btung to madness by the
it, shouts of 'Lynch him!' Shoot him!' rose on
every side, and hut for the intervention of -the cooler
BOSTORY OF MANITOBA,
heads, Parisien would have followed his victim in
rt order. Bound band and foot, he was brought
back to the school-house, and on the breaking op of
the party tu released It was said that daring the
melee he received wounds from wind, he never fully
ad He was cared for afterwards by Joseph
Monkman.
"On th-' assembling of the people at Cildonan a
"l",'it:i1- W;lv oeld,and Tom Torquay appointed topro-
«7 and demand the release of the
priaonera By the time, however, that Tom had reached
fchc desired end had been obtained On receiv-
ing this intelligence, the lower settlers returned to their
homes, the object of the rising having been accom-
plished The narrator, accompanied by John Cameron
and W. V, Hall, of Headiogly, Charlie Hair and Francis
Ogeltree, set out for home and the Portage, passing
Fort Garry late at night when Kiel's guards were
enjoying their comfort within the walls."
Though warned of treachery on Riel's part, a large
portion of the men did not leave for home till the
following morning. Riel, having knowledge that the
majority of the settlers had dispersed, sent out a body
of horsemen under O'Donohue and Lepine, and as
Major Boulton and his men passed near the fort, cap-
tured the entire party, a list of whose names appears
below.
Portage la Prairie : Major Boulton, John and Alec
McLean, Wilder Bartlet, Robert and James McBain,
Dan Sissons, A. Murray, Wm. Farmer, Lawrence
Smith, Charles McDonald, John Switzer, H. Williams
Alex. McPherson, W. G. Bird.
CORY OF MANITOBA. 287
Poplar Point: Geo. Wylde, Dan Taylor, A. Taylor,
Geo. Newcomb, H. Taylor.
St. Jam - .-ant Powers, James Joy,
River Salle: Geo. Parker.
High Bluff: Thou SeoU, Joe. Paquin, Geo. Sandison,
Win. Paquin, John Dillworth, Win. Dillworth, Robert
Adam- I. Paquin, N. IfcLeod, Archie McDonald.. lames
sk, Jamea Anderson.
Eeadingly: J, B. Morrison, W.Salter, Magnus Brown,
N. Morrison, W. Sutherland, Robert Dennison, Joseph
Smith, ("has. Milian. Tie r, .John Taylor, John
ICcEay, Alex. Parker.
The results of this rising were certainly unfortun^
r a time the Wheeling between the
:>h and French | ,m<1 placing a much larger
number of prisoners in Kiel's power.
Major Boulton waa placed in irons, court-
martialled, and according to the evidence then given,
found guilty of treason against the provisional govern-
ment, and sentenced to be shot next day at noon, the
18th; but at the solicitation of the Bishop of Rupert's
Land, th< I entreaty of the Catholic clergy, and
the influence of every English resident of note —
amongst whom was Victoria Mc Vicar, Mrs. John Suther-
land, the mother of Parisian's victim, who entreated
Ki.l by the blood of her son to spare Boulton's life —
the execution was delayed till midnight on Saturday.
So determined was Kiel that an example should be
made, that he only yielded to spare Boulton's life at
the urgent solicitation of Donald A. Smith two hours
previous to that fixed for his execution. Indeed
19
288 HISTmKY OF MANITOBA.
Archdeacon McLean had administered the sacrament,
and spent about twenty-four hours with him, endeav-
oring to prepare his mind for what seemed to be bifl
fate.
In the meantime, rewards were offered for the capture
of Dr. Schultz.
In Mr. Smith's report we §nd the following anent
the E 2 incident, which shows the tyranny and
duplicity of Kiel's character. " 1 reasoned with him
long and earnestly," says Smith; "about ten o'clock
he yielded, and addressing me with apparently much
feeling, said. ' Hitherto I have been deaf to all entrea-
and in now granting you this man's life, may I
ask you a favor V ' Anything that in honor I can do,'
I replied. ' Canada has disunited us,' said Riel. ' You
will use your influence to reunite us. You can do so.
Without this it must be war ; bloody civil war.' I
replied that I would give my whole heart to effect a
peaceful union of the country with Canada. ' We
want only our just rights as British subjects, and we
want the English to join us simply to obtain these.' "
Smith replied that he would at once see them, and
induce them to go on with the election of delegates for
that purpose. He replied, " If you can do this, war
will be avoided ; not only the lives but the liberty of
all the prisoners will be secured, for on your success
depend the lives of all the Canadians in the country."
He immediately proceeded to the prison, and informed
Archdeacon McLean that he had been induced by
Smith to spare Boulton's life, and had further promised
that immediately on the meeting of the council shortly
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 289
to be elected, the whole of the prisoners would be
released, requesting McLean to explain these circum-
stances to Boulton and the other prisoners.
The news that a large number of the Portajxe men
had been captured spread like wild-tire, and a meeting
was immediately held at St. Andrew's, at which a pro-
position was made to go at once to the rescue of Boulton
and his party. Before any action could have been
taken, Donald A. Smith arrived, and said that if the
le submitted and elected the English portion of the
provisional government, Boulton's life would be spared
and the prisoners released At this same meeting, \)v.
Schulti was requested to proceed to Canada and repre-
bhe people there the i its of affairs, and
the coercion which had been used to make them have
anything to do with the provisional government.
Delegates were also appointed to represent their in-
ts at the same. A.bou1 this time, Bishop Tache,
who had arrived at Ottawa from Rome, left the Cana-
dian metropolis for Red River. The following letter
from Sir John A. Ifaodonald shows the instructions
with which the Bishop was freighted :
"(Private.)
"Department oj Jubtx
' Ml" AW A, ( 'AN ADA,
February 16th, 1870.
1 v 1 )k a B Lord, — Before you leave Ottawa on your
ion of peace, I think it well to reduce to writing
the substance of the conversation I had the honor to
have with you this morning. I mark this letter
290 HISTORY OK MANITOBA.
( private ' in order that it may not be made a public
document to he called for by Parliament prematurely,
but von are quit** at liberty to 086 it in siieh a manner
•ti may think most advantageoua I hope that
ere vou arrh .' Garry, the insurgents, after the
explanation^ that have been entered into by Messrs.
Thihauh. 1 >•■ Salaberry and Smith, will have Laid down
their arms, and allow (inwrnor KeTavish to resume
the administration of public affaira. In such ease, by
the Act of the Imperial Parliament of last session, all
the public functionaries will still remain in power, and
the Council of Asainiboia will be restored to their
former position Will you be kind enough to make
full explanation to the Council, Oil behalf of the Cana-
dian Government, as to the feelings which animate not
only the I lovernor-General, but the whole Government,
with respect to the mode of dealing with the North-
\\ . >t. We have fully explained to you, and desire you
to assure the Council authoritatively, that it is the in-
tention of Canada to grant to the people of the North-
W '. st the same free institutions which they themselves
enjoy. Had these unfortunate events not occurred, the
Canadian Government had hoped, long ere this, to have
received a report from the Council, through Mr. Mc-
Dougall, as to the best means of speedily organizing
the government with representative institutions. I
hope that they will be able immediately to take up
that subject, and to consider and report without delay
on the general policy that should immediately be
adopted. It is obvious that the most inexpensive mode
for the administration of affairs should at first be
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 291
adopted, as the preliminary expense of organizing the
government, after union with Canada, must, in the
iyed from the Canadian territory. There
will be a natural objection in the Canadian Parlia-
ment to a Large expenditure. As it would be unwise to
subject the territory to a recurrence of the humilia-
tion already Buffered by Governor KCeTavish, you can
inform him that if he organizes a local police of
twenty-five men, or more if absolutely necessary, that
the expense will be defrayed by the Canadian Govern
mt-nt. You will be good enough to find out llonkman,
the person to whom, through Col. Dennis, Mr. lieDou-
gal] gave instructions to communicate with the Saul-
11 Indians ; he should be asked to surrender his
r. and informed that he ought not to proceed upon
it. The I Canadian Government will Bee that he is com-
for any expense that he has already incurred.
[n case s delegation is appointed to proceed to Ottawa,
you can assure them that they will be kindly received,
and their suggestions fully considered ; their expenses,
coming here and returning, and while Btaying in
Ottawa, will be defrayed by us. You are authorized
ate that the two years during which the present
tariff shall remain undisturbed, will commence from
the first of January, 1 s? I . instead of last January, as
first proposed. Should the question arise as to the
unption of any stores or goods belonging to the
Budson Bay Company by the insurgents, you are
authorized to inform the leader that if the company's
government is restored, not only will there be a general
amnesty granted, but in case the company should claim
291 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
the payment for such stores, that the Canadian Govern-
ment will Bland between the insurgents and all harm.
" Wishing you a prosperous journey and happy
its, I beg to remain, with ^reat respect,
ir very faithful servant,
"John A. Macdonald.
"To the Right Reverend the Bishop
3t Boniface, Fort Garry."
On the 23r<l of February he arrived at St. Paul,
where he received a copy of the Bill of Rights, passed
at the convention at Fort Garry. He at once tele-
graphed the bill to Mr. Howe, Secretary of State,
receiving on the 25th the following reply : " Proposi-
tions in the main satisfactory ; but let the delegation
come here to settle term^
On the 21st, Dr. Schultz, accompanied by Joseph
Mmikman as guide, started on his mission to Canada.
As all roads leading to Minnesota were guarded by
Riel's emissaries, in order to prevent his escape, he
had to travel the country between the head of Lake
Winnipeg and Lake Superior, a country at that time
little known, and which is well described by the
Doctor himself in the following words : " Over weary
miles of snow-covered lakes, over the watershed
between Rainy Lake and Lake Superior, through pine
forests and juniper swamps, we made our way, turning
aside only where wind-fallen timber made the path
impassable ; often saved from starvation through the
wood-craft of Monkman ; our course guided by the
compass, or views taken from some stately Norway
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 293
pine. We found ourselves, after, twenty-four days of
weary travel, in Bight of the blue and frozen waters of
Lake Superior, reaching the little village of Duluth
gaunt with hunger and with our clothes in tattera ( ta
through this country, we visited the Indian
pa wherever they eould be found, and discussed
with them the position of affairs. We found them
loyal to the Great Mother, and they often gave the
Hers ■ guide from camp to camp."
V\V come now to chronicle the darkest blot of all.
Kiel, seemingly still unsatisfied, feeling that he eould
gain the confidence of the English people, deter-
mined that it he had to rule by fear, that that authority
must be put beyond dispute at once and forever.
iltz, of whom be intended to make an example, had
d he had spared; Gaddy, too, had
from the death of assassination in his lonely
cell, which he had plotted for him. Amongst the
Portage prisoners was Thomas Scott, who had also
from his power at an earlier date, and against
whom he held a private grudge, because, forsooth, he
had turned Kiel out of a saloon when he was drunk
B&d making insulting remarks. Scott was also largely
possessed of Schultz's daring and independent spirit.
On the evening of the 3rd of March he was ordered
before a court-martial, the presiding officer of which
was Adjutant-General Lepine, the other members
being G. Richot, Andrew Malt, Elzear Goulet, Elzear
Lajemoniere, Baptiste Lepine, and Joseph Delorme.
At this trial Kiel was witness, prosecutor and judge.
The evidence was given in French, and was taken, not
294 HISTORY Of MANITOBA
in the presence of the prisoner, but before he was
brought into court. Be wafl accused of having taken
up arme ■gainst the provisional government, after
having made oath thai be would not do so. The
following ia the story of the trial as given by Nolin,
at the trial of Ambroise Lepine, before Chief-Justice
Wood, in I.S74.
Se said, I was secretary in the council on tlie
evening oi the Brd of March. The meeting was for the
purpose of trying Scott, to examine what evil he had
done. Scott was not present at the examination, but
there were some wit* cammed who swore what
Scott had done. Riel was one. Ed. Turner was
another, Joseph Delorme was another; I think there
were others. These witnesses were examined by the
captains who composed the council. While the wit-
nesses were examined Scott was not present. The
witnesses were sworn by me. I do not remember
what evidence was given. Scott was accused of having
rebelled against the provisional government, and of
having struck a captain of the guard. There was
only one who made a speech, Riel. I remember he
spoke against Scott. After the evidence, Scott was
brought before the council. Riel asked me to read to
Scott what had passed. I did not read anything, as I
had only taken notes. Riel explained to Scott himself
the evidence which had been given before the council,
in English. He was then condemned to die. Riel
told Scott, before he left the room, tfiat he must die ;
after he had explained the evidence to Scott, he asked
him if he had anything to say. Scott said something;
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 295
I do not know what. Riel did not ask him if he had
anv wita No written accusation or charge was
given to Scott. The taking and giving of evidence,
the speech of Riel, his explanations to Scott, the
i<>n of the council, and the condemnation, wore all
don.- within two or three hoars. They commenced
their sittings between seven and eight o'clock, and
concluded before rising, I took some notes in pencil
of the proceedings. The notes in pencil I refer to are
the notes of the evidence I transcribed ; the next day
e them to the Adjutant-General The first motion
for death was moved by <i. EUchot, seconded by
rew Nault. Qoulet and Delorme voted yea along
with the mover and seconder. Lajemoniere voted that
it would exile him. Baptists Lepine
i the majority want his death,
an i he shall he put to death Riel explained to Scott
his sentence, asked him if he had no request to make;
if he wanted to tend for a minister. I do not know
what answer Scott made to Riel. Riel said if he
wanted a minister, if he wos at the stone fort, he would
send for him, hKo that he would take his shackles off
and send him to his room; he would have pen, ink
and paper to write, and that the next day he would
be >liot. Scott was then taken to his room. He was
handcuffed when brought before the council."
Poor Scott could not believe when told by Riel that
he was to be shot on the following morning, but
judging Etiel to be in earnest, he at once sent for the
Rev, Geo. (afterwards Dr.) Xoung, who with Donald
A Smith, Father I. Governor McTavish and
296 BISTORT OF MANITOBA,
others, endeavored to dissuade Kiel from his foul pur-
pose, but to no ell
In winding op the interview, KiM said, "I have
two good thingi since I commenced. I have
spared Boulton's life at your instance, and I do not
t it; he is i fine fellow; I pardoned Gaddy, and
he showed his gratitude by escaping out of the bas-
tion, bni I don't begrudge him bie miserable life, and
now I shall shoot Scott."
Lepine and five of the others who composed the
court-martial, entering at that moment, in reply to a
question addressed to them by Riel, said he must die
Ri.l then requested Bather Leetang to put the people
on their knees for prayer, as it might do good to the
condemned man's soul. Dr. Young accompanied Scott
to his cell, and endeavored to prepare his mind to
meet his approaching doom, spending the whole
night with him in religious conversation and prayer.
Shortly after noon on the following day he was sum-
moned to execution.
He requested the liberty of bidding his fellow pri-
soners good-bye, which was granted him. Then calmly
kneeling down a short distance from the walls of the
fort, where he was directed, he said, " I am ready."
Lepine gave the signal, and Scott fell pierced by two
bullets.
Six soldiers had been chosen to shoot Scott. Agus-
tin Parisien, one of the six, declared openly that he
would not shoot at Scott ; in fact he took the cap off
his gun before the word of command " Present " was
given. Of the five balls remaining only two hit the
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 297
poor victim, the one on the left shoulder, and the other
on the upper part of the chest above the heart.
»ther the other soldiers missed the mark designedly
or unintentionally aimed away from Kiel's victim, is
not known. However that may be, as the two wounds
were not sufficient to cause death— at least, sudden
death — a man named Goillemette stepped forward and
d the contents of a pistol close to Scott's
head while he lay on the ground. This ball, however,
took a wrong direction, penetrating the upper part of
the left cheek, and coming our somewhere about the
cartilage of the nose. Scott was still not dead ; but
this did not prevent his botchers from placing him,
alive and still speaking, in a coffin made of four rough
boards; it was nailed, and placed in the south-
bastion, and an armed soldier placed at the door. This
would seem like a story made at one's ease, if there
were not several credible witnesses who, between the
hours of tive and six in the evening, heard the unfor-
tunate man speaking from under the lid of his coffin :
and it was known that he had been shot at half-past
twelve. What a long and horrible agony, and what
ferocious cruelty on the part of his butchers ! The
Is heard and understood by the French were, "My
God ! my God ! " Some English Metis, who understood
English, heard distinctly these words: " For God's sake,
take me out of here or kill me." Towards eleven
o'clock Goulet went into the bastion, and according to
some, gave him the finishing stroke with a knife — with
a pistol, according to others. After having inflicted the
last blow on Scott, Goulet said, as he was coming back
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
from the bastion, " He's dead this time." The corpse
was left foi ■ few day- in the bastion, guarded by
soldiers, relieving each other in turns.
The disposition of Scott's remains is a secret that
since that date has remained in the keeping of a few.
Whether the body was deposited in the river, through
S, hole cat in the ice, or subjected to the influence of
k-lime, foi speedy dissolution in the immediate
bborhood, the world mai yet know. Riel consid-
it necessary to remove to some safe location all
evidence of his butchery.
With the opening of the spring of 1871, residents
near the mouth of the Red River watched to see if, on
the breaking up of the ice, any body would be thrown
up. The decomposed remains of a man were given up
that spring by the waters, but they were those of a
smaller man than Scott, with light hair. Twenty years
have come and gone since the event referred to occurred.
Old Time, the great healer, has smoothed down the
asperity then existing between the English and French
residents of the Province ; but it is safe to say that no
overt act committed daring the entire rebellion exer-
cised so much influence against French domination in
public interests since that date, and for all time to
come, as the murder of Scott.
Reference having been made to Gaddy, who, it will
be remembered, was sent with Sadine to solicit the
assistance of the loyal French half-breeds to the south,
but who was captured by Riel's party and imprisoned,
we will take the narrative from the prisoner's own
lips. He says : " I was thrown into the cold bastion
history OF MANITOBA. 299
in the dead of winter without any tire, and fed on
frozen pemmiean without drink of any kind except a
bottle of liquor, which I feared to take lest it. con-
tained poison. I had an intuitive idea that it was
drugged, and if I drank it 1 should be found dead,
when the story would he circulated that I had fallen
tini to my failing, by this mean- accomplishing
the diabolical purpose without raising popular resent-
ment, which otherwise would be the cise. I had to
eat a little snow occasionally to quench my thirst, the
only means 1 had of dojng so for several days and
nights. Seeing that this rose failed, I was condemned
to be shot in the dead of night in my place of solitary
confinement, and men were detailed for that purpose.
1 was informed of th of my guards Shortly
this the shooting party walked in, cocked their
guns and to«»k aim, then lowered and retired. I could
hear them say, ' We cannot do it ; he is too dear an
old friend.' They were ordered in again and com-
manded to tire, which they again refused to do. As a
final resort, a priest was called, whom I distinctly over-
heard urge the men to do as they were commanded ;
and, as a guarantee of the righteousness of the order,
administered to them the holy eucharist to fortify
their resolution, when they were again brought in,
with a like result, the men saying, 'We cannot find
it in our hearts to do this on one of our old and valued
friends, who has fought side by side witli us against
our hereditary foes the Sioux, as also one who has
been with us through many a trying circumstance,
whose genial disposition and warm-heartedness had
300 HISTOKY 01 MANITOBA.
made him a favorite with all.' These remembrances
so worked on their better natures that they absolutely
refused to perform this unholy order. I knew that if
I did not effect d that I would either succumb
to the cold or to the treachery of Riel, so, taking
advantage of an opportunity thai presented itself, I
made my escape through one of the port-holes of the
bastion. Not knowing which of them I was in, and
the night being dark and stormy, I wandered on in
the blinding storm. I m the approach of daylight I
found myself in the midst of the French settlement,
and in the very stronghold of the enemy's camp on
the K»m1 River above the fort. Being hungry and
exhausted. I was compelled to go into a house, the
owner of which., happily, was not in sympathy with
the Riel movement. In the conversation which fol-
lowed, not knowing whom they were addressing, I was
informed that I was to be shot that day — that the flat
had gone forth. The woman also began denouncing
the act as heartless and cruel, in view7 of my long
friendship with the French. They also informed me
where some of my old friends lived (fortunately close
by), who, on my making application to them, furnished
me with necessary supplies, when I started on foot
from St. Norbert on the road to Baie St. Paul, on the
Assiniboine, which I succeeded in reaching, more dead
than alive."
The French, in later years, have tried to make this
out as an attempt to scare Gaddy, but to show that
his suspicions were correct, and that the liquor was
poisoned, word was actually circulated that Gaddy
HISTORY Of MANITOBA. 301
was frozen to death just outside the walls of the fort,
evidently the result of taking too much drink. This
report was started for the purpose of preparing his
friends for what they wanted them to believe, and
what would likely occur.
On the 9th of March, Bishop Taebe arrived at
Fort Garry; on this day also, the council of the pro-
visional government, elected in accordance with the
lotion passed a< the convention, held its first meet-
ing. No business was transacted, as only eight French
and nine English members were present, and the
meeting was adjourned to the 1 5th. On the 15th, the
Legislature n Med, and remained in session till
the 26th. In opening the house, after a couple of
notices of motion had been given, Etiel introduced
Hi-hop Tache with the following words of welcome :
"That he felt extreme pleasure in presenting to his'
Lordship the first legislative assembly of the country
representing all cltSSCfl of the people, and in the name
of the people represented by the honorable members
of this legislative assembly he bid his Lordship wel-
come and congratulations on his safe return amongst
them."
Bishop Tache, in replying, said he did not come in
an official capacity, he came simply to use his exer-
tion to unite all classes and restore peace and order.
He said the Canadian Government was very much
dissatisfied with the actions of Mr. McDoiiL'all, an
announcement which was received with cheers by the
mbly; that they were anxious to do justice to
the people of the settlement, and concluded by
90S II is [ mi; v Of MANITOBA.
asking the release of the prisoners, a request which
granted ig that Bome should be released
that 6 veil in ir Mid the remainder as speedilv as possible.
During the remainder of the session acta were passed
regulating the hay-catting privileges, the adminis-
tration of justice, fixing members' indemnity, which
was placed at rive dollars per day, and appointing a
military force of fifty men, who were to be recruited
for two months' service at three pounds per month
and board. On the 244b, the delegates appointed to
proceed to Ottawa left Fort Qarry, bearing with them
commissions and conditions rrOOQ the provisional gov-
ernment, which wave as follows:
List of the terms and conditions which accompanied
the eommiaskm to Rev. Father Richot, J. Black, Esq.,
Alfred Scott, Esq., given by the provisional govern-
ment.
[I. See Begg's " Creation of Manitoba," published
1871, p. 325.
II. This is verbatim the official copy found in the
papers of Thomas Bunn, secretary of Riel's govern-
ment.
III. In the same " Bunn papers " is a copy in French,
which differs only in dropping the name " Province of
Assiniboia" and substituting "the province."
IV. In the same " Bunn papers" is a verbatim copy
of this French copy, printed by the provisional govern-
ment, and signed " Maison du gouvernement," March
23rd, 1870, the very day Messrs. Riehot and Scott
started for Ottawa.]
1. That the territories heretofore known as Rupert's
UM*
V.V.Geo* &
GROUP 09 K.\i:i.\ in i.khs.
history OF MANITOBA. 30">
Land and North- West shall not enter into the con-
federation of the Dominion, except as a province, to
be styled and known as the Province of Assiniboia,
and with all the rights and privileges common to the
different provinces of the Dominion.
•J. Thai we have two representatives in the Senate
and four in the Bouse of Commons of Canada, until
such time as an increase of population entitles the
province to a greater representation,
a That the Province of Aasiniboia shall not be held
liable at any time for any portion of the public debt
of the Dominion contracted before the date the said
province shall have entered the confederation, unless
aid province shall have first received from the
Dominion the full amount for which the said province
i be held liable.
ft Tint the sum of eighty thousand dollars be paid
annually by the Dominion Government to the local
ilature of the provinc
"'. That all properties, rights and privileges enjoyed
by the people of this province up to the date of our
entering into the confederation be respected, and that
the arrangement and confirmation of all customs,
usages and privileges be left exclusively to the local
legislature.
6. That during the term of five years, the Province
of Assiniboia shall not be subjected to any direct
taxation, except such as may be imposed by the local
legislature for municipal or local purposes.
7. That a sum of money equal to eighty cents per
head of the population of this province be paid annually
20
306 msi'MKY Of MANITOBA,
by the Canadian Government to the local legislature
of the Mud province, until such time as the said
population shall have increased to six hundred
and.
8. That the local legislature shall have the right to
determine tin* qualifications of members to represent
province in the Parliament of Canada, and in the
local legislature,
9. That in this province, with the exception of
uncivilized and unsettled Indians, every male native
citizen who has attained the age of twenty-one years;
and ever j aer, being s British subject, who has
attained the same, and has resided three years in the
province, and is a householder; and every foreigner,
other than a British subject, who has resided here
during the same period, being a householder and
having taken the oath of allegiance, shall be entitled
to vote at the election of members for the local legis-
lature and for the Canadian Parliament; it being
understood that this article be subject to amendment
exclusively by the local legislature.
10. That the bargain of the Hudson Bay Company
in the respect to the transfer of the government of
this country to the Dominion of Canada be annulled
so far as it interferes with the rights of the people of
A-siniboia, and so far as it would affect our future
relations with Canada.
11. That the local legislature of the Province of
Assiniboia shall have full control over all the public
lands of the Province, and the right to annul all acts
or arrangements made or entered into with reference
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 307
to the public lands of Rupert's Land and the North-
\\\ -t. uow called the Province of Assiniboia.
1 2. That the ( fovernment of ( lanada appoint a com-
missioner of engineers to explore the various districts
of the Province of Assiniboia, and to lay before the
pslature a report of the mineral wealth of the
Province within five years from the date of our entering
into confederation.
L3. That treaties he concluded between Canada and
the different Indian tribes of the Province of Assiniboia
by ami with the advice and co-operation of the local
1« gislature of this Province.
14. That an uninten opted stram communication
from Lake Superior to Fori Garry be guaranteed to be
completed within the space of five yean.
I"). That all public buildings, bridges, mads, and
)T public works, be at the cost of the Dominion
treasury.
Ki. That the English and French languages be
Common in the legislature and in the courts, and that
all public documents, as well as all -acts of the legisla-
ture, be published in both languages.
17. That whereas the French and English speaking
people of Assiniboia are so equally divided as to num-
bers, yet so united in their interests, and so connected
by commerce, family connections, and other political
and social relations, that it has happily been found
impossible to bring them into hostile collision, although
repeated attempts have been made by designing
strangers, for reasons known to themselves, to bring
about so ruinous and disastrous an event;
308 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
And whereas after all the trouble and apparent
snsions of the past, the result of misunderstanding
among themselves, they have, as soon as the evil
agen rred to al>ove were removed, become as
united and friendly as ever; therefore as a means
to strengthen this union and friendly feeling among
all c irs deem it expedient and advisable,
That the Lieutenant-Governor who maybe appointed
fur the Province of Assiniboia should be familiar with
both the English and French language
1 &. That the Judge of the Superior Court speak the
English and French languages.
19. That all the debts contracted by the provisional
government of the territory of the North-West, now
called Assiniboia, in consequence of the illegal and
inconsiderate measures adopted by Canadian officials
to bring about a civil war in our midst, be paid out of
the Dominion treasury, and that none of the members
of the provisional government, or any of those acting
under them, be in any way held liable or responsible
with regard to the movement or any of the actions
which led to the present negotiations.
20. That in view of the present exceptional position
of Assiniboia, duties upon goods imported into the
province shall, except in the case of spirituous liquors,
continue as at present for at least three years from the
date of our entering confederation, and for such
further time as may elapse until there be uninterrupted
railroad communication between Winnipeg and St.
Paul, and also steam communication between Winnipeg
and Lake Superior.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 309
With the arrival of Bishop Tache and the departure
of the delegates to Canada, a change for the better
came over the place. The official organ, the New
clipped its Bpread-eagle wings, and became
intensely loyal, particularly so after Robinson resigned
the editorship, which occurred about the time of Bishop
Tache'a return, causing a suspension of the issues
about a couple of weeks.
The prisoners were released, and the fact becoming
known that troops were on their way under Col.
Wolseley, added much to the feeling of security which
a to pervade the community.
On the 28th, Etiel addressed a letter to Governor
IfcTavish, offering to give possession of all property
belonging to the Hudson Bay Company, in order that
they might resume business, on payment of certain
amounts in money and goods, which were, to he paid
to the provisional government The terms of this
offer wt-re accepted, the company short ly after resuming
their trading relation
It has been claimed by not a few thoughtful on-
lookers that this last was a ruse, on the part of Kiel
and Governor McTavish, to bring the Hudson Bay
losses, occasioned by the ten months' occupation of
Fort Garry by the insurgents, under the last clause
of the instructions contained in Sir John's letter. If
so, it failed. So plainly evident was the implication
of the resident officers with the rebellion, that when the
vote of forty thousand dollars was asked, to compensate
those who had suffered from the action of the half-
breeds, it was stipulated that not one cent should be
310 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
paid the Hudson Bay Company, who lost, by Riel and
hia associates, about fifty thousand pounds sterling.
The claim of the Hudson Bay Company for indem-
nity for losses was not presented at Ottawa for severs]
>ns afterwards Even then they received no
money, bat a land grant of five hundred acres around
Upper Fort Garry.
I taring the time intervening between the departure
of the d< and their arrival in Canada, news of
the shooting of Scott had been received, and a wave of
indignation arose over the land. Dr. Schultz, Dr.
Lynch, Monkman, Charlie Mair, J. J. Setter, Major
Boulton and others, had also reached Canada, and were
warmly received by the people. Indignation meetings
held in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and other
cities, and the refugees invited to address the people,
which they did. Resolutions were passed condemning
the policy of receiving any delegates from Riel, and
considerable ill-feeling worked up, by a portion of the
press, against the delegates previous to their arrival.
Pere Richot and Scott, who travelled with De Sala-
berry, hearing of this, determined not to pass through
Ontario, but proceeded to Ogdensburg, then crossed to
Prescott, arriving in Ottawa on the 11th April. Judge
Black travelled alone by way of Ontario, and arrived
three days later.
On the day following the arrival of Richot and
Scott, a warrant was forwarded to Detective O'Neill,
Ottawa, issued by Police Magistrate McNabb, of To-
ronto, at the instance of Hugh Scott, a brother of the
murdered man, charging delegates Richot and Alfred
HISTORY OF MANITOBA, 311
Scott with being accessories to the murder of Thomas
Scott at Fort Garry. Application was made at the
Bishop's Palace for Ilichot, but he could not be found.
Alfred Scott was arrested at the Albion Hotel, where
lif had put up, and was taken before Judge Gait in
Chambers, on a writ of habeas corpus. While the
was going on, Etichoi entered the court-
room and gave himself up. John Hillyard Cameron,
d for the prisoners, while Mr. Lees, County
Attorn.-;. ented the Crown. If r. Cameron con-
tended thai the police magistrate at Toronto had no
jurisdiction, aa the crime was committed out of bia
riled for the arrest of pari residing
in Ottawa, where he bad no authority. Mr. Lees not
being prepared to argue, the case was postponed till
i the prisoners remanded, but not com
mitted to gaol being lefl in charge of a detective.
On the L5th they were again brought before Judge
Gait and discharged, hie Honor contending that the
police magistrate at Toronto had no jurisdiction.
During the interim Scott'fl hrotber, who had fore-
seen the likelihood of a discharge on this count, had
come to Ottawa and made another affidavit before
Polic trate O'Gara, of that city, who issued a
warrant, on which the prisoners were re-arrested as
soon as released. On the 16th, another application for
a writ of habeas corpus was made before Judge Gait,
and the 19th fixed for hearing the argument, the pri-
soners being allowed to go under police surveillance.
When brought before Judge Gait on that date, Mr.
DO '
Cameron said that he had no trround to ask a die-
312 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
charge of the prisoners, as the police magistrate at
Ottawa had the right to issue a warrant and hold an
examination. The writ was therefore discharged, and
the prisoners committed for trial, which was com-
menced on the -l-t, the courtroom being crowded to
sees with Ml rnment officials and others.
After examining William Dreever, Charles Garrett
and Archibald Hamilton, who had been prisoners under
Riel at that period. Judge Black, Major Boulton, and
I detective inOttiwa, a demand was made
for time to secure the attendance of Dr. Schultz,
Charlie Mair, and a son of the Rev. Dr. Youncr.
who was then in Toronto. This was objected to by
the police magistrate, on the ground that they were
not trying the prisoners on a charge of rebellion, but
of complicity in a murder. After some legal sparring
between counsel, on the deposition of Hugh Scott, who
stated that Mr. Young had told him that he (Young)
was present at the shooting, and that both Richot and
Scott took an active part in aiding and abetting the
murder, opposition to a delay was withdrawn, and
the prisoners admitted to bail of $2,000 each and
also of two sureties of Si ,000 each, and the case set for
the 23rd. On being called again, Mr. Lees, on behalf
of the Crown, and after consultation with the counsel
for the defence, said that they had determined to with-
draw the charge. Mr. Cameron said he had no objec-
tion to the case being withdrawn, but a charge had
been made against his clients of complicity in a mur-
der of a barbarous character, and they must be uncon-
ditionally discharged, because there was no ground on
which to proceed against them.
BISTORT OF .ma:itoi;a. 313
As soon as the delegates were discharged, they
were formally and officially recognized by the Hon.
Joseph Howe. Secretary of State for the Provinces,
and put in communication with Sir George Cartier
and Sir John A. Macdonald, with whom they had had
already several informal inters Tin' cinder-
cling arrived at on this on would appear
to have been satisfactory to all parties at the time,
but lias been tl <>t* much di stion and
ling since, particularly on the amnesty
question. Father Etichot maintained that a general
amnesty was promised, while the Ministers as firmly
declared that though the subject was frequently men-
tioned, their invariable ansv that the power
•itir.lv with the Imperial
and not with tb< ;ian Government This mis-
undeotanding, if it can be called such, led to a volu-
minous correspondence between Archbishop Tache,
Father Etichot and others, and the Canadian Govern-
ment, sufficiently targe to till a volume ; and which
those of my readers who desire to investigate for them -
Belves will find in the Sessional Papers of 1874. On the
17th of June the delegates returned to Fort Garry, and
communicated the result of their mission to the provi-
sional government and the legislative assembly of the
colony of Assiniboia, for which purpose a special session
had been called. The report was accepted, and resolu-
tions passed agreeing to enter confederation on the
proposed terms, which were placed in the hands of
Archbishop Tache for safe transmission to Mr. Howe.
The reverend prelate left for Ottawa ten days later,
on the 27th of the month.
314 HI8TORI OF MANITOBA.
It u ■ strange and significant fact, not mentioned, in
other histories, that only three English representatives
were present at this session These were A. G. B.
BannatviK'. Thomas Bnnn, and James McKay ; the
mentioned representing a mixed constituency,
Richot d< giving his report tin- first day, in the
hope that the English representatives would show up;
but they, haying heard that the troops were coming,
would have nothing more to do with it. Indeed, one
of them, Mr. Hay, of St. Andrew's, was otr.-r.-d a lar^e
money consideration by Bannatyne, it' he would only
attend and idve a color of unanimity to the proceed-
in--. The following parishee were not represented :
St. Peter's, St Andrew's North, St. Andrew's South,
St. Paul, Kildonan, Headingly, Poplar Point, High
Bluff, and Portage la Prairie. Judge Black had also,
through illness, been unable to be present to represent
his case fairly, and it was Celt that whatever might be
the outcome, as soon as law and order was established,
any grievances they had would be righted constitu-
tionally.
Bishop Tache's position, with reference to the am-
nesty question, is well described in a letter from
Governor Archibald to Sir George E. Cartier, on the
14th of October, 1870, and with this quotation I close
discussion on the subject. Governor Archibald says :
"As regards the amnesty question, Bishop Tache seems
to attach great importance to it, but after all, I am in-
•clined to think he feels it more as a personal than as a
public affair. He has made promises which are not
fulfilled, and he feels that his personal honor is to some
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 315
it involved. Practically, it is of little consequence ;
nobody 91 trouble any man except Riel, O'Dono-
hue and Lepine, all three of whom have left the settle-
ment and are practically amnestied, except bo far as
the liberty of coming into the settlement is concerned,
and that is a liberty which, in the public interest, it
would be injurious for them to have at this moment.
d if they were amnestied, they ought not to come
in for a considerable time, till the feeling about them
blows over. Their presence here would be a continu-
ous temptation to outrage, and nobody could say when
a tiling of that kind would end, if once begun. Their
own interest, therefore, and the interests of the Pro-
vince, concur in keeping them away in the meantime,
and for that reason 1 haw declared in such a way as
that do secret will be mad.- of it, that my police will
execute any warrant that La placed in my hands, re-
gardless of who may be the party named in it.'"
CHAPTER XIV.
Manitoba titaon under sir Qnrnel Wblnley Difficulties —
Arrival ol | Qnrrj I'liLrlit of Etebeb
M I.»*anhae Mon- Tn»ul»l«- with Indians Fenian [nraaioa Vohnv
m Arms — Scare al khfl Fottefe Action of the Half! ■
What th. l;...ll\ Meant.
DURING the sojourn of the delegates at Ottawa, the
Manitoba Act \va-> passed in the House, receiving con-
riderajble eriiicisin on its introduction from the Hon.
William IfeDoUgall Bad Alexander Mackenzie, the
former of whom, after criticising the actions of the
irnment with reference to the transfer of the
country, called attention to the fact that the boundary
had been so arranged as to exclude Portage la Prairie,
with a population of nearly two thousand, while the
line was deflected nearly fifteen minutes, to take in a
settlement marked " Roman Catholic Mission." Sir
John, in reply, said that Portage was left out at the
desire of the people, that it might form the nucleus of
a British province — a statement which was received
with considerable discredit. On the third reading of
the bill, this was thrown out. The Act as it then
passed contained thirty- two clauses — first, providing
for the creation of the Province of Manitoba out of
that portion of Rupert's Land bounded by 96° west
longitude, by 50° 30v north lat., 99° west long., and
the boundary of the United States, to take effect from
the day on wThich her Majesty, by order in council,
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 317
shall annex Rupert's Land and the North-West Terri-
tories to Canada. It also Bet aside one million four
hundred thousand aero of land, within said boundary,
for thebenefitof the resident half-breed families; pro-
vided for a regular form of government in the Pro-
vince, popular representation by the Bottlers, the right
to elect four members t<> the < tommons <>f Canada and
to the Senate, till it had by census a population of
fifty thousand; after that, three, and when it had
attained seventy-five thousand, four. The legislative
assembly was to consist of twenty-four members, the
Lieutenant-Governor to organise the districts within
six months.
Owing to the unsettled Btateof affairs in Red River,
the Canadian Qovernmenl 1 it advisable to send
kbliah the new regime on a firm basis, and
representations were made to the Imperial authorities
that the interposition of the military might !>•' n<
sarv. On the 5th March. 1^7<>. Marl Granville tele-
graphed Sir John Young as follows: "Her Ifaje
Government will give proposed military assistance,
provided reasonable terms are granted Red River
tiers, and provided your Government enable her
Majesty's Government to proclaim the transfer of the
territory simultaneously with the movement of the
forces." These terms were accepted, and Lieutenant-
General Lindsay sent out to take command of the
forces, who arrived in Canada on the 5th April, and
at once put himself in communication with the Gover-
nor-General, recommending that the expeditionary
force consist of three hundred and ninety regulars and
318 BI8TOB1 01 MANITOBA.
alx)ut seven hundred volunteers, also suggesting the
name of Major-General Sir Gam. t Wolseley as com-
mander of the force, which vrai accepted. On the 23d
April, the following telegram vraa received from Earl
will.' by Sir John Fonng: " On the following con-
ditions troops wiil advance: 1 Etoee to be authorized
to pay three hundred thousand pounds at once, and
her Majesty's Government to i»r at liberty to make
transfer before the end of June. (2) Her Majesty's
Government to pay expense of British troops only, not
to exceed two hundred and titty, and Canadian Gowr-
ment sending at least five hundred trained men.
(3) Canadian Government to accept decision of her
Majesty's Government on disputed points of the set-
tlers' Bill of Rights. (4) Military arrangements to be
to the satisfaction of General Lindsay.
On the 4th of May, instructions were sent Sir John
Rose to pay over the three hundred thousand pounds to
the Hudson Bay Company, which was done on the 11th.
On the 6th ordei eceived for troops to advance.
Everything connected with the expedition was now
pushed forward with the utmost rapidity, volunteers
were enrolled, equipped and drilled at Toronto, stores
and provisions collected as rapidly as possible at Col-
lingwood. The route selected was as follows: From
o
Toronto to Collingwood by rail, ninety-four miles;
Collingwood to Fort William on Thunder Bay, on Lake
Superior, 534 miles by steamer ; from Thunder Bay to
Shebandowan Lake, forty-eight miles, by road, partly
completed by Mr. Dawson ; the remaining 470 miles
between this and Fort Garry, by way of numerous
lakes and rivers, having about forty-seven portages.
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 319
Here a delay occurred which, according to Mr. Daw-
son, ised by taking the voyageurs off the road
to drag the boats up the Etaministiqua River, the inten-
tion of the Government being to proceed by the road.
Colon.-! Wolseley, however, advised by Mr. Mclntyre,
Hudson Bay officer at Fort William, determined to
try the river, and despatched Captain Young, with a
number of voyageurs and soldiers, to attempt the pas-
sage. After eight dayu of u I hard labor, the
party forced their way up through the rapids by means
of poling, portaging and dragging the bo ehing
Ifattawan bridge, about forty-five miles, by the L2th
May, having demonstrated that the boats could be sent
up by this rout.-, which had been hitherto regarded as
impassable, from the number of the falls, some of them
hundred and twenty feel in height, and also the
rapids caused by the did in level of the two
mdowan being eight hundred feet above
level of Superior. Wolseley ordered that the
remaining one hundred and on.' boats, lying at Prince
Arthur's Landing, should be sent the same way.
Against this order Mr. Dawson vigorously protested,
contending that it would knock them to pieces, and
render them unlit for the heavy work for which they
were intended, which it certainly did, so much so that
a gang of carpenters had to be sent forward to repair
them at Lake Shebandowan.
Thi ioned quite a tiff between Wolseley and
tin- Government, Wolseley contending that but for the
adoption of the water route, the expedition would not
have got through in time for the regular troops to
320 histmky OF MANITOBA,
return in the fall. Meantime the steamer Algoma
had left Collingwood with a cargo of stores, and one
hundred and forty voyageurs and workmen, to work'
on tin- road from Thunder Bay to Shehandowan Lake.
On account of the unfriendly feeling <'xi-tin«j between
the United States and Great Britain, and the open
sympathy shown by the former power to the rebels in
tin* North-Weet, it was anticipated that vessels carry-
in- troops and munitions of war*might he stopped at
the - od a road had been^conetructed on the
Canadian side by which the troops could march across
and meet fche steamer at the other end of the rapids.
ma arrived first and passed through unchal-
lenged, proceeding on her way to Fort William, but
did not return to Collingwood, the authorities deeming
it prudent to keep her on Lake Superior, in the event
of any trouble arising at the canal. The Ghicora
arrived on the 11th May, but was refused permission
to pass through. On this becoming known at Ottawa,
the circumstances of the case were laid before the
British Minister at Washington by Sir John Young,
who represented to the American Government that the
expedition was one of peace, and that vessels ought
not to be prevented from passing through with ordi-
nary freight. The embargo was at once removed, and
all the vessels allowed to pass without further trouble,
the troops disembarking and marching over the road.
On the 8th May, the A Igoma arrived at Fort William,
and the men went into camp, which they named
Government Camp, but which Wolseley, on his arrival,
changed into Prince Arthur's Landing, as a compliment
--v - • • •
«•• •
■
n
■
m
J
HI8T0KY OF MANITOBA. 323
to the Duke of Connau<rht. From this to the 2l6t
June, the troops continued to arrive Daring the
ress had been made in getting
rtion of the stores from the camp part of the way
take Shebandowan. The first line of waggons laden
with supplies started for Kaministiqua bridge «>n the
For the first few days all went well" On the
4th of Jane it began to rain and continued for a week,
making portions of the road almost impassable!
v of the teams began to show signs of disti
partly from ill fitting collars and partly from insuffi-
I food. On tie- let), June, nut of a total of 129
horses, 63 were sick, and continued so for some time.
Toward, the end «,f dune, it was feared the exped:
would have to be abandoned. On the 29th, Gen. »ral
Lindsay visited Thunder Bay, and a new en.
seemed to take p 0f t)1(. men Head-qaarters
were -d to Mattawan bridge, where a large
quantity of .tore, had been collected. The I nth June
was fixed for the departure of the first brigad
fc6 from McNeil's Landing; which continued~day by
da\ -to the 4th of August. From this point to Fort
l'"';1' miles, there were seventeen portages, and
between these two places the expedition was stretched
out over a distance of 150 miles. A writer describing
tin- men's appearance and work speaks thus: "The
wear and tear upon the clothes was excessive, carry-
in- loads upon their backs tore their shirts and coats,
while the constant friction of rowing soon wore large
holes in their trousers, which being patched with
Canvas from the bags in which the beans and other
8]
324 BISTORT OF M\MT"
provisions had been carried, gave them a most motley
appearance; leading a sort of amphibious life, they
well nicknamed the 'canvas-hack ducks.'"
•h'v arrived at Fort Francis with the advanced
detachment on the 2!»th July, where he was met by
Captain Butler, whom be had despatched at an.early
• of the expedition to Pembina, who reported Riel
still in | i lit Garry, the people in the
uiriit uneasy, and the loyal inhabitants anxiously
awaiting the arrival of the troops. Butler was also
accompanied by Joseph Monckton, of Red River.
Wolaeley remained at Fort Francis until the 10th, but
the detachments moved forward as they arrived.
From the latter place to Rat Portage the expedition
had 130 miles of unbroken navigation. At Rat
Portage they were met by a part}7 from Red River in
six of the Hudson Bay Company's boats, under the
guidance of the Rev. Mr. Gardiner. From the outlet
of the Lake of the Woods to Fort Alexander at the
entrance to Lake Winnipeg, there were 149 miles,
with twenty-five portages. The river is very broken
and rapid, owing to the difference of the level, the
Lake of the Woods being 350 feet higher than that of
Lake Winnipeg. A halt was made here until the
other brigades containing the regulars had arrived,
which was accomplished by the 21st. Here they were
met by Donald A. Smith. On Sunday morning all
turned out to divine service. At three in the afternoon
fifty boats, containing the artillery, engineers, and the
companies of the 60th Rifles, proceeded down the
river to Lake Winnipeg, camping for the night at Elk
HIMORY OF MANITOUV. 325
Island. Next morning, a start was made at 5 a.m.,
with the hope of reaching the stone fort by evening,
which, however, was not accomplished till the following
morning about eight o'clock, where a good breakfast
had been prepared by the Hudson Bay officials, which
was keenly relished by the soldiers. The boats were
then relieved of all superfluous stores, and with four
rations ahead the advance on Fort Garry was
commenced in the following order: Two seven-pounder
gnns were placed in the bows of two boat-, and an
advai urd mounted on ponies and Red River
led along the shore, about a quarter of a
mile ahead of the boats. This party was in command
of Captain Wallace, and had orders not to inter
with any person coming down the river, but to prev.nt
any persons passing op. So the boats continued all
the day through a drizzling rain, halting only for
dinner, and camping for the night about two m
below Si. John's Cathedral. About 9 o'clock in the
evening the drizzle changed to a heavy rain, which
continued all night. Owing to the sea of mud, Wolse-
ley abandoned the idea of advancing by land, and
determined to keep to the river till Point Douglas was
reached, where the troops were disembarked on the
left bank, and formed in open columns of companies,
with a line of skirmishers thrown out, about 400 yards
in advance. Wolseley and his staff utilized the ponies
loaned by the settlers, while guns were limbered up
behind the Red River carts. A company of the 60th
Rifles led in columns of fours, followed by the artillery
and engineers, the remainder of the 60th bringing up
the rear.
BISTORT OF M \MT(>BA.
No flag WSJ flying from the flagstaff of the fort,
v in his officid journal, no sign of life
viable. Everything looked grim and frowning, and
,m mounted over the gateway that commanded
the village and the prairie, over which the troops were
DCing, was expect. -.1 momentarily to open fire.
()nli tft,S0me Of the mounted men were
sent toward, followed by three of the staff, to ascertain
be of affairs. These returned, having ridden
all round the fort, and found the gate opening on the
p over fche Aasiniboine open. Through this the
troops marched in. The fort was found deserted by
its late defenders. Three men who were making otf
up the AsMnihoinr were detained; Riel, Lepine and
ODonohoe had ridden of!' up the Red River about
a quarter of an hour previous. The troops then
formed into line outside the fort, the Union Jack was
hoisted, a royal salute fired, and three cheers given for
the Queen, which were caught up and re-echoed by
many of the civilians, who had followed the troops
from the villages. Inside the fort was confusion, Riel's
unfinished breakfast stood on the table, as also Lepine's
pomatum for oiling his moustache. Thus ended the
rebellion of 1869-70.
Wolseley's position was now no sinecure, the money
had been paid over to the Hudson Bay Company, the
territory duly transferred by an order in council on
the 23rd June, and the Hon. A. G. Archibald appointed
Lieutenant-Governor of the new Province, who had
not yet arrived. There was no civil government. For
himself he had no civil authority ; to proclaim martial
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 327
law in the face of no resistance would be injudicious.
Many of those who had suffered imprisonment under
Rid were clamoring for revenge, and endeavored to
persuade Wolseley to issue warrants for the arrest of
Kir] and others, This he refused to do, maintaining
that the Budson Bay Company was the only civil
authority, until the arrival of (Jovernor Archibald.
The brigades in the rear coming in rapidly, and the
1 of arrival being BO much later than was expected,
Wolseley telegraphed General Lindsay on the 25th,
that he saw no necessity for detaining the regulars;
and accordingly sent them hack. Governor Archibald
arrived on the 2nd September, having followed the
route of the expedition, hut was detained at the Lake
of the Woods. A royal salute was fired in his honor on
the morning of the 3rd, after which the artillery
and engineers left by boat; while Wolseley started
for the Lake of the Woods where he met the return-
ing expedition, and accompanied them part of the
way back to Montreal, which was reached on the
1 4th October. The militia battalions under Lieutenant-
Colonel Jarvis wintered at Fort 'Garry. The new
Governor was kindly, but not enthusiastically, received,
the French being di>sati>fied that the amnesty had not
been proclaimed, and it required all the influence of
Bishop Tache, who had only arrived from his mission
to Ottawa the day before the arrival of the troops, to
get them to quietly submit to the new order of things
without the proclamation. With the large influx of
immigration, Governor Archibald found himself be-
tween two fires. The Ontario settlers joined with the
328 HISTORY 01 MANITOBA.
English-speaking people of the Province in demand-
in.: the punishment of those who had been in rebellion,
while those from Quebec supported the French in their
cry for i generd amnesty.
On the 6ih April, Mr. Archibald held a levee, at which
HnmUsion was read; he was waited on by the
Catholic and Protestant bishops and clergy, as also the
Ling bosineM men and farmers of the settlement,
iing the election, and in accordance with his
instructions, he appointed the Hon. Alfred Boyd
.incial Secretary, and the Hon. M. A. Girard
Provincial Treasurer. On the 13th September, an
event occurred which caused considerable excitement.
Elzear Goulet, who it is said gave poor Scott the
■e in the bastion, made his appearance in
Winnipeg, was recognized, and chased by a man who
had been one of Kiel's prisoners, and also by some
volunteers. In trying to swim the river to St. Boniface,
Goulet was drowned at the very place where Scott's
body is said to have been put through the ice by this
same individual. . As no coroner had been appointed,
Governor Archibald ordered an investigation before
two magistrates — Robert McBeth and Sam. Hamelin—
and H. J. G. McComville, a lawyer newly arrived from
Montreal, was appointed to conduct the case. A verdict
was returned that Goulet's death was caused by these
three men, who belonged to the Canadian or loyal party.
It was felt, however, that to make an arrest in the
excited state of the public feeling would have precipi-
tated a conflict between the two nationalities and
religions far more disastrous than that of the preceding
BISTORT OF MAMTolU. 329
winter. It was therefore deemed expedient to defer
action in the matter until popular feeling bad quieted
down. Meanwhile, Kiel, Lepine and O'Donohue, finding
Winnipeg too hot, located themselves at St. Joe, close
to the boundary line. Plotting another rising so soon
as the winter set in, a meeting was held at La Salle
— where the first opposition to MtcDongall had been
arranged — four days after Goulet's death, at. which both
Riel and Lepine were present Threats were indulged
in, considered by the Government serious enough to
send a company of volunteers to defend the frontier;
but no raid took place, and the winter of 1870-71
1 in peace. The volunteers and citizens did not
get along well together at first, but through the
influence of balls and parties given daring the winter,
began to understand and appreciate each other, so
much so that, when disbanded in the spring, many of
them remained in the country, and their alter history
became as I with it.
During the summer of 1871, as John McLean, whose
name appears in the preceding pages, was strolling
through the bush attached to and surrounding his
present home, he came across a party of Indians gath-
ering cherries. In their efforts to secure these they
were pulling the trees down and breaking great
branches off. McLean remonstrated with them anent
this < Instruction, saying that he did not begrudge them
the cherries, but that be would not allow the bush to
be destroyed in that way. The [ndians replied that
he had nothing to do with it, that the Gitche Manitou
(Great Spirit) made the bush for his children, and that
330 BISTOR1 Of MANil<W:\
they would not desist Nettled at this retort, McLean
seized hold of one of their blankets, which was full of
tries, and scattered the contents over the ground.
He then ordered them out, enforcing the command
with suasion of the toe of his hoot. Later on
in the month of July, Alec, who was making hay on
the plain-, and stacking it within the grounds, on
coining out in the morning to throw off the load he
had brought in the previous evening, missel his horses,
which were generally in the habit of coming to him
whenever they saw hint After throwing off the hay,
he proceeded to reconnoitre, when, to his astonishment,
he found a gap in the fence Leading through what wa?
then a wheat field to the Saskatchewan Avenue.
Following up the track he came to the avenue, where
he found two panels of the fence thrown down ; then
along to the westward for a short distance, when he
became satisfied that the horses had been stolen. He
then returned home, and endeavored to get three or
four of the neighbors to accompany him and go in search
of them, but nobody would go. He then proceeded north
to where James Moffatt now lives, then owned by a
man named Bartlet, whose son Wildred, a young man
of considerable nerve, figured prominently in the
rebellion, and was one of those who captured Parisien,
the half-breed that shot young Sutherland at Kil-
donan. Young Bartlet was always ready for an emer-
gency like the present. McLean, accompanied by
Bartlet, returned home, when, after having dinner,
they started out on horseback, going west along the
avenue as far as the old fort, now known as Lee's
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 331
farm, then north and west towards Rat Creek erossinft
Hind the tracks of the horses, which they
recognised by the shape of one of the hoot's, a piece
being broken off, giving it the shape of aV. Quickening
their pace, they reachedThreeJ Greeks about three o'clock
in the afternoon, where they met a hand of Sionx
coining to the Portage Prom these they Learned that
had passed an Indian with two horses on towards
Pine Creek As it began to rain heavily, they pushed
"ii Caster till they reached tin- latter {'lace, where they
found the Indian encampment, into which they rode,
but no sign of horses could they nee anywhere. Mc-
Lean, who was watching everything very closi
rved a man come to the top of a hill a little dis-
tance off, look over into camp and on seeing them
retire hastily. He at once galloped in the direction
wh.-n- he -aw the man retire, and found him to be a
French half-breed, who, on seeing McLean and Bartlrt
following, was endeavoring with all possible haste to
get to hi i short distance off. Alec, however,
got between him and the tent, and asked him to show
where the Indians had their horses, which he refused
to do. Bartlet coining up at this moment with his
double-barrelled gun in his hand, and hearing the half-
breed refuse to tell, said to McLean, " Shoot him if he
don't." The breed, seeing Bartlets determined attitude,
as also McLean's, who by this time had drawn a
hooter, which was ominously pointed at his head,
agreed to tell them if they in return would not
acquaint the Indians, which they readily assented to.
Pointing in the direction of some hills about a mile
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
down the creek, he told them they would find the
stolen horses among the band belonging to the Indians.
McLean and Bartlet at once started in the direction
pointed out, when five Indians, who, seeing McLean
r the hill with Bartlet in hot haste behind
him, had followed them and observed their interview
with nch half-breed, seeing them ride off in the
direction of the horses, returned to camp with the
news. The boys so<»n reached the desired place, and
to their satisfaction, down in the flats, found not only
the Indians' horses but the stolen ones, one of which
had a rope around his neck, which Bartlet at once
Caught hold of and led him out of the band. In less
time thin it takes to write McLean had thrown a rope
over the other, and they led the horses up on the high
ground, from which they could more readily watch
the tactics of the Indians. They then returned to the
half-breed's camp,and were talking to him,when fifteen
or twenty Indians came up and gathered round them.
McLean, seeing them approach, said to Bartlet, " We are
in for it now." " You are not going to give up the horses,
are you ?" replied Bartlet. " Not by a long way,"
said McLean. In order to better defend themselves
they at once dismounted, and bringing the four horses'
heads together in a circle, remained inside themselves,
thus keeping the horses between them and the Indians
One old buck reached in and caught hold of one of the
ropes, and endeavored to pull a horse away, but
Bartlet made him let go, and pushed him off with the
muzzle of his gun. The Indians told the half-breed
to ask them if the gun was loaded ; McLean said,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 333
Y-s ; do you take us for a pair of d — d fools,%coming
out here without our guns loaded ? Tell them," said
he, "we have the horses, and we are going to keep
Q,if we have t<> fight tor them." The Indians still
; in tryii hold of the ropes to get the
way, evidently thinking that McLean's threat
a bluff. Seeing that they still persisted, he drew a
y six-shooter from his saddle, and told Martlet to
shoot the next man who would attempt to lay a hand
on a rope, at tie- same time requesting the half-breed
to let the Indians know what they meant The Indians,
on being informed ^y the breed, replied that being
only two, they could easily dispose of them. "Not
before we have killed more than two of you," replied
Alec. The' Indians, seeing the boys meant to Btay by
the horses, and that they Gould not frighten them OUl of
turned to tleir camp, while McLean and Bartlet
proceeded on their home track, passing the Indian
camp, and keeping the horses between them and the
Indians till they reached the edge of Pine Creek, when
they once more mount»< I and started off at a good pace.
Suspicious that the Indians would follow them with a
view of recapturing the fa -ible, they halted
once in a while to listen, when they could distinctly
hear the splash of horses' hoofs in the distance, the
night being very calm. To throw them off the scent,
they dismounted, tied the horses in a bluff, and light-
ing a Hre some distance off, waited till the embers
burnt low, then galloped off, leaving as great a distance
a- possible between them and their pursuers. The
Indians had resolved to punish McLean after this man-
334 ftlffl MANITOBA.
ner for interfering with them in the bush; on the
night on which the horses were stolen they went to
Alexander Gaddy's and told him to tell McLean not to
w the horses, as whoever would do so would be
shot. Gaddy came along in the afternoon after the
boys bad started out, and delivered his message. It is
not hard to imagine the distress this occasioned their
friends, which was happily relieved by their return
early in the morning. Bartlei died two years later at
the old fori J hiring tin* massacre of the whites in
Minnesota, in I S(j2. his family saw some rough times
with tin- Indians, which probably did much to develop
the nerve and dating for which he was noted.
In the fall of this year, rumors of an invasion of the
Province by the Fenians were circulating freely along
the frontier at Pembina. The Government at once
sent out detectives and scouts to ascertain, if possible,
the true state of affairs, These could not, however, do
more than echo the reports coming by every fresh
arrival from the east, many of which were extravagant
in the extreme, placing the number of men on the
march at one thousand, one thousand five hundred,
two thousand, and two thousand five hundred. On
the 2nd of October, scouts brought in more precise
information, that a body of men were on the road to
Pembina, ready to commence a raid. This was con-
firmed later on in the evening by the arrival, by
express, of Gilbert McMicken, who placed their num-
bers at from one hundred to one hundred and fifty,
and who expressed the opinion that there was more
danger to be feared from within than without the
history OF MANITOBA.
country. Efforts were being made, from some unknown
quarter, to create among the ha If -breeds an impression
that a large body of men had been pushed towards
frontier. The feeling which existed among this
latter class on the amnesty question, and the excite-
ment still prevailing in the country over the events ol
lion, made this ■ matter to be regretted. A
consultation iras held by the Government, and a
btion issued in French and English, calling on
all loyal Bubjects to arm themselves, and rally at once
ipport of the civil power and for the protection
of their homea A meeting was held at Winnipeg that
same evening, which irasaddressed by Archdeacon M<--
i. Dr. Black, of Kildonan. and Itu v. George Young.
Small differences were set aside, and men whohadhith-
i at variance united cordially in the movement
The result of this was that at the dose of the meeting
hundred men most of them discharged from
the force sent out under Wblseley, declared themselves
at a moment's notice. The employees
of the Hudson Bay Company in and about Fort Garry,
with Donald A. Smith at their head, enrolled them-
selves under the proclamation, a volunteer company,
to be drilled and ready for service when desired.
About the 5th, one thousand men had expressed them-
selves desirous ol service. On Thursday, the 4th, scouts
brought in word that a body of men had passed the
frontier about seven in the morning, placed a guard
over the custom house, and proceeded to the Hudson
Bay post, where they had made prisoners of Mr.
b, the officer in charge, and Mr. Douglas, customs
»
336 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
clerk andec Mr. B Thejp had with them three
laden with inna and ammunition, also a double
gon, which they loaded with provisions, clothing
and other supplies from the company's store. On
n were given to advance
a force of two hundred volunteers, provided with arms,
ammuniti p equipage, provisions, medical stores,
md one a howitaer. In Lets than three
re after the order had been issued, the force had
crossed over and taken u\ don on the south side
•*>ine, en rau t>' to where the Fenians -
reported to be. The fort was left Bed with
of the Hudson Bay Company's officers and men,
mpany from St. Andrew's, under Lieut K. E.G.G.
Hay, and one from Poplar Point, under Captain New-
be. The afternoon was wet and oold, the roads
muddy, yet the alacrity and cheerfulness displayed by
the men was most creditable. Hardly had the march
conn however, when word was received that
the leaders of the movement had been captured and
were prisoners in the custody of the United States
infantry, at Pembina.
It would appear that Colonel Wheaton, commanding
the United States troops at Pembina, seeing a company of
about 6fty men cross the boundary in the direction of the
Hudson Bay post, and knowing of the expected raid,
at once followed in pursuit with about eighty of his
men. Coming upon the raiders just as they were in
the act of ransacking the company's storehouse, he
made prisoners of Generals O'Neil and Donelly, with
Colonel Curley and eleven of the rank and file, com-
man Manitoba. .*>."7
pelling them to replace the pr and clothing in
u.', on learning of the arrival
of the soldiers fled in hot haste down the river bank,
I behind him ised
>«• t< > tlif Canadian tide. Some French
half' led in capturing him.
Be fought I I when captured, was attempting
which h«> bad stolen that morning
. Mr. W'au. They tied him with ropes, and
Hey,
with the news of the capture. F< aringan attempt at
I lolonel Wheaton
to tal _«' of the prisoner. < >n hie e
handed over to the Unit
soldiers T! the raiders who were not captured
fled in ei r rrvine, on the follov
r to Colonel Wheaton, asking thai
O'Donohur had I tared on British Boil and by
i only been banded ov<
him v be given over to the
British authorities Colon. -1 Wheaton declined, on the
ground thai O'Donohue was a prisoner in the cud
of the civil power of the Onil charged with
king the neutrality law of that country. ( > 1 ><>n<>-
plan n otier with a body <>f
arm.' 1 men, com] \<vy man he met in bis path
pany him, either as e prisoner or confederate,
and thus swell hie ranks till he reached the ps
above the fort, which contained the main body of the
ion. These, be believed, would join
hin. in taking and plundering Fort
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
Garry, when he would be reinforced with a sufficient
number of men from the United States to enable him
to hold the country. With a view to the successful
issue of this plan, arms had been deposited under a
k within a few yards of the frontier daring
the summer. On the night previous to the raid, these
were moved to the west ride of the river and
I'ut in the cellar of a house standing within a few feet
of the road leading down to the ind occupied
by the widof tar Goulet, who had been drowned
the previous fall d< • Garry. As the men
marched towards the frontier, the)- armed themselves
on passing the boose. With the capture of the Fenian
generals ami their following, the whole game fizzled
out, and O'Donohue realized, as many others have
done, that "the best laid plans o' mice and men gang
aft aglee."
Fears were still entertained that, with the leaders
set at liberty by the United States authorities, which
was expected, and the number of Fenians in the
vicinity of Pembina, another attack might be organized
with better success from St. Joe, a little town on the
frontier about thirty miles farther up the Pembina
River, from which roads radiate in all directions to
the Manitoba settlements.
Word was despatched by Jack Benson to Portage la
Prairie from the Government for the populace to hold
themselves in readiness against attack. Sheriff Setter,
being the representative of the Government at this
point, was commissioned to take all necessary pre-
cautions against surprise. On receiving the informa-
HISTORY OF Manitoba. ,'}41
tiun, the sheriff at once posted sentries on all roads
leading to the Portage from St. Joe.
William Garrioch, George Garrioch, Donald McCuish,
in Brunei] and Davy Balcro kept watch and
bile William Dil worth, Munn
and Sutherland guarded the south-east approaches.
Pickets were established at the old fort, and Billy
Smith's mill, which had just been erected at the foot
of Main Street on the banks of the slough, and which
was awaiting the machinery, was taken possession of
and used as an armory, into which the sheriff caused
all arms that were of any use found amongst the
to be brought and stored Provisions, in the
shape of flour, penunican, and other necessaries, were
also levied from the Hudson Bay store and others, and
Blake and Wallace Hall, sine.- known as
old Portage Hotel, which had ji erected,
and which was prepared fox of siege, if such
was necessary. All the lead found in the tea-chests in
the settlement was also confiscated, and men put to
work to melt and prepare it for shot.
Companies were organized for drill, with Joe Cad-
ham and Boh Wiahart as drill instructors. Meanwhile,
realizing the necessity of arms, a company was formed
to proceed to Winnipeg, to get a supply, if possible,
from the fort.
Amongst these were Tom Wallace, Billy Smith,
Jack Bates, Frank Otton and Jack Keenan and others.
Quite a rivalry existed as to who should be captain
of the little troop. At last it was decided to make
Keenan captain, with the sheriff ns lieutenant. Teams
22
542 HIsh'HY OF KAN1TOBA.
were pressed into service with Of without their owners'
nt. Amongst those was David Cussitar's, which
was taken right oat of the stable, and he wai
idedly hostile at this breach of etiquette that he
imi I anybody and everybody, from the Gov-
ernment down to the Fenians. Bowever, Tom Wallace
t<»uk char-- of the team down to the fort As they
•ed the latter place they found the Hudson Bay
employees, with tle-ir white capots, hard at drill.
Arrived at the fort* they put up their hor
A very short time had elapsed when an order was
■n for a team to go and bring in some prisoners,
in Co88itar*n team was in demand. Wallace would
not consent to let them go in strange hands, and con-
sequently had to go with them himself.
While he was waiting at the end of a lane for some
prisoners, which were being led along, Major Mulligan
came out of a house in the neighborhood, and recog-
nizing in one of these a man who had been guard over
him while he was a prisoner under Riel, and who had
not used him the least kindly, made a rush at him, and
but for the interference of the captors, would certainly
have " wiped the ground with him," in short order.
All that the Major wanted was " five minutes, to clean
the streets with him." It is needless to say that his
request was not granted.
The men returned the following day without arms.
As there were then, and still are amongst the old set-
tlers, some who don't know the reason why the Portage
boys were not provided writh arms, I give here the
official reasons : first, Governor Archibald had no
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 343
power to Issue arms without instructions from ( >ttawa;
:i<l. there were not sufficient arms in the fort to
supply the demand, and what were there were (in
military phrase) wOUt of kilter."
Meetinj BKgh Bluff, Portage la Prairie,
and other points of the settlement At the Blufl
addrn ere delivered by Sheriff Setter, Mr. Alcock
and others; also by the late Hon. John Nbrquay,
who. on this occasion, delivered his maiden Bpeech in
the c ncy which had returned him in the fore-
going December, 1870, to the first legislature of the
Provincial Parliament, and who astonished his friends
on thi> occasion by bis eloquence Els concluding
words were: "We will be unworthy representati
ithera if we allow the invaders to defile
our soil with their
nd all of the speakers arged the ty of
forming a protective association, which was done there
an«l then, and officers appointed for tie- government of
the same
Next day, being Sunday, was spent in drill and the
rice of throwing up earthworks as a defence.
While the Portage hoys were at drill that morning a
ludicrous incident occurred, which, for the time being,
varied the monotony of military drill and precision.
the men were standing at ease, old John Hudson,
who built the first house in the Portage, came up to
rgeant McLean and said to him, "Are ye Doc-
tor Jakes ? " Alec replied he was not, but pointing to
where Jakes stood with some others, said, "There he
is over yonder." The old man at once proceeded in the
344 history Of MANITOBA.
direction pointed, and coming to where the doctor
stood, repeated the interrogation, " Are ye Doctor
Jakes?" ( to being assured that he was in the presence
of that functionary, he said, "Ihae a sick calf this
mornin', man ; I wish ye wod cum doon and see't" The
roar of laughter which followed can be more easily
imagined khan described, more especially as the inci-
dent bap] sned to Dr. Jakes, who was rather a dude in
his way, and who considered himself away up in his
profession : and, for some time after.no more effective
mode of rallying the doctor could be found than to ask
how fchal sick calf was.
As is usual on occasions when excitement runs high,
people are often suspected of alien sympathies when
such ifl not the case. Among these were Dr. Cowan
and William Lyons, who had just come to the settle-
ment this year, and started a saw mill close by the
river. These had taken no part whatever in the drill
nor in the preparations for defence. In consequence of
this, they were suspected of entertaining sympathy for
the Fenians, or, what is worse, of being Fenian spies.
Indeed, the feeling went so far that thoughts were enter-
tained at one time of placing them under arrest, which,
however, was never done. About this time, and just
when the excitement was at its height, the population
of the Portage was still further increased by the
accession from the States of two old bachelors, both
blacksmiths, named James and William Longdon.
Very reticent and retired in their manners were
these two elderly men, taking no part whatever in the
preparations. They, too, became objects of suspi-
HISTORY Of MANITOBA. 345
cion, so much so that when Jack Benson came with
the word from the Government, the sheriff spoke of
them to Jack, who took the trouble to interview our
n friends, but who brought back the report
that they were all right
I >n Sunday afternoon, about four o'clock . the Speaker
of the Assembly, the Bon. James BffcKay,the Provincial
Treasurer, the Hon. Mr. Girard, and other French
representatii id on Lieutenant-Governor Archi-
bald, and informed him that a body of French half-
breeds had assembled at St. Boniface, wishing to
onally, to offer their . and assure
him of their loyalty n. Accompanied by
Captain McDonald, the officer at the fort, Mr. Archi-
bald the river and found about two hundred
men stationed on the bank, who received him with a
Mr. Girard, as spokesman, assured him
that these bad assembled under the proclamation to
ire their loyalty and desire to be enrolled and
t in defending the country. The Lieutenant-
Governor thanked the men for their response, assur-
ing them that should their services be required, they
would be called upon. Mr. Girard then addressed the
nbly, portraying in eloquent terms the privi-
i enjoyed by being under the British flag, at the
close of which address he was loudly cheered. On
rning to the fort, Captain McDonald gave orders
to have the barracks prepared Lieutenant E. H. G. G.
Hay, who was in command of the St. Andrew's com-
pany, and to whom the order was given, quietly
informed his Excellency that, if it was to accommo-
346 HISTORY 01 MANITOBA.
date the men he had just toft, he would lay his arms
down first In this be wm supported by Captain
Newcombe, of Poplar Point. A scene ensued in the
Lieutenant-Governors chamber winch we do not find
in tin- official despatches. Mr. Archibald informed
Hay that hv was an ofiicer in the Queen's service, and
-worn to do bis duty. Mr. Say replied that he was
aware of the tact, hut that before he would execute
the order just Driven, to accommodate such men as
and Lepine, be and every man of his company
would lay down their arms. It i^> unnecessary to say
that the order wa- imver carried out, and the French
balf-breedfl were allowed to disperse to their homes.
During the above conversation, when Governor Archi-
bald recognized the necessity of yielding the point at
issue, he asked Mr. Hay if the garrison would object
to Pascal Breland with his mounted scouts. On being
assured that no exception would be taken to loyal
men, the interview ended, and the barracks were pre-
pared. On the following morning, Breland, accom-
panied by twenty-four of his scouts, came into garrison,
and remained till peace was once more assured and
the various companies disbanded and sent to their
homes.
It is worthy of note that these men did not tender
their services until after the word had arrived of the
capture of the Fenians by the United States infantry
stationed at Pembina, under the command of Colonel
Wheaton. After the Lieutenant-Governor had left the
fort, accompanied by Captain McDonald, for St. Boni-
face, Lieut. Hay turned his field-glass on the group
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 347
of men stationed on the opposite bank. Amongst
them he distinguished the familiar forms of both Riel
and Lepine, with many other prominent supporters of
the late provisional government It was well known
that had the Fenians been successful, these men were
only waiting to assist thorn, and to repeat, if possible,
I and 1^70. Under Governor Archi-
bald's regime, there was reason for this winkin
known facts. It may have been, possibly, the wisest
course to allow tim.-.t healer of all different
soothe the asperity between the races which, by being
pushed to the extreme, would only have been rendered
more acute. The clemency towards Riel individually
may well be questioned, in view of the crime which
he had committed There is no doubt that had he
suffered the extreme penalty of the law in L 870 (which
he certainly merited) the rebellion of 1885, with its
odant loss of life and cost to the country, would
never have been chronicled by the pen of the historian.
The fact that coi were walking around in his
company, playing cards at the same table with him,
having in their breast-pockets a warrant for his arrest,
and ye1 instructed to do nothing, only shadow him,
©mething that can be explained only by the
initiated.
On Monday, the 9th, the troops which had gone to
the front under the command of Major Irvine and
Captains liulvey, Kennedy and Plainval, returned to
the fort, and those in garrison were allowed to return
to their homes.
After going through a farce of an examination be-
348 SISTdBY OF kanitoba.
fore United States Commissioner Spencer, the pri-
soners taken at Pembina were liberated as speedily as
possible, which was only what was expected.
Three halt-breeds, A. EL Villeneuve, Andre* Jerome
Mathe and Oiaean [/Entendre, were arrested for
participation in the attack on the Hudson Hay post
and • At the quarterly court at Fort Garry,
on the 17th November, 1871, Judge Johnston presid-
ing, Villeneuve was found not guilty by the jury, and
disci in Andre* St. Jerome Ifathe's case, they
failed to agree, and he also was discharged; Oiseau
L'Entendre was found guilty and sentenced to be
banged on the -4th February, 1*72, but was pardoned
This raid opened the eyes of the Dominion authori-
ty - to the fact that the furcr left in the Province was
too small; that a larger body of men was required
until order was perfectly restored, and a local militia
organized.
In his evidence before the Select Committee, in 1874,
Governor Archibald said, that at the time Riel offered
hifl services it was not known that the raid was at an
end; that there was still intense excitement, and another
attack expected by way of St. Joe ; that Riel's offer of
assistance was made in good faith, as he could not pos-
sibly have known the precise state of affairs. Mr.
Archibald forgot to state, however, that Riel was in a
position to have as efficient scouts as the Government,
and that he was thoroughly posted on the matter.
I close this account of the raid of 1871 with an
extract from a letter written by O'Donohue to the
Speaker of the House of Commons, dated St. Paul,
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 349
26th February. 1 87$, in which he says : " The so-called
Fenian raid is a misnomer. Fenianism had nothing
to do with it. It was simply a continuation of the
insurrection of 1869, with tin- same intention, and by
the same parties, a fact which the Government of
Manitoba was cognizant of for months previous. My
part in it was simply that of an agent of the people,
hold:: d signed by the officers, civil and
military, of the late provisional government of the
French party, and authorized by a resolution of the
council held at River La Salle, in September, 1870,
over which Louis I ^ i « - 1 presided."
CHAPTEE XV.
,! Indian Promised Railway First Tele-
graphic Commnnirati<>n with «>tt;i\\;i I MM LrfMSN
Parliain.-nt Steam-boats i m • ki of Portage la
urliCaae — Regular M [ndiaai
Lata The
Fir*t AantnMBl H< >11 ('. 1*. K. I n-aty with t:
Tbenai Gariand <Jr. I'lague — N. P, Smith Rev. Allan
I Winn ij «g Treaty- I 1 Busin.-s ( 'han-.-s in
t age la Prairie— An Indian Murder.
The year isyi was in many reapeete in important
one in the history of the Province The difficulties
experienced in the transfer of the country from the
Hudson Bay Company, and the attitude assumed by
the residents themselves, particularly the French half-
breed element, which, as we have seen, resulted in
rebellion, caused the Dominion Government to take a
deeper interest in the country.
The murder of Scott, with its attendant circum-
stanced caused such a thrill of horror and indignation
throughout Ontario and the Mother Country, as made
it imperative on the Dominion authorities to send
troops to stamp out at once and forever all semblance
of resistance to law and order. The expedition under
Wolseley, with the excitement naturally attendant on
all military movements, only brought the Province
of Manitoba and the North- West Territories more
prominently before the public mind. Need we won-
der, then, that with the successful issue of the expedi-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 351
tion and the restoration of her Majesty's government
in the country, a large influx of settlers from the
tern Provinces came to see for themselves the
resources of our vast prairies extending westward as
far as the Pacific slopes, and northward to the Ai
seas e remained in the country, and
formed the nucleus of the large settlements now-
scattered over this once groat lone land. With the
reader's permission, I will proceed to enumerate a
f the most important measures. The North-Wot
Territory having been duly transferred to Canada,
and having become part and parcel of the gnat
scheme of Confederation, it was felt that this last was
still incomplete without the neighboring Province of
British Columbia. The latter having, on her own
part, ex j desire to be united with the other
Sir George E. Cartier, on the 28th March.
moved the British Colombia resolutions in the Bouse
of Commons. These embodied the construction of a
railway from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Before the
Canadian I lovemment could proceed with that railway.
or hope successfully to develop the great country of
which they had become possessors, it was necessary,
in order to gain the friendship of tie- savage tribes
along the proposed route, to extinguish hy treaty the
title to their lands, The reader will remember that
this was the lion in the way of the Hudson Bay
Company in L864, in their proposed telegraphic com-
munication through British territory.
The Government at once commissioned Wemyss,
McKenzie and Simpson to proceed to Manitoba, and
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
in conjunction with Lieutenant-Governor Archibald,
conclude treaties with the various tribes of Indians
tared throughout the country. Proclamations were
tiling a meeting of the Indians at the lower
or stone fort, on 24th July, 1871, but owing to the non-
arrival of some who were 00 their way to participate
in the negotiations the meeting was postponed until
the 27th. On the 3rd of August, after considerable
trouble, the following arrangements were concluded.
rvationa of land were to be set apart sufficient to
give each family of fire persons 160 acres. Schools
were to be maintained, the sale of intoxicating liquor
to the Indians prohibited, and an annuity of $3 per
: was granted them.
On the 21*1 of August Mr. Simpson and Governor
Archibald, with a few other gentlemen well acquainted
with the native character, met the Indians at Manitoba
Post, on Lake Manitoba, where a second treaty, similar
in provisions to the first, was concluded. These
two treaties extinguished the Indian title in Manitoba
and part of the Territories. Mr. Simpson, S. J. Daw-
son and W. J. Pether had, previous to this, met the
Ojibeway Indians on the 11th July at Fort Francis,
and explained the proposals of the Government. They,
however, were not prepared, nor did they enter into
treaty till September of 1873, when Governor Morris,
who succeeded Archibald, assisted by Mr. Dawson and
Lieutenant-Colonel Provencher, concluded terms with
them. This latter was the most important of the
three, as all treaties since made with the Indians in
the North -West Territories have been largely governed
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 353
by it. It included a territory of about 55,000 square
miles, while about 14,000 Indians participated in its
provisions. Notwithstanding the objections made in
the House against the road, which were: First, the
great burden that would be laid upon the people,
to meet the cost of construction; and, secondly,
the time specified, ten years, being too short,
and likely to press heavily on the resources of
the Dominion — explorations were at once pushed for-
ward, not only on the Pacific end of the route, but also
from Fort Garry to the Rocky Mountains, and from
the Ottawa River, along the shores of Lakes Superior
and Huron, to the Red River. On the 20th of Novem-
ber, 1871, also, the first iphic communication
between Manitoba and the Eas< mu established, and
the following congratulatory despatches passed over
the wire :
obi Gabby, Nov. 20th, 1871.
'• Right Hon, Lobd Lisqab,
" Governor-General of Canada,
"The first telegraphic message from the heart of the
continent ma j appropriately convey, on the part of
our people, an expression of devout thankfulness to
Almighty God for the close of onr isolation from the
of the world. This i announces that close,
as its receipt by your ExeeUeney will attest it. The
of Manitoba, collected this morning on the banks
of the Assiniboine, will be heard in a few hours on
the banks of the Ottawa, and we may hope, before the
day closes, that the words of your Excellency's reply,
HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
spoken at the capital of the Dominion, will be listened
t Fort Garry. We may now count in hours the
w.»rk that used to occupy weeks 1 congratulate your
ry oo the facilities so afforded in the discharge
■ur high duties, bo Ear as they may concern the
Province. I know that 1 can better discharge my own,
when at any moment 1 may appeal to your Lordship
for advice and assistance.
" A. G. Archibald."
To the above despatch the following reply was
sent :
•• Likitinant -<;«i\ i aoroB Archibald,
•■it /. Man.
I received your message with great satisfaction.
The completion of the telegraph Line to Fort Garry 18
an auspicious event. It forms a fresh and most im-
portant link between the Eastern Provinces and the
North-West, and is a happy augury for the future,
inasmuch as it [givea proof of the energy with which
the union, wisely effected, of her Majesty's North
rican possessions enables progress and civilization
to be advanced in different and far-distant portions of
the Dominion. I congratulate the inhabitants of
Manitoba on the event, and join heartily in your
thanksgiving.
" LlSGAR."
On the 15th of March, the first meeting of the local
Parliament took place. From that date representative
government commenced in Manitoba, and the Legisla-
ture at once proceeded to enact such laws as were
BISTORT OF M.wnor.A. 355
the proper conduct of local affairs,
Previous to this year also, the merchants of Manitoba
their goods over the prairie from
St. Cloud, in Minnesota, to Fort Garry. In this year,
Fever, James I. Bill, of St. Paul, placed a steamer,
called the Selkirk, on the Red River, to run between
Iforehead and Winnipeg. Tin's was the first regular
Jit and] r boat placed on the route. The
business increased to such an extent that, when the
Pembina branch railway was opened, there were no less
than tir ping to and from Winnip--
The growth and progress of the town of Portage la
Prairie np to the year 1871 was slow Indeed, [ts
beginning may be said to originate with the bouse
built by John Budson on the bank of the slough, at
I what is now known as .Joseph or
Garland From this point it began to L,rrow
north and westward
The Budsoo Hay Company had at this date re-
moved all their interests from the old fort, and con-
centrated them at what was known as the west end.
Theii and warehouses, with the addition of the
;' their employees and afew others built around
them, made quite a little settlement. The east end
comprised Anderson and Wallaces hotel, Anderson's
lion-.- 00 thr hank of theslough, Sehultz and Lossee's
store, Andrew McLaren's tin shop, W, M. Smith's mill,
Joe Moule's saloon. Frank Otton's saloon, Barquhar
McLean's bouse, Charlie House's store, William Hud-
ith the windmill close by, also Fred Bird's
lence and store. Stretching westward alon^ what
HISTORY OF man nor. A.
is now known as the Slough Road, were William Gaddy.
John McLean, Peter Garrioeh, Mr. Kin-, Mr. Demaris,
Gavin Garrioeh. William Garrioeh, Mr. Franks, John
Dougald MeKay, Davy Balero, Alexander Gaddy, J.
J. Setter, Malcolm Cuinmings and the English Church
mission farm and school. This year Mr. Bird, who had
been ta re for son m- time, retired in favor of
Bcholtl and Losses, who continued the business in
the house situated at the south extremity of Main
Street, and now known as T. B. Miller's old stand.
Mr. Lossee was the resident partner. He had a pecu-
liarity which is still spoken of among early residents,
When an mer, no matter whether lady or gentle-
man, asked for an article not in stock, he would reply,
., ma'am, but we have plenty of broad-axes." What
particular use a lady, or even some gentlemen, could
have for a broad-axe never seemed to strike Mr. Lossee's
mind.
Marlatt and Dickson also started business at this time
in a house on John McLean's place. After Anderson
moved into the hotel, these gentlemen moved their
stock into the house vacated by Anderson, and con-
tinued in business till the close of 1872, when Dickson
left for Winnipeg and Marlatt went to the west end
to keep store for Captain Palmer Clark. The country
at this time was visited by many whose business it
was to see for themselves the nature and fertility of
the soil, and report to friends in Ontario. Many of
this class put up at McLean's, from the fact of the
information to be learned, and his ability to guide
intending settlers to vacant claims. A reverend
history OP MANITOBA. 359
gentleman of the name of Mr. Gouldie had put in an
appearance about this time. Between McLean's second
son, Dan, and Dickson, there was always a considerable
am,,,lnt «g and amusement, the one always
trying to get the better of the other. ( me night* while
the reverend gentleman was a guest with McLean, and
a lot of fresh arrivals had necessitated the usual shake-
down on the floor, the boys, who had been out late in
came in to retire. Coming up to the
room they found beda here, there and all over. Com-
kbly covered over with clothes, tucked in close and
warm, and sound asleep, was a form that Dan took
I)ieks,,n. The temptation was too strong, Winki:
Alec and his other companion to look out for tun,
osly un to tie- prostrate figure, and
quickly pulling off the cloth,., administered such a
whack as sounded over the whole house. The aston-
mddenly and strangely aroused, and
mowing Whether he was in tie- hands of Fenians
or Indian., sprung at once on the floor and confronted
I >;m. The amasement on the tatter's face can be better
iniagined than described Alec and his companion,
taking in the situation, mad.- their exit on the double-
quick through the door and dowi where they
gave vent to their hitherto restrained laughter. Mr.
McLean, too, had "caught on," and was containing
himself as best he could in the neighboring room. Of
course, there was an explanation and an apology. The
end gentleman himself, on his return to Ontario,
told the story to a Large audience in London, fairly
bringing down the house with the recital, and condud-
23
360 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
ing with the words, "that with the exception of his
native home, Manitoba was the only place where he
had ever received a good spanking."
This vt-ar the little town received its first resident
le<ml light, in the peraoo of Mr. James, who still
retains, in poinl of stature, the honor o! being the
highest Legal authority in Manitoba. He was shortly
folio wed by Joseph Ryan, now Judged the County
Court of Marquette West, and still later in the same.
year by Mr. Park.-, these gentlemen all domiciled at
the old Portage Hotel, which was the rendezvous of
"the boys" and the ol many humorous and
merry carousel*
Amongst khose who frequented the hotel was a
gentleman from England, who, from his dudish ways
and lordly bearing, was dubbed " Lord Blake." Blake
had taken up a claim at Westbourne, with the idea of
starting s rancbe, but the greater part of his time was
spent &t the Portage Hotel and at Winnipeg. He drove
a sorrel horse, which was as balky as it possibly could be.
John Corrigal borrowed the sorrel on one occasion, but
the brute refusing to go, John administered some long
oats. A quarrel ensued between Corrigal and Blake
about this, which was ultimately carried to Winnipeg,
and which was the hrst case tried in the Queen's Bench
of Manitoba Mr. James appeared for " Lord " Blake,
Mr. Parke for Corrigal. Blake was non-suited, and the
case declared against him. Parke was so proud of the
honor of winning the first case in the above court
that he got royally drunk over it, and James followed
suit because he was the first to lose. The boys saw in
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 361
this a good opportunity to get Blake and Mr. James at
loggerheads, and agreed to work on Blake, so as to
make him believe that Mr. James had lost his case
intentionally, and get him to give the lawyer, in their
own phi v, "a licking." The game succeeded.
After getting Blake One day sufficiently primed with
whiskey, and stuffed with light, they sent him upstairs
to James' room, and arranged that the door should be
left open, so that when the fracas began they could
rush in and enjoy it. The betting, it would appear,
was all on Blake'a side; not one of them had the least
idea it might be the other way. Blake marched up-
stair-, and finding Mr. .hums engaged in conversation
with Parke and Ryan in tie- hitter's room, at once
an to abuse him in anything hut parliamentary
•'am.- stood it till even his friends were
astonished at his forbearance, but the last straw broke
l's back Thoroughly around, James made s
rush at Blake, to the delight of both Parke and
Ryan, who were so thoroughly overjoyed at his pluck
that they k.-pt the door closed from the inside to keep
the hoy. out, whik be gave Blake a complete drub-
bing. The melee over, all hands went down to the bar,
where Blake stood the drinks over his double discom-
fiture.
in 1871, also, Charlie House was appointed post-
r by the Dominion Government* and a regular
mail service was established between the Portage and
Winnipeg, which was let to Charles Tait, who, after
carrying it for a year or more, sold his lease to Michael
Blake.
HIsroKY OF MANITOBA.
The fertile plains surrounding Portage settlement
to the east as Ear as Poplar Point, and west beyond
Bumside, became the cynosure, in those early days, of
travellers' eyes* and, after ■ time, the home of a
yeoman population of which any country might well
be proud. Amongst those who, at this early date,
sought what is now familiarly termed the Portage
Plains, we find the namea of Dilworth, Donnely,
M.-Kav. Brydons, Green, Wiltons. Marlatt, Smith,
IfeKoown, Dr, Cowan, Wm, Lyons.
The reception which the traveller received at the
hostelries of the Portage in those days, was always a
warm one— no matter whether he found shelter under
the friendly roof of Charlie House, who kept a stopping-
place in a log-house opposite where Mr. James Mar-
shall now resides, which was sold and removed in 1882 ;
or whether he sought the quiet retreat of Sandy
Anderson on the banks of the slough, whose building
still stands, in good order and repair, a little east-by-
south of the extremity of Main Street.
The big black bottle, which did service on all occa-
sions, was produced, and from out its wonderful con-
tents he could have whatever he desired, from gin to
brandy, or brandy to gin. Call for whatever you
please, it all came from the same bottle. Talk of
making water into wine, our pioneers could make
something stronger and more substantial, and that
without a miracle either.
At the time of which we write, the Indian treaties
had not all been consummated, and amongst those
whom the Government had not yet reached were the
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 363
Indians of the Portage Plains, who were beginning
to show temper, as claim after claim was taken up and
no settlement was effected with them.
The first settlers who found their way northward to
the shores of Lake Manitoba, and founded what are now
known as the Totogan and Westbourne districts, were
John Chantler, Dan Shea, David and Donald Stewart,
William and Walter Lynch, David Morrison, William
Shannon, James Stewart and John Garnet, now of
Bigh Bluff
Dan Shea was the first to locate, which he did in
1 568, After living on his claim for some time, lie sold
out to William Shannon, who took possession of Shea's
claim in 1^70, and has resided on it ever since. Shea
went down to Fort Garry in the winter of L869-70.
Major Boulton, who was then a prisoner under sen-
tence of death, Bpeakfl of W. L Scot* (<-l' Fort <larry)
and Shea visiting the prisoner- in the room in which
Thomas Scott was confined, and soliciting their snf-
frage to elect Shea, an English representative, to the
nal government for the Portage settlement,
promising that if they did so, he would secure their
immediate release. This, however, is denied by some
of Shea's friends.
Tom Wallace, who had taken up a claim on the
White Had, now better known as the Westbourne
River, with the idea of ranching <>r mixed farming,
which the Westbourne district affords excellent
facilities, taking with him four or five men and a tent,
proceeded in the spring of this year to do some break-
ing, and erect a log-house on the place. He had not
364 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
been long at work when BOme Indiana waited on him
tnd ordered him off, telling him that they had not been
treated with, and would not allow any white man to
settle on the land until they had been. Mr. Wallace
paid no attention, hut went on with his improvements.
Km four eon* rutiw days they waited on him, but,
hat he paid no heed to their warnings, they
Jnded to take some more forcible method. On the
fifth day. ten of thera came along to where Wallace
and his men were at work, took the tent down, rolled
it Dp carefully and placed it in the cart, then proceeded
to where they were erecting the house, ordered those
engaged in the work to stop, and seizing the logs pulled
them down and scattered them over the ground.
Wallace, with some of his men, remonstrated, but it
was of no use. This was all done without any angry
demonstration on the part of the Indians, and with
the attitude of men who had a prior claim, and who
meant to stand by it. Tom, seeing that there was no
further use of perseverance, at least for the present,
left, making his way to the Portage. At Shannon's
he found David Morrison and William and Walter
Lynch camped, to whom, very crestfallen indeed, he
told his story. Shortly after a party of Indians came
along, and also warned Morrison and Lynch to leave.
These gentlemen paid no attention, but proceeded to
take up claims on the banks of the Rat Creek and
\\ - stbourne River. After the lapse of three or four
days, about forty Indians came to where they had
located, and proceeded to make things lively by tearing
some of the boards off the waggon, throwing things
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 365
around, and otherwise demonstrating the warmth of
their feelings, winding up by seating themselves in a
circle and discussing the situation. Our pioneers took
the matter coolly, and quietly awaited developments.
After considerable grunting and gesticulating, one of
them rose and presented Morrison with a paper
numerously signed. With some assistance to decipher
it, he found it to be a notice to quit, stating that when
they tir-t came in the Indians had warned them to
leave, and now, seeing that they had not gone, they
had come to drive them off. Morrison replied that
they had come to stay, and would not be driven off,
that they (the Indians) might kill them as they had
other settlers, but if they did soldiers would be sent in
who would shoot every man of them. He also pro-
1 th.it if tli.- Government did not settle with them
for the land, they would do it themselves.
The deputation then returned to the circle, which had
remained unbroken with this exception. After some
further discussion, emphasised by more gesticulation,
they all rose, and coining to where Morrison stood
•>lio(»k hands with him, every man in his turn. Seeing
that their case had heen favorably considered, Morrison
went into the tent, and had his wife prepare a side of
bacon, then bidding the noble red men sit down, he
proceeded to fortify them with bread and tea and
bacon. This done, the Indians proceeded towards
Westbourne, well satisfied with the result of their
pow-wow. On their return journey to the lake they
were similarly treated. From that day neither Morri-
son nor Lynch, nor indeed any other settler, was
molested in locating a home.
366 BI8T0R? OF MANITOBA.
A humorous incident occurred some time after,
which is worthy of recital A vacant claim Lying close
to that of the Lynch brother-, they proceeded to pre-
pare the same, or a portion of it, for crop. After
having done some ploughing, they were astonished, on
coming out to resume work one morning; to rind a stake
s up on the edge of the last furrow which they
had tallied over the previous evening. Taking no
noticr of it. they commenced to plough from the opposite
of the field towards the stake. After noon they
found an old Indian, gun 10 hand, seated with his back
against the stake, and Ins legs stretched out over the
onplooghed ground, which Mr. Lynch and his brother
William were making beautifully less. Every now
and then, as the men passed, they would stop and
speak to him, but the old man was in no way disposed
to be friendly, and so they would pass on. By-and-by
the space became so narrow that the teams, which were
heavy ones, were almost trampling on his outstretched
legs. Seeing no disposition on the part of the brothers
to respect his pedal extremities, he changed them in
line with the furrow, then, as their horses got nearer,
turned them over on the ploughed ground. At last the
whiffletree struck the stake and knocked it out alto-
gether. Jumping to his feet, the Indian seized the
stake, proceeded to the banks of the river, and in
apparent rage threw it into the water and left the
field. Mr. Lynch, who has always been noted as a
breeder of thoroughbred stock, brought in a flock of
sheep in 1873. One day, shortly after, the inmates of
his house heard cries of distress. Going out they
HISTORY OF MANITOBA, 367
found an Indian perched on the top of the fence, with
the sheep nibbling all around him. It required some
persuasion to make him believe that he was perfectly
safe, and that he might, if disposed, come down from
udted position, which he ultimately did,
The little village of Westbourne, to which we have
refem-d in the previous narrative, is one of the mission
stations founded by Archdeacon Cochrane in L854. In
that year, the Rev. Henr. his son-in-law, was
ed in charge of the mission, and continued to per-
form the duties connected with the same till the death
of the Archdeacon, in 1865, when he was n -moved to
Portage la Prairie, as incumbent of Si llary'a
In 1871, John Chantler moved here with B stock of
is and opened out a small store. Another trader.
of the name of McKennv, also made his appearance
about this tine', who, after doing business for • few
retired Tin- Hudson Bay Company also had a
trading post here fox some time, but removed the same
toTotogan in L878. The latter mentioned place in 1872
was beginning to show signs of importance, and was
attracting considerable attention. It was situated near
the mouth of the White Mud River where it empties
into Lake Manitoba, with vast timber resources lying
north along the shores of Lakes Manitoba and
Winnipegoosia It seemed destined to be the distributing
point for a large lumbering interest.
Here Shism and I'.uhear, after disposing of their
interest at Fort Garry, came and established them-
selves, putting up a grist and saw mill, and going
osively into the manufacture of lumber, lath, etc.
368 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
In those early years the town of Totogan was boomed
for all it was worth, and, so far as prospects were con-
cerned, seemed to bid fair to become what it was
represented to be. An offer was made the owner, Mr.
Campbell, through his agent in Winnipeg, Duncan
.McArthur. Esq., of 140,000 for the town site. Mr.
Campbell, however, had placed a higher value on the
property, and being then absent on a visit to the Old
Country, Mr. McArthur did not feel at liberty to
pt the offer without consulting him.
Messrs. Shiam and Bubear. titer running business
for about a couple of years, built a boat intended for
a steam tag; which was to be named the Saskatchewan.
On the completion of the hull, she was fitted up with
sail, and a couple of trips made up the lake. On her
last return trip a storm blew her out of her course and
beached her in a reedy marsh about a mile from the
lake, a few miles east of her native port. Her owners,
after unavailing efforts to get her afloat, were com-
pelled to abandon her. On the occasion of a prairie
fire sweeping through this section of country she
caught fire, and was completely destroyed. After run-
ning an extensive business for three years, the firm
failed.
In 1872 also, the first assessment of Portage la Prairie
was taken by Captain Newcombe, of Poplar Point, being
the charter assessment of the town ; and as it may be-
come valuable and of interest in future years for
reference, I reproduce it verbatim.
>RY OF MANITOBA.
369
Assessed Value of the Property, Real and Per-
sonal, of the Inhabitants of the Parish
of St. Hart's, lcoobding to the Ass
mknt Roll fob 1871 and 1872.
II n. Francis Oglt •
elm Cmnmingi
William Sim-lair
b. McDonald
rge < J;irri< >ih
John Connor . .
Thomas Sisswiis
Hudson Bay Company
John Doogakl Mi -
William Qarrioeh
lei Curtis
Mail
•• in Garrioofa
i let Oommingi
John lifnTiotn • .
keos . .
wniiam Caddy
Fr. Bird
Hiram I ....
William HodgioD
Thomas Corrigal
William Smith
Alexander Andereoa
■ith
Charles H. House
Drs. Lynch and Jacques
Farquhar M< iLeeH
neth McBain
Martin Burwell
Peter Anderson
TOTAL \M I.
of pro
7 00
126 00
i8 00
200 00
q oo
<Q 00
. 00
5,187 00
811 00
5 00
500 00
2,000 00
) 00
3 00
1,075 00
::><> oo
G25 00
MS 00
1,000 00
1 00
11.-) 00
2,990 00
2,810 00
480 00
2,244 00
2,000 00
1,763 00
1,813 00
750 00
100 00
370
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
WW
l'»;i/il Momon . .
Thomas Anderson, jun.
Thomas Anders. >n. sen.
John Mu-h.u'l . .
Henry Andamon
John Ghtnioeh. .
Donald. .
John .lames Setter . .
Mrs. John 8]
11. oiy I loocgt
Drs: I lid I .>■ -ns
William Walk
John Forester . .
Cossiter
Jesse Green
John Corrigal . .
.Iaini'3 B. Holmes
Alec Whitftad
Roderick McLeod
Robert Flett
P. Sondenon, sen. . .
P. Henderson, jun. . .
Charles Bendenod
James Henderson
Alec Sandison
Roger Bell
John Heally . .
Joseph Little
Adam Huddlestone . .
William McDonald . .
Alexander Richardson
Alexander Murray
Thomas Boddy
Philander Bartlett . .
Wilder Bartlett
TOTAL AM 1.
OK l-koi'i i:t\
$100 00
140 00
93 00
130 00
407 00
. . 2,270 00
175 00
450 00
190 00
. . 1,765 00
815 00
60 00
130 00
.. 2,188 00
330 00
900 00
1,210 00
762 00
988 00
. . 1,268 00
622 00
222 00
207 00
195 00
50 00
380 00
175 00
190 00
67 00
417 00
400 00
300 00
300 00
440 00
500 00
HISTORY (>F MANITOBA.
371
SAM
TOT A
OF PROP]
•John J. Walker
0 00
•n
300 00
Joseph Oorrigal
325 00
Henry Corbett
736 00
Clinton < lidding!
703 00
J«.hn Robertson
360 00
John Scott
410 00
Ki-niH-th MeKenale . .
388 00
Thonuui Boddleetone. .
1,421 00
Jook
686 00
Moffat & Davidson ..
400 00
True oopy.
Geo. New. qm
cirri: of the Ptaufor Marquette.
Popi . .July 15th, 1872.
In 1872, a royal charter i d In the Bouse
of Commons granting the syndicate of capitalists
formed to Construct wli.it is now known H the Cana-
dian Pacific Railway, ■ land grant of 15, 000,000 ac
and a subsidy of $30,000,000, to be paid at Intervals,
as construction proceeded ; security to the amount of
11,000,000 to remain in the hands of the Government,
for the due fulfilment of the work. The whole to be
completed in ten years, and as follows : To the bound-
ary of tin- United December 31st, 1874; Red
River to Lake Superior, December 31st, 1870 ; and
the whole by L881.
In 1872, the Dominion Land Act was passed, provid-
ing for a system of survey, and arranging that the
Budson Bay Company should accept in every fifth
township in the Territories, in regular succession,
history OF MANITOBA.
northerly from the United States boundary, two
whole sections of 640 acres each, and in all other town-
ships one and three-fourths sections, to be known and
gnated as the land of the company. Provision
was made for fractional townships, and others broken
by lakes, an«l the terms of the Act as thus [aid down
accepted by the Bndaon Bay Company.
In this year also, W< ML Smith increased the capa-
city of hlfl mill, which was the first steam flour mill in
the Portage settlement, by adding another run of
stones. This was felt to be a boon to the settlers, and
it ifl H to add, in common phraseology, that
Smith ■ had all he could do," running for a time day and
night In 1878, he bought out the mill erected at the
west end in the year previous by Logan, Marple & Co.,
taking the machinery out of the first, which he sold to
the Hon. James McKay, who removed and utilized it
in a mill he was erecting at Point du Chien, and
which was put in operation by John Watson.
In 1<S73, treaty N >. 3 was consummated with the
Ojibeways, at the north-west angle of the Lake of the
Woods, to which we have already referred. In 1874,
the fourth Indian treaty was concluded, with a portion
of the Cree and Saulteaux tribes. The commissioners
in this case were Lieutenant-Governor Morris, Hon.
David Laird, and Hon. W. J. Christie, a retired Hud-
son Bay factor. Over five hundred lodges were con-
gregated at this treaty, and a good deal of trouble
was experienced in bringing the several bands to
accept the terms laid down. After a six days' con-
ference, the Saulteaux and the Crees agreed to accept
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 373
the same terms as the Ojibeways. Owing to a differ-
ence of opinion between the two tribes, it seemed at one
time as if no arrangement could be effected, but the
firmness of the commissioners finally carried the day.
This treaty embraced a territory of 75,000 square
milea
In this year also, occurred the famous Lepine trial,
before Chief Justice Wood, at Fort Garry. To the
salient points in the evidence 1 refer in the narrative
of the trial and murder of Thomas Scott.
In L874, Garland and Melville, both hailing from
Ontario, came to the Portage settlement and bought
out the interest of Scbultz and Lossee, carrying on the
business in their old stand for upwards of a year ;
they bnilt the present store, on the opposite side
of Main M- [\ i ;i failing, he returned
fottawa, where 1 • I consumption. Mr. Gar-
land continued the business, developing in the after
years a large wholesale aa well as retail business. Be
was one of the first merchants to take grain on account,
which he collected and shipped in quantities in a flat-
bottomed boat to Winnipeg. Open-hearted and gen*
Mr. Garland was always the friend, The
in in which he was held aided largely in
building up a business, the volume of which, in 1881,
between wholesale and retail, figured close on $150,000.
An enthusiastic musician, lie led, for many years, the
Presbyterian choir. 1 lis death, on the 7th of January,
1882, was probably occasioned by a cold, received at
the opening of the new church a few days previous,
tg a prominent freemason, he was buried with
:;, i BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
masonic honors. Even amid the boom fever, which
was just tlifii springing into activity, there was ahuafa
as the remains of Tom Garland were conveyed to their
home. His it his decease, was valued at
-■
In this year also, was built the Portage grist mill, on
Mai: On the 22nd of June, grasshopp* is from
the west visited the settlement* and completely de-
the crops. The mill, through the calamity,
remained unfinished until the fall of 1876, when a
joint-stock company was formed, consisting of Kenneth
ItcKeniie, Michael Blake, Isaiah Mawhinney, T. Gar-
land, and others, to procure the machinery and put it
in operation, which was done late in the fall ; and
Robert Watson, the present representative in the Com-
mons for Marquette West, then a machinist with
Goldie vV McCullough, of Gait, was sent out to fit her
up and start her working. Later on, Mr. Blake bought
out his partners' interest, and controlled the whole,
till purchased from him by W. J. M. Pratt, for the sum
of $6,000 — the first large check given in the Portage
up to that date.
In 1874, W. P. Smith, another gentleman who has
figured prominently in Portage affairs, made his
debut in the settlement. Disheartened by the ravages
of the grasshoppers, he returned to Winnipeg in the fall,
w^here he remained till 1876. While there, Smith
officiated as engineer of the fire brigade, and had the
honor of putting together the first steam fire-engine
owned by the city of Winnipeg, known as the " Old
Assiniboine." She was hauled in sleighs from St.
/
BISTORT? OF MANITOBA. 377
Paul, and, as early residents will remember, was
destroyed with the old tire-hall on Christmas Eve of
The Winnipeg council desired Smith to remain,
but e rather to try his fortune on the Port
Plains, lie returned in hs7»i. when he took up a home-
stead at McDonald, which he afterwards traded for
the one he at present owns, situated north-east of the
Portage.
Binding that making money by farming was a slow
process in those days, he went cast and returned with
\ -mill outfit, which he erected on the old Holmes
Landing. Though the heavy timber
along the banks of the river was by this time pretty
well culled, still there was sufficient left to run busi-
In order to get his loir- to the
mill he often had to raft them quite a distance, an
ition fraught with considerable danger, especially
when done with little help.
During tigb water in L879, he had
• difficulty in protecting his mill, house and other
property, the water rushing through his house. The
©, often collided with Ids rafts, breaking
them to pieces. The flood of 1881 so thoroughly
broke up the mill site, and spoiled the milling privi-
nnected therewith, that he determined to
» the pr« ^t of the town, where he
united himself with Lbckie, the pioneer brickmaker,
and latterly bought him out. During late years Mr.
Smith has been a member of the county as well as the
town council, and twice a candidate for legislative
honm
24
:;;s hebtory or hanitoba.
In L875, there were many accessions to the popula-
tion, many of whom in after years figured prominently
in the varied interests of the little town. Among
these was the Rev. Allan Bell, then a young man fresh
from Princeton, with hia girl wife as the writer has
rd him fondly caU hen. to take charge of the Pres-
byterian cause here. The church, a Log edifice, which
also served aa a school-house, Btood close to the narra-
tor's residence, on the hank of the slouch. The little
congregation then av< from ten to twenty. After
being ordained in Winnipeg, Mr. Bel] commenced a
pastorate which lasted for over fourteen years. Houses
being scarce, a residence was secured for him in a log
building down the River Road, which still stands, hut
baa long been discarded as a place of human abode.
Subsequently he removed to Charlie House's ; then
to the west end ; then what is known as the old
manse, built by John Thompson in 1878, was secured,
in which he resided till the present manse was built
in 1883.
The building in which the congregation worshipped
was also removed in L876 to Saskatchewan Avenue,
and placed on a piece of land given to the congrega-
tion by Michael Blake, a Roman Catholic. As instances
of such generosity are rare, and as no public acknow-
ledgment of the same has been made, it is only justice
to the donor that such should be recorded. After
doing service in that for which it was originally
intended, it was discarded for more commodious
premises in the newly-erected court house.
During the boom fever of 1882, the old log church
history OF MANITOBA. 379
and ground attached were sold for an extravagant
sum. and the building utilized as a blacksmith shop.
For another year or more two followers of Tubal Cain
hammered out the ploughshare and the glowing iron.
At last even these left the shelter of its precincts, and
the building rn down in 1888, and removed to
make i Btable for W. I\ Smith, givmg Bpaee for ■
more pretentious edifice on the Avenue. • With the tide
of emigration so last coming in, the congregation grew
brong numerically and financially, that in 1881 they
felt themselves justified in erecting a building in
keeping with their improved circumstances.
A chosen, plans prepared, and willing hands
and hearts mad.- tin- work light. By January of L882
a handsome edifice, 40 i 82, with basement, was com-
1 and dedicated for divine worship. Sere for
the present ire leave pa-tor and people.
Tli treaty, known as the Winnipeg Tn ,
use ir included in its provisions the Indians Using
on tin- border of that lake, was Consummated during
bember of 1875. Lieutenant-Governor Morris was
bed on tii.it occasion by the late Honorable James
KIcE <-,)tch half-breed, whose knowledge of the
Indian character and influence over the tribes made
his services valuable The terms of this treaty were
tli.- same as those of ad 4, with the exception
of th.- land grant, which was reduced. In Nob. 3 and 4,
ere allowed to each family of live persons ;
treaty No. :> only allowed 1 GO, and, in some cases, only
100 acres to such a family. This treaty included an
arda of about 100,000 square miles, inhabited by the
Chippewas and Swampy Crees.
380 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
In April of tins year ■ severe flood occurred in the
Prince Albert settlement On the 24th the North
Saskatchewan showed no signs o! breaking up, the ice
1 »ti 1 1 id afl in mid-winter. Before morning,
however, ii broke, and flooded the upper and lower
• of the settlement A party of [ndian women
mped on an island in the river making sugar.
The ice being jammed between the island and the
mainland, in a few minutes the former was under
water, which came upon the pOOt women SO suddenly
that, with th( ir children, th.-y rati to the highest ridge,
and finally had to take to the tree.. Towards evening
of the following day two Indians reached and suc-
, led in rescuing four of them. Five had already
lost their hold on the trees and were drowned One
woman, it is said, held her drowned child until she
dropped from sheer exhaustion, calling to her com-
panions, as she tell, to try and save themselves The
five who were drowned were' not found, there heing
fifteen feet of water, and the floating wood and ice
making it impossible to get near them. Several of
the settlers bad from four to five feet of water in their
houses : several stables, also, were carried away, and
fifteen head of cattle drowned. It being a very dark
night, the people did not know what was coming.
Hearing large boulders of ice thumping against the
house in the night is not the most pleasant thing to
be surprised by ; neither is tumbling out of bed with
pots and pans floating about inside and a lake of float-
ing ice on the outside. One poor fellow was so sur-
prised that he leapt from his bed square into the cellar,
history OF MANITOBA. 381
but quickly made his exit through the cellar window.
Several women were also severely braised in wading
through the ice to reach the hill.
In 1875 many changes occurred in the Portage. The
r office was removed from Charlie Boose's to Charlie
Mair oo the c >rner of Demaris' place, close by
wh unman Catholic church now stand*
I 'in Wallace sold out his interest in the old hut
Hotel to William Lynn., receiving for tin- same the
hom< md pre-emption of the latter. Mr. Mar-
latt tired of farming, again cam.- t<> tie- front, and
red into partnership with II. M. Campbell and
started a general Btore, adding, in L877, to their mer-
bile interests that of tailoring (the first of the
kind west of Winnipeg), with Mr. Ln . now of
liinnedosa, as principal.
Dnring the rammer of 1 ^7«; there occurred the most
memoral the most premeditated and c ►Id-
blooded, murder among the Indians, and the first in
Which tl ige and provincial authorities felt it
their dnty to interfere, and show the red man that.
s,1(''1 of matters would not he tolerated any
r within fhe pale of civilization. Up to this
time murders had Keen frequent among them, and they
had wielded the arm of retributive justice in a manner
tMat pleased them without let or hindrance from
the settlers, who, feeling the inferiority of their oum-
IH Comparison with that of the Indians, and
knowing the fearful atrocity in connection with
Indian vengeance, were well content to leave them
alone as long as tin cities were kept among
themselves.
;Vs-J HISTORY 01 MANITOBA.
About the middle of June, two Indians from the
Assiniboine reservation, near where the town of Rapid
City now stands, came to the Portage to visit and
trade. One of these was a man of medium stature,
stoutly built, and possessed of strong physical powers,
named Ironheart. He apparently had a bad repu-
tation amongst the I Sioux because of having
shot some of his tribe, and had been the cause of
iderable mischief 1 etween them and the whites
during the massacre of 1862, in Minnesota. He was,
in theii own expression, a " had In<lian."
His appearance in the Poti Med quite a com-
motion among the S nd it was not long till a
deputation waited on him and his companion end
asked them to leave at once, which Ironheart
refused to do.
A council was held, and a proposition to shoot him
was discussed. The majority of the council, however,
was against this. The Sioux doctor, with a number
of the young braves, determined to effect his death
•despite this conclusion, and by them a party was
detailed to do the deed.
Meanwhile, Ironheart had been warned of what was
going on, and counselled by the settlers, amongst
whom were CharlesCummings, John McLean and others,
to leave, as the Sioux would shoot him ; and no later
than the night previous to his death, when having
supper with Mr. Cummings, that gentleman again
advised him to leave. The next day, on leaving his
tepee he went to the Hudson Bay store at the west
end, traded his furs for a new suit of black clothes,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 383
blankets and some other etceteras, then proceeded east
ank Field's to get a revolver fixed During the
• lav considerable excitement could be noticed among
the Indians on the Slough Road, and companies of six
ight could be seen wending their way toward Mr.
Curtis' ami Gavin Qarrioc These all called
at the little log-house o! the former, which stood
almost in front of the present frame building, between
the two trees, and asked for a drink of water. On
Iving it, Instead of going away as was their
;n, they lingered, looking around them as if in
quest of some one. They went down the lane that
ran between the two places and disappeared among
the bushes growing on the hanks of the -lough.
Mrs. Curtis, as well as the children, noticed that
.as up, and concluded from their manner
ling to happen. Being then a widow
with a family of small children, she naturally felt
alarmed for their sal "dally one girl who
aero- ^ t i n lT an Indian whom she had
hired that morning to cut some hay.
At this moment a Bquaw entered in a state of great
nt and said I » I you know what is going to
hap; "No," replied Mrs. Curtis. "They
are going to kill the chief, that man you shook hands
with a little while ago." She then ran off.
Mrs. Curtis quickly directed the eldest girl (now
lira Buchanan) to take the younger members of the
family and go out under one of the trees and lock the
door of the 1 She proceeded to where the Indian
cutting the hay. Arriving there, she found, as
BISTORY OF MAN I COBi
bad expected, the [ndiao (rone, and the airl sitting
to walk, having run a prong oC the pitch-
fork through her foot lira. Curtis got her daughter
on her hack and was carrying her home, when bang
went the discharge of eight guns. She at once drop-
ped the girl and ran to the road, where she saw the
Indi ling with their guna in their hands.
Ironheart, when he receive 1 his death wound,
was trying to shelter himself at the side of Mr. Har-
v, \vh«» was driving home by the Slough
:. wholly Onconscions of the Indians' presence.
The rattle of the shot around the bo rtled the
horse and badly seared Bargrave himself, who thought
the Indians were firing at him, not having observed
Ironheart, who was walking quietly in the rear of the
buggy, as it for safety In the event of being surprised
Quick as thought, on feeling himself wounded, he
wheeled round with his face to his foes, a revolver in
each hand cocked and ready for instant use. But too
late; ere he could avenge the cowardly act, conscious-
left him, and he fell prone on the ground. In an
instant his enemies were upon him, and finding that
he still lived, pulled an oak picket from Gavin Gar-
rioch's fence, pounding his face until it was unrecog-
nizable. Then seizing the body, they stripped it of
the new suit of clothes, hat, etc., and rolled it in an
old blanket. By this time, Mrs. Curtis had come up
to where the murdered man lay, where she found Mrs.
Ryan, who had also been drawn thither by the noise
of the shooting.
The Indians were not the least disconcerted at the
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. :!s-~'
women 'a approach : bat picking up the body of their
unfortunate victim, they proceeded to the west end,
where, north of the Budson Bay store, and close by
band* Frank Connor's new residence, they
a hole in which they deposited the remains, cover-
ing them ov»r with the earth. Tin tvored to
hold of [ronhearl panion, to dispose of him
in like manner, bat the Hudson Hay authorities, hear-
ing of their design, concealed him about the premises,
and thus a double murder was averted
Bargrave, on reaching Mrs. Curt: locked
around, and seeing the man Lying on the road, not
knowing whether to drive on or come out of the
buggy and go hack to hi* ace, was advised by
Miss Curl > home and put up his horses, which
he concluded to da
A warrant was issued by the magistrates Cor the
the murderers, and placed in the hands of
Sheriff Setter, who went around the settlers1 bouses
morning, swearing in special constables, and
summoning jurors for a coroner's inquest, which was
held at \V. P, Smith's mill, and presided over by Dr.
( '..wan.
The sheriff, well knowing the danger attending
such a mission, instructed hw specials against any dis-
play of tii varms or anything that would cause a panic
among the Indians. Accompanied by quite a number
key proceeded in the direction of the Sioux
camp, which was on a piece of rising ground in the
vicinity of where Portage Brewery now stands.
Arriving there, they found the murderers and their
S86 ilismiiv OF M LNfTOBA,
sympathisers Beafced some <list;ince from the camp.
After visiting some of the tepees they went in the
direction of the men they wanted, who seeing the
sheriff and his men approach, at once assumed a
defensive attitude Noticing that from their position
they were M likely to do harm to their own camp as
i6 sheriff and his men, the Indians moved out
of range of the tepees, and with their guns loaded,
their mouths full of bullets, and strippe • of everything
but the breech-clout, stood ready for action.
ing the movement, and being acquainted with
Indian tactic- Mr. Setter at once made a sign that he
on a peace mission. The men lowered their guns
and held a consultation. The chief and the better
disposed of the band advised them to go with the
sheriff and his men, saying that if there were any
more murders, especially amongst the whites, they
would be driven out and away as they had been from
the States.
Thus counselled, they consented to return with
Sheriff Setter to the old Blake and Wallace Hall,
where a magistrate's court was held, presided over by
Francis Ogletree, Charles Hay, and John McDonald.
Having once got them there, the sheriff disarmed
them of their knives, tomahawks, etc. One buck,
who was unwilling to give up the latter, was repri-
manded by the chief, when he complied at once. The
court was held in a room on the first flat, which was
reached from a flight of stairs on the outside. The
afternoon being very warm, all the windows were
raised, while Willie Fulton and John McLean watched
the prisoners and kept order in court.
HISTORY OF MAMTor.A. 387
The principal witnesses were John Dougald McKay,
of the Hudson Bay Company, and Mrs. Curtis.
As the latter told about hearing Ironheart spoken of
as a " bad Indian," the Sioux doctor gave a grun;
much as to -ay. • You're telling the truth."
The Indians were examined through an interpret* 1 .
and during the ordeal Beamed perfectly careless.
Friends passed in and out, the Bquaws handed mocca-
to their husbands and brothers to try on, and a
ral air of indifference seemed to cover all. The
sheriii seeing from the evidence that he would likely
have to detain the prisoners, left the court in cha
of the late Mr. John Connor, with instructions to be
watchful, observing to him, "Whenever you Bee an
Indian tying his moccasin th< Dg to be a bolt."
Then be proceeded to the old lockup, now Governor
Moss' stable, with the view of detaining his prisoners
re.
shortly aft- iheritf had left, and without the
least warning, an old buck sprang to his feet and
uttep-d a yell, 1 1 i t- . -hi-tee." In an instant, the
room was confusion worse en founded," the Indians
running among one another, and yelling at the pitch
• iii-ir voir
One of the prisoners, a voting buck, made a bolt for
the door. Willie Fulton caught him by the arm just
as he w g out, but being, as the saying is,
lasod for the occasion," he easily slipped his arm
from Fulton bounded over the high hand-rail,
down the Frame work of the stairway, and away for
the slough. The next to follow was the Sioux doctor,
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
a -tout, thickset man. John McLean held out his arm
to stop him, but the doctor dragged John on Ins knees,
bounded out of the doorway and over the stair. Then
From the window and door a general <-xii was made
<w frantic In Liens, who jumped, careless of
in many eases injuring themselves
on the ^ and other vehicles in the yard And
with piei made for the slongh,
and stopped not till they had reached the island,
whiei.. once gained, they stood, and with appreciative
gesticulation, yelled their satisfaction at their escape
from the accur>ed •• Feringee.w Only one prisoner was
caught, and that by John McLean, who handed him
to Mr. Connor ; but he too, watching his opportu-
nity, slipped down the hand-rail, and was off
Amid all this excitement there were humors which
cannot be forgotten. As the first Indian sprang up
ut tt-riii_: his " Hi-tee-hi-tee," Mr. Ogletree rose from
■at, and holding up his hand, said ' ffvsh !" but he
might as well have tried to hush old Boreas when he is
out on a blizzard as to hush tie.' tumult which followed.
Some one asked John McLean why he let the doctor
go. " Good man," said John, " a couldna haud him, he
was too greasy." Sheriff Setter and John McDonald
proceeded to Winnipeg and reported the matter to
Governor Morris, who was at first disposed to repri-
mand the sheriff for the escape of the prisoners. In
fact, wThen the sheriff was introduced to him, he had
just finished reading a criticism on his own manage-
ment as an Indian Commissioner. On considering the
circumstances, however, he commended him for his
BISTORT OF MANITOBA, 389
* and prudence in what might have been a serious
matter for the Portage settlers. A bench warrant
Issued for the re-arrest of the prisoners, especial ly
the doctor.
The Hon. Gilbert McMicken, accompanied by his son
Alexander, Stewart Ifnlvey, and several others from
Winnipeg, came up to the Portage to enforce, if possible,
the above; but the Indians eould not be found. As
[,,r t!"' doctor, be studiously kept out of the way: in
fact, was not seen in the town for about a year after-
ward.
He was never arrested, and the matter was allowed
to drop
^ The coroner's jury met,aa was .-.-reed upon, at Billy
Smith's mill at the west end, and after some delibera-
tinn proceeded to the place where [ronheart's remains
laid. The body was taken up and examined,
which it was again committed to the care of
mother earth i<>r good. They then retained to the
mill, when a verdict was brought in in keeping with
be narrative as recorded.
[ronheart's grave eoold be Been for yean after, but
the plough has since levelled the earth, and only a few
old residents can point ont the place of his re
This lesson did the red men of the settlement con-
M<fc»ble prior to this they would take what
they desired without leave or Kberty, a liai.it which
they relinquished at once. Many of those who form
the penonvnM of the narrative can still be seen on
onr streets, while some have passed away to join the
silent majority.
. Hal-tra.l Building of Canadian
CHA1TKK XVI.
Surv.-ya— Cost of Indian Wards— M
Win. n»
Railway— Deflected to ttu Portu*?r 1'»umii.-> hnfc-rprises
In this year T. B. Miller arrived in the settlement,
an,l ;lt on a to purchase wheat, storing it in the
premises now vacated at the foot of Main Street.
.,.,, asoffieieni quantity had been obtained, it was
shipped per Bat-bottomed boat to Winnipeg. Shortly
after he opened out ahardware stock, also a line of
furniture consisting of chairs and bedsteads. In 1878,
be was joined by his brother Walter, and the business
extended and increased. With no competition in the
great country lying to the west, those pioneer mer-
mld hardly fail to succeed, and many of them
in older to keep pace with their growing trade estab-
lished branches at western pointa Amongst these
were T. B. and \V. Millar. Courteous and gentlemanly
in manners, as also straightforward in their dealings,
they soon commanded the respect of the settlers.
The appearance of surveyors among the Indians of
the Saskatchewan, with the double object of laying
out the road for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and
making a geological survey, produced a feeling of dis-
content and uneasiness among them. The country still
uncovered by treaty comprised the extreme northern
districts, an area of about 35,000 square miles, with
a population of about 5,000 souls.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 391
The Rev. Father Scollen, in a letter addressed from
Fort Pitt to the Lieutenant-Governor, urges the com-
pletion of a treaty at once, owing to the evil influence
of American traders and whiskey. Ee recognised the
good effect of the Mounted Police in suppressing the
latter traffic, and stated that the Indians themselves
were looking forward to an understanding with the
Government at an early date. Lieutenant-Governor
Laird, who succeeded Morris, was at once commissioned
treat with the Blaekfoet, assisted by Colonel
McLeod, which he did on the 28th September, 1877.
From the report of the Superintendent for Indian
Affairs for 1888, the cost to the country for Indian
-=1.112,000, divided op as follows: For the
tern Provi 2,000; British Columbia, $83,000 ;
and in the North-Wesi Territories, $125,000 ; $188,000
was devo fche payment of annuities under the
by which the Indians surrendered
ial claims. The pay roll in Manitoba for
161 bead men, a< $15 .
iris, at $5; in all, $43,755!
In the North-West Territories, 40 chiefs, at $!
2, at $32; 181 head men, at $15; 8, at $22; and
0 men, women and children, at $5 j 367, at $12;
in }l1 '■ For agricultural implements, such as
harness, plough (20,282 ; for
*eed \ 5; for dotitutc Indians, $342,657;
for cattle, $1 1,803; clothing, $3,349 ; 28 farm instruc-
ts1 the Bum of $5 2,229 ; schools, $67,982 j
five industrial schools, in which the wards are
taught agriculture, boot-making, blacksmithing, car-
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
penterfog ind other oaeful trades, f78,000. Twenty
[mlians were nomadic in their habits,
waB veT the m« Btwtch o! territory, culti-
CENTRAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH,
WINNIPEG.
rating no land. To-day they own 5,365 houses, 1,659
hams? 12,067 acres of cultivated land, 1,216 ploughs,
707 harrows, 756 waggons, 52 fanning mills, 2,158 cows,
42 bulls, 1,814 oxen, 3,904 young cattle, 4,480 horses,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 393
412 sheep, and Zo6 pigs. During 1888 they have
grown 36,102 bushel* of wheat, 20,861 of oats, 21,399
of barley, 102.6 Is of potatoes, and 18,150 tons of hay.
In the matter of dress, they are also following close on
the example of the whit
In June, 1877, the Prvna Rupert, a steam tug of
one hundred and twenty tons harden, with three flat
j, made a trip up the /Lssiniboine, laden with flour,
general merchandise and telegraph wire, taking three
00 the trip. The success attendant on this
trial induced her owners, the North-Wesl Navigation
Company, to put on the river service in later years,
other and larger boats, and also to extend the same to
other and more distant points.
The impetus given to trad.- by the river navigation,
in the increased facility for the handling of freight,
was a boon to the community at large, and more
dally to merchant I Winnipeg. Freighting
at the best was a slow and cumbersome process, as
also a cosily one, and the new life imparted by the
incoming settlers made it to be felt as altogether too
for the order of things which was being inaugu-
rated.
The writer well remembers the excitement amongst
the merchants, the butchers, grocers and bakers, as the
whistle of the steamboat was heard turning the bend
of the river at a short distance from the landing.
Buck boards, baggies, and waggons of all kinds from
the delivery up to the double waggon, went rattling
down the River Road, the desideratum being who
would get there first. Very cheering, and yet strange,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
that whistle sounded from the wooded banks of the
river, like ■ voice from the great outer world breaking
in on the silence and loneliness of our prairie homes.
At the foot of the road and along the banks were
situated the commodious freight sheds and buildings
erected by W. J. If. Pratt, and known as Pratt's
Landing. A little father back from the river bank
was the pretty home of the owner, nestling among the
trees. In the rammer DCaoon this was a beautiful
place indeed — the background of green foliage and
thick woods, stretching westward with the winding
of the river, in front the broad and placid waters
of the Ajssiniboine, flowing on with that peculiar
lapping sound so pleasant to hear, like the soothing
melody of a mother wooing her little one to sleep,
and losing itself to the gaze in the curve or bend
which it takes in front of Cussitar's residence. St.
Mary's Church, with its quiet God's Acre immediately
in the rear — very quaint, indeed, seemed the old church
with the homes of the settlers around it and the
houses of the town stretched away behind ; while in
the west was the setting sun flooding the plains with
glory, and turning the distant windows of the settlers'
homes into scintillating diamonds, refulgent with all
manner of gorgeous colors.
If the traveller had business at the landing he
would make the acquaintance of a courteous little
Scotchman, who regarded it his duty to be kind and
obliging to all, especially to the new-comer and the
stranger. Of medium stature, broad, deep forehead,
and thoughtf ul face, fond of a talk, retiring in disposi-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 395
tion, and yet a thorough, quiet worker ; such was
Sutherland, the freight clerk of that date.
Some idea of the extent of the business done may be
gathered from the following: The first year, I s77, the
trade was rather limited. The following years. ls7s,
' and 1880, there were three boats in the service,
the I the Marquette, and the Manitobcun
• arrived at Piatt's Landing every week, with
from three to five barges attached, freighted with
merchandise, returning to Winnipeg loaded with
wheat, barley, flour, etc. At this time the Portage had
become quite a market for wheat, the merchants taking
the same on accounts, and storing it till visited by
buyers from St. Paul and Winnij.
In 1876 was issued the first number of the Mar-
quett p, the first paper published westofWinni-
with Thomas ( foiling, now of Victoria, !).('
editor. It continued kly until August of 1881
wli.-n it became a semi-weelky. Previous to this, in
the fall of L880, the plant and building in which it
was contained were destroyed by fire. A subscription
was opened among the citizens, and in a few weeks
Mr. Collins was able to resume issue, Mr. Luxton, of the
Winnipe Press, kindly coming to his aid with
In the fall of 1882, it was bought up by a syn-
dicate, largely composed of the personnel of the Local
Government of that date, for the sum of $1 1,000 ; Hon.
C. P. Brown, then Minister of Public Works, being
one of the chief movers in the scheme. Up to this
the journal had been independent in tone ; in the
hands of the syndicate, however, it was used as an
39G BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
organ for the defence of the Norquay administration'
and wli.it was considered to be Conservative interest.
In 1876, also, the Portage, which had hitherto been
indnded in the Poplar Point and High Blufi" districts,
was, at the Methodist Conference held that year in
Winnipeg, appointed a separate district, with W. L.
Hal stead as pastor and chairman Regular services
were conducted in a little loc church on the Slouch
by the residence of Judge llyan. The
membership at this time was about twenty-five. Here
worshipped till the tabernacle was erected, in
1881 ; having previously disposed of the old church
to E. H. G. (i 11 i\ who removed the building, and
with an addition, utilised it as a machine shop and
foundry. The church was then under the pastoral
care of Mr. Hewitt. With the increase of the popula-
tion, the tabernacle became too small, and a favorable
opportunity occurring to dispose of it, the building and
lot were sold for a good figure, and converted into an
hotel, known as the Essex House.
During the erection of a business block, with hall
above and stores underneath, on the Avenue — known
for many years as the " Methodist Block," but now as
the " Pratt Block " — the congregation worshipped in
the town hall. Mr. Hewitt, after a term of three
years, was succeeded by Mr. Woodsworth, the present
Superintendent of Missions, who, after serving three
years also, was succeeded by Mr. Rutledge, who was
in turn succeeded by Mr. Harrison, at the close of
whose pastorate the present large and commodious
new church on Campbell Street was erected, and for-
mally opened on the 7th of October, 1883.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 397
The church has been conducive of much good in
the community, the membership being about three
hundred and' twenty, while the congregational atten-
dance averages five hundred, the ministrations of the
present pastor, the Rev. George Daniels, being very
acceptable. The Sabbath-school in connection there-
with averages in attendance about two hundred and
forty, and has been superintended for the last seven
s by Bngb I Farley, Esq.
In June of thi> yeas also, the construction of our
great national highway, the Canadian Pacific Railway,
commenced at Winnipeg, under the Hon. Alexander
llackenzi me From there the work was poshed
eastward and westward. By the fall of L880, the con-
tractors had only reached Rat Portage, a distance of
one hundred and twelve miles, the ballasting of a large
portion of which was even then unfinished. \\
ward, the progress was equally slow ; the sixty miles
that stretched between Winnipeg and the Portage
was not opened for traffic until the close of the same
year.
Considerable anxiety was felt by the Portage people
as to getting the road to deflect, BO as to tap the town.
If Mackenzie's proposed route had been followed, they
would have been left high and dry, several miles to the
south, with the road passing in a north-westerly direc-
tion towards Lake Manitoba.
As sufficient has been written about utilizing the
water stretches, I do not propose to weary my readers
with a recapitulation of much that has been written
for purely political purpo
398 R18TOBY OF MANITOBA.
On Mr. Ryan being elected, in 1878, for the Com-
mons,and previous to his Leaving for Ottawa, a banquet
was given him in the old Portage Hotel, at which the
leading nun of the plains of both shades of political
faith were present in goodly numbers. Speeches were
indulged in, and the feast of reason and How of soul
was aided by potent draughts from the liquids gen-
erally kepi in the establishment Mr. Ryan's in>truc-
tions irere to favor the government or party that
would favor the Porta-.-, or in other words, cause the
from the proposed route and tap the
town.
Mr. Ryan did so, and voted for the Macdonald
administration. If a stranger had arrived in town on
the evening when the news was received that such
had been decided on, and that the road would shortly
be in. he would have come to the conclusion, in the
words of the old Scotchman, that the "folks had a
gane gite."
At the foot of Main Street, and in front of the Portage
Hotel, was a huge bonfire of boxes, barrels, crates, and
every conceivable material of this nature, while dancing
around it, in joyous glee, catching each other's coat-
tails, pulling off one another's hats, and throwing them
in the fire, were the familiar forms of Tom Garland,
T. B. Millar, H. J. Leroy, S. Mcllvaine, W. J. M.Pratt,
Billy Smith, and others. Mr. Gigot, the courteous
manager of the Hudson Bay Company's store at this
point, sent an omnibus, with an invitation to the revel-
lers to come and sample the cellar, which was at once
accepted, and the crowd proceeded to the west end,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 399
where music and dancing, toast and song, followed in
quick succession till the dawn of the following
morning.
In this year also, Roddie Campbell, who had been
running a furniture and picture-framing establish-
ment at the west end, moved to Main Street, where he
was joined by William Fulton, and the business
enlarged. His first arrival in the Portage was in
;. At this early period Campbell and Joe Carey,
then a photographer, "bached" together on the premises
at the west end Trade was slow, and the strictest
any was practised by our friends in the matter of
u grab," Campbell's workshop was a little place to
the rear of the store, and as a matter of course, the
shaving! eaned out only once in a while, a fact
which the neighbors' fowls took advantage of, and
which certainly favored Campbell and Carey with
fresh eggs. At Length the women began to wonder
where their hens were Laying; they could hear them
cackle, but for some time, could not find out their
they determined to watch. At length one
was observed to oome out of Campbell's shop. The
women at once armed themselves with brooms, and
made a raid on Bachelor Hall, where to their satisfac-
tion they found another, sitting quietly and con-
tentedly under hie work-bench. The tableau can be
better imagined than described Fancy Campbell on
the top of his bench, hammer in hand, trying to
defend himself, with the ladies endeavoring to put in
good execution on him with their broomsticks!
About this time, what afterwards became the Queen's
400
KANITOBA
Hotel was storied by Alex. Stinston, who built a little
log-house on the corner of what is DOW known as King
and Main Streets. Bare for a short time he kept a
saloon, selling out to John G. Mellon, who in turn sold
to Harry Correal, who, aftei enlarging the premises,
: of the building and trade to James J. White,
Who prominently in our after pages. Tall and
powerful in physique, Jim was a hard man to handle;
reserve! and yet affable, courteous and gentlemanly,
none for a moment suspected in "mine host" of the
Queens the red-handed incendiary, who in later years,
because he felt hi ing down hill, was bound to
take the whole town with him. In 1 sso white enlarged
the house to accommodate about one hundred guests,
changing the name from the "Ontario" to the
" Queen's" Hotel.
About this time H. J. Leroy, the afterwards inde-
fatigable pusher of the St. Andrew's and Agricultural
Societies, arrived in town to assume a position as book-
keeper under T. Garland.
^ In the fall of this year Dr. J. M. Haggarty, Medical
Superintendent of the Indian Administration for the
North- West, took up his abode in the Portage. Both
gentlemen figure prominently in the events of later
years.
The brewery built at the north extremity of Mani-
toba Street by Harris & Cairns, after changing
owners several times, came into the possession of an
English firm (Goldie & Co.), who, after enlarging it
considerably and running it for several years, sold to
McCollough & Co.
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 401
In this year also, M. Blake sold out his interest In
the Portage Hotel to his partner, William Lyons, and
joined shortly afterwards with dames Bell in the I
tion of the Lome House and stables. After remaining
in the concern till 1881, lit- again sold his interest to
Mr. Bell, who rented the hotel in February of L88!
1. of Winnipeg, who in turn re-rented to
Ferri- Br
11. s. Paterson and James McLenanaghen, formerly
of the city of Winnipeg, formed a co-partnership, and
bought out the business of Campbell & Marlatt. In
January of L882, Mr. Paterson purchased Mr. Mc-
knaghen's interest, assuming control of the entire
business until, through pre-sure of real estate difficul-
ties, he was obliged to assign to the latter in 1886.
PBBIMA80NBT.
On the 19th of February, ls~v under a dispensation
granted by the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, was organ-
iniboine Lodge, No. 7, A. F. and A.M. On the
L2th of June a charter was obtained, the following
ig the charter members: Roderick McQuaig, W. M.;
J. A. E. Dfummood, s. W. ; ( lharles H. House, J. W. ;
Robert Watson, Kenneth MrK.-nzie, sen., W. J. James,
Richard D. Byres, Sam. Buchanan, Win. Sutherland
and Stephen H. Caswell. The members met for
organization in a room above Campbell & Marlatt s
store. The building being braced with tie-rods, which
led through from side to side, caused them consid-
erable inconvenience in passing to and fro through the
room, having to duck their heads to do so. Here they
402 HISTORY OF M LNITOBA,
remained till more commodious premises were fitted
up for them above Weabrook & Fairchild's implement
warehouse, which waa afterwarda destroyed by Bra
With the increase of the population came brother
:i-. unacquainted with the work of the lodge,
which was that of Ancient York. From a desire on
the part <>t' these for the formation of a lodge engaged
in work with which they were more conversant, came
the formation of Marquette Lodge, No. 21, which was
organized August 8th, L882, also under a dispensation
from the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, and which received
it- charter February loth. |sv>. the charter members
hn Bonltbee, W, M.: W. H. Nelles, S. W. ; J.
B. Pewtress, J. W. ; J. P. Young, D. Farquhar, H. A.
Campbell, C. M. Caughill, II. H. Douglas, W. J. James,
T. B. Miller, John Smith, H. J. VVoodside, J C. Ball, J.
A. Stull, C. O. Chamberlain, Robert Watson and Thos.
Bellamy.
The lodge met in a hall, specially fitted up for it.
in the newly constructed Lafferty Block, possession of
which was held by both lodges conjointly. This
building, with many others, was moved from its origi-
nal location on Main Street to the Avenue during the
moving craze which seized the town after the disas-
trous fires in the east end, but the masons stood by
their hall, which is still situated in the same build-
ing. With the decay of the boom, and the consequent
decrease of the population, the growth of the lodges,
separately, was not satisfactory, and desire for union
— which in all cases is strength — was matured amongst
the members. The joint committee of both lodges, or
HISTOBY OF MANITOBA. 403
the fathers of amalgamation, was composed of the fol-
lowing members : "Assiniboine, No. 7," A. E.J. Durant,
Joseph Taylor, H. A. Ritchie, H. S. Paterson and Wm.
ticQuaig; for ''Marquette, No. 21," R. C. Brown, T.
L Newman. II. .1. Wosdside, F. B. Lundy, C. G. W.
Ifatheson. The anion was consummated in July,
1889, and a very enjoyable evening spent by the
i ne in hers.
Freemasonry in the Portage, however, dates fur-
ther back than either of these. In 1866, a lodge was
formed under a dispensation from the Qrand Lodge of
Minn. oota, of which the late Charles Curtis. Cha
BL House and Sandy Anderson were charter members.
This old lodge met for some time in the op-stairs of
Char].-- Hon n, an old log building demolished
in l s^k standing a little north of the old Portage Hotel.
The roof falling in, the lodge was held afterward
Various places, as agreed upon, such as the houses
of Curtis and Anderson. As the old members an- all
deceased or have left the place, little can be learned of
Srly work and pi
In dedicatory work tie- services of the craft have
called into service on two occasions, both of
which occurred on the same day, and in which they
were assisted by the Grand Master, and visiting
brethren from Winnipeg. This was on the occasion
of the laying of the foundation stones of the Town
Hall, August the 11th, 1881, and the Presbyterian
church, then under the pastoral care of the Rev. Allan
Bell, which was afterwards destroyed by fire in 1885.
In December, L888, the following brethren, A. E. J.
404 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Dumaut, B. M. Cannitf, T. L Newman, H. A Ritchie,
R. C. Brown, Win. Mc< uai-. I* Whimster, L. Remey,
K \\ Bell, Win. G. Scott, W. A. Win-'
datt, J, Leggo, J. H. Leslie, H. B. Rose, and T. Robin-
ipplied to the Grand Chaplain for a dispensation
to form a Chapter of Royal Arch Ifasona On 30th
January, 1889, the dispensation was granted, and Key-
stone Chapter. W. D., was instituted, with the above
brethren as charter members, in July, 1889, the
chapter received their charter, and Keystone Chapter,
! now in a flourishing condition, owing to the
grable work of the officers, having now forty
members on the roll, though only a few months in exis-
tence. The chapter occupies the same room as Assini-
boine Lodge, No. 7, in the Lafferty Block.
St. Andrew's Society honorably deserves the leading
position in Portage " fraternizations," dating its incep-
tion from \^7'2. when a few Scotchmen, amongst whom
Kenneth MeKenzie, Esq., the present member for
Lakeside; John McLean, the pioneer white settler; John
McDonald, now Prothonotary Clerk of the Queen's
Bench: Willie Fulton, Roderick McLeod, Alexander
(now Sheriff) McLean, Tom Garland, William Cum-
mings, J. J. Setter (then Sheriff Setter), and others, met
on St Andrew's Eve, sometimes in the log school-house
on the island, sometimes in the quiet retreat of Sandy
Anderson's, on the banks of the slough, and also in
Tom Garland's store, to "hae ane nicht in Scotland."
At this early date the society did not aim at benevo-
lent purposes, its object being simply to revive the
memories of the land of their nativity and birth ; to
recite the lyrics and sing
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. K)5
" Mair o' thae auld sangs,
The blithesome and the sad,
They make us smile when we are war.
Or greet when we are glad. "
It was reserved for later years to strike out into new
lines, and develop the kindly and benevolent spirit
which led the members to seek to accumulate a fund for
the relief of destitute fellow-countryman and women.
my happy OCCasiona there were, in these old tines,
• annual supper held in commemoration of Scotia's
patron saint. Bard* they had, too, who could sing in
roic deeds of which all Scotchmen
are justly proud Amongst these latter William Ger-
n,ni *her, resident at High Bluff from
1871 to 1882, was certainly the most prominent, and
his production^ merit a corner in the history of the
I was, to a certain extent, a pr
of the late Hon. John Norquay, who formed his
acquaintance while resideni at High Bluff Through
-Mr. Nor.|uay's influence, Gerrond was appointed school
teacher there in 1*71. a position he filled till L880s
might be expected, a strong personal friendship sprang
up between the two men. On the occasion of the
death of Morris Lamont, Esq., County Clerk, in 1875,
there were, as is usual in all prominent vacancies, many
applications. Gerrond entered the lists with the fol-
lowing graphic epistle, addressed to the Hon. John
Norquay, Provincial Secretary :
4 DEAB Sh: -Lamont is dead, I can't help that; you
want a man to fill his place, I can do that. Claw me
and I'll claw you. Yours truly,
" William Gerrond."
HisToKY OF KAH1T0BA.
Gerrond was an enthusiastic member of St. An-
drew's Society, and would plod the weary miles that
lay between the Portage and High Blurt' with the
test alacrity to spend ane nicht wi' brither Scots.
On one occasion he had just reached the Portage, a
strong wind was blowing rrom the west,and desiring to
light hia pipe he turned his Lack to the wind, and,
without thinking, commenced walking leisurely on,
rbed in his ,»wn thought* Thinking the road
My long that night* be Looked round to End him-
un at the Bluff The chagrin he experi-
enced was made the subject of a poetic effusion winch
he afterwards read to the society. On the occasion of
the destruction of St. Andivw's Hall, which was situ-
ated in the Pratt Block, in 1887, the pieces written
for the Bocwtybyhim were destroyed, with all the
other books and papers. The following poem was
read at the annual supper, St. Andrew's Day, 1875 :—
All hail to guid St. Andrew,
So long beneath the sod,
That led the Scottish heart to love
Its country and its God ;
To choose the path that points above
And shun the paths below,
And taught our auld forbears to think,
Two thousand years ago.
All hail to Scotia's heathery hills,
From Caithness to the Cree,
All hail to the noble dead
Wha kept those mountains free,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 407
Wha drove the Roman legions south.
And broke oppression's bow,
Bequeathing freedom to their sons
A thousand years ago.
All hail to Bruce and Wallace,
And all who fought for right,
ie haughty tyrant kin*,'
Wha trusted in his might ;
All hail, ye gallant Scottish men,
Wha chased the Southron foe,
Bequeathing freedom to your i
hundred .
All hail, ye holy warriors!
Ye noblest of mankind,
Wha lived and loTed,
And fonghi and fell,
Una of the mind ;
Wha drove oppression from her throne,
m low,
And left Cod's altar free to all,
Three hundred years ago.
All hail to our forefathers —
The brave, the true, the bold —
Wha left us an inheritance
precious far than gold ;
And may their loni in every land
Forever have t<» show
i as they've shown
A thousand years ago.
Ye sons of bonnie Scotland.
■embled here to night,
Always frown upon the wrong,
And battle for the right ;
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Always help i wanting friend,
And ever fight a foe —
.lust what your forefathers did
A thousand years ago.
O beautiful moon ! thou hast doom from the e
When still my heart lingon with thoM 1 !©▼« heat,
■..■Id's wihl w.m» Hands ami EgmondviUe grove,
When beat the food heaiti that I tenderly 1 Ted,
, the ..id maple tree that waves in tin- dell.
And the little log 00 le tin* spring well,
H..\v left je my little ones, yet in their bloom I
<> tell me, <> tell me, thou beautiful moon I
O beautiful ni<><>n ! now, before you depart,
Say, how was my Rella, the joy of my ln-art '
Like me, did she whisper aloud in your ear,
And blow you sweet kisses to take to her dear I
Or say, has there evil or danger come nigh
To trouble her bosom, or sadden her ej
O say, does she sit in despondence and gloom I
O tell me, <) tell me, thou beautiful moon I
O beautiful moon ! I have wandered with thee
Far, far from the cot by the old maple tree,
And a wilderness wild lies between me and mine,
And lonely I stray on the Assiniboine,
O say, lovely moon ! can you tell me, O when
My loved ones will gather around me again ?
God keep and protect them, and send them all soon ;
O haste back and tell them, thou beautiful moon !
DISTORT OF MANITOBA. 409
The third was written for the Free Presi ■during the
election in 1874, in which Mr. Cunningham was a
candidate.
If there ia to all the land
A wight that's suited to command
Warlocks and witehes in ;i band,
That man is Robie ( 'unningham.
"0 father, father,'- he did ery,
11 ( > father, help me, or I die,
i all before me tly,
0 help," oried Robie Cunningham.
The ould gold man in petticoats
feai not, man ..f oats,
And I'll get you galore of \,
Enid, good Cunningham.
Round all this land, where Frenchmen dwell,
Ami how 'tis don,- qq tongue may tell,
I'll rust ,i fearful potent ipell
In favor of thee, Cunningham.
" The new-born babe, I'll make a man,
The maiden fair shall breeches don,
The hunters «.n Saskatchewan
Shall all hi- here for Cunningham.
14 Now, Robie dear, enough is said,
I'll make the grave give up its dead.
And every j in bed
Shall rise and vote for Cunningham."
44 But, father dear, hear me, I pray,
To-morrow is the polling day,
Saskatchewan is a long, long way,
1 doubt, I doubt," said Cunningham.
26
410 BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
I > man. doubl niv power,
I tell thee, that within this hour
Mv witchei on the plain shall mow
it. thewan for Cunningham. "
m on Whin Hone plains.
■its will d€ ii again,
bora bebee turned into mm,
: >bie Cunningham.
Saakatehewan hunten far away
tame day
I then, the poll olerka say,
: Lir Cunningham
Old wrinkled wbei turned young again.
Ami maideni changed bo bearded mm.
Ami dead foUn left thehr lonely den
To vote for Robie Onnnmgham.
ful ;mtl potent was the spell,
ridden carls all got will,
il even said, some came from lull
To vote for Robie Cunningham.
VOTE BY BALLOT.
After many a weary day of wedded bliss
And barren joy,
Madam Ministry brought forth
A bonny, bouncing baby boy ;
And as the lady, groaning, lay
Upon the ministerial pallet,
She said : "I'll name my bonnie boy,
My winsome baby, ' Vote by Ballot/ "
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 411
He was a muekle-thocht-of wean.
A ml cost- the daddy many ft dollar ;
Costliest goodfl fate far away,
In Btripei and linos of many ft ooloi :
11- was a muekle-talked-of wean,
[niended this land to cherish,
I'ntil th.'v took him down to see
The saint* that lire in Paul's guid parish.
And when the taints around him oame,
The gomeral donkey baches,
They took him, with his elsea so bzae,
a ins ftpes or monk.
They polled his nose and jx.kr.i his sen,
And grinned and laughed at
- Vote by Balk*."
They drowned him deep
In t , ST,
: buried him beneath the groond,
then his bod] i at ;
. niirht his ghosJ is
* 'li i'ir wi' ft mallet ;
And Robbie rim and shouts and snvains :
M I'll have the votes, and damn the ballot."
The inspiration of this poem was drawn from a bill
introduced by the Davis administration, towards the
close of their regime, providing for vote by ballot at
the polls, instead of open vote. A bye-election occur-
ring at St. Paul, the Government candidate was defeated,
and on the first meeting of the Bouse afterwards the
bill was repealed. The Robbie referred to was the
Premier, R. A. Davis.
On one occasion, at the annual supper held in 1878,
some visit e from Winnipeg, one of whom had
412 HISTmKY OF MANITOBA.
prepared an elaborate speech , being very wearied
while the supper was brought on, he retired to lie
down, requesting one of his friends to wake him up
when the speeches began. The latter, becoming too
much interested in the proceedings, forgot all about
his promise, while the former slept on till the room
had been cleared, and the whole party engaged in
the highy imnsing, if not edifying, dance of Ronald
McDonald, which was never omitted from the pro-
gramme of the evening's proceedings; By this mis-
hap the society is said to have lost one of the best
speeches ever made. On another occasion, amongst
the visitors present were several Frenchmen, who
created considerable amusement in endeavoring to
show their Scottish origin. Amongst the names of the
identfl are : Kenneth McKenzie, Esq., John McDon-
ald. J. J. Setter, George Tidsbury, W. L. Lyall, and Dr.
Rutherford. The society will long be remembered by
destitute countrymen, and others who have been taken
under its care in the hour of their adversity, and in
some cases, committed to the keeping of mother earth.
CHAPTER XVII.
[nereaee in Population Planing Mill Paper Mill Baeket New
Bonneai Pinna •'. P. Toting OddfeUowa1 I^xige — Last Indian
Campbell, Hay and Body Sectional Peehng Kleotinn of
Town Goto Brigade Practical .Jokes— The Boom I
—Real Estate Offices— Portage Milling Co.— 1'. t v.
Thk closing yean of the seventies were marked by a
rapid increase in the population of the town, and in the
extension of its business facilities. Amongst the
arrivals in 1878 was Mr. I barrister, who
figured prominently as the first town solicitor, and of
whom further mention wilJ be made in our pa
This year aU<» saw the establishment of the first
ing mil] west of Winnipeg, operated by Sam. lie
Rvalue, who made his debut in the settlement
ichor. After handling the ferrule for ■ short
time, he started a chair factory down the River lload.a
little east-by-south of Broadway. This not proving a
success, Mr. Mcllvaine opened the Marquette planing
mill %nd lumber yard. After running the mill for a
season, he closed down till L881, when it was reopened
with new and improved machinery for manufacturing
doors, sash, blinds, flooring, ceiling, etc.
So successful was he in this last venture, that had
he been satisfied with it, he might in a few years have
retired with a competence. He had been offered at
one time $100,000 for the good-will and sale of his
business. Ambitious, however, for further and greater
history OF MANITOBA. 415
progress, he invested in a new planing mill, 48x80
which he located close by the 0. P. R. depot, and a large
r mill, 86 \ loo. for the manufacture of building
paper. The neighboring plains abounded with the
aw. In this latter venture he under-
estimated the cost, and as the difficulties arising from
decline of the boom, in which he was a large mani-
pulator, mcr lid his business troubles,
until latterly he was so hopelessly handicapped Unit
\as compelled to give up business and leave for
Ontario, having lost everything. The paper mill fell
into tie' hand- of James llcLananaghen & Co., who
had i him large Mims of money, equal to about
third of ■. while his other property was
Manitoba and North-Wesl Loan I lorn-
panv.
M<dlvaine m Inventive turn of mind, the
■r was pleased to hear of his having again opened
tern province
This year; also, saw the establishment of the Mar-
quette <\vwj; store, at the south extremity of Main
the first of its kind in the settlement, under
title of Lakeman & Co.; Dr. Macklin, a newly
arrived disciple of Ksculapius, being the I
In .June of the following year, Mr. Lakeman severed
mnection with the concern, and the business was
continued as Macklin & Co. Dr. Macklin still resides
in the community, an old physician of extensive prac-
tice and experieie
The year 1879 was still more fruitful of new enter-
priaes, the personnel of which at this date, in many
416 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
cases, have removed to other places, while some have
ended their pilgrimage and joined the silent majority.
Amongst these latter was Jmuefl Bossack, of Hoe-
sack vV McKenzie, who WM cut down, in the midst of
health and strength, by inflammation of the bowels,
which could certainly have been arrested ii' his medical
attendant had only diagnosed his ease properly and
in time. His death was a painful one, and much
regretted by the community at large ; being a promi-
nent Oddfellow, he was buried with honors by the
r, and a marble monument erected over his grave.
John Haekett has also gone hence to be no more.
Tall and straight, with the bearing of an old soldier.
HackeU'fl was ■ familiar and pleasing form to look
on, aDd early settlers will remember the old white
pony with which he used to distribute the staff
of life.
Haekett was one of the first aldermen of the city of
Winnipeg, and also the first baker there. He moved
to the Portage in 1877. The writer will never forget
the last occasion on which he was permitted to assist
him.
One Saturday night, in the early part of the winter
of 1884, some of the boys caught John's pony, and
hitching him into the light sleigh with which he dis-
tributed his bread, drove the rig purposely over side-
walks and every obstacle that came in the way, then
left it home unhitched, and turned the animal loose.
On Monday the pony could not be found, nor, indeed,
for several days afterwards. When found, the poor
brute was so frightened from the maltreatment he had
history OF MANITOBA. 417
received on the previous Saturday evening that he
was almost unmanageable.
But the trouble did not end here. John had just
started off on his rounds when the 3leigh, which had
also been badly used, broke down, scattering his bread
on the middle of the road.
In his extremity be called on the writer, who assisted
him to gather it up, repaired the sleigh, and, for the
being, loaned him a cutter. A-> lie drove out of
the shop door be looked back into my lace, and, with
a peculiar emphasis never to be forgotten, said, '
deapercmdui
At this time he W*fl c«»nseioiis that he was a marked
victim of that dread disease, consumption, largely
brought on by neglect and cold
He died in Winnipeg in the following spring.
His remains were brought from the above city to
the Portage, where they were met at the C. P. R. depot
by the members of St. Andrew's Society, of which he
wa> a member, and by them conveyed to the V
Bind Cemetery.
I cannot dismiss the memory of this kindly old
soldier, who served his (,)ueen and country for twelve
years, without relating the following anecdote concern-
ing him, which happened in the Portage :
At an entertainment, held in the winter of 1880, in
the old school-house, now the property of the Agricul-
tural Society, and which they use as an exhibition
hall, John was billed to appear in his military costume
(the kilts), and with his bagpipes, to soothe the
savage breasts of his fellow-countrymen ; a request
41 8 HISTOKY OF M \m T«»r..\.
which he was often presented with, and as readily
complied
The boys determined, however, to have their amuse-
ment in first Baekett, being rather fond of a '• wee
drap," was <-a>ily approached in the guise of friend-
ship in this manner. The plan Bueceeded, and by
evening of the appointed day John was sufficiently
primed; he COUld walk steadily, hut no more Be
in his place, however, in the evening, and when
hi> naiiK* was called, rose and walked op to the plat-
form, hi might form showing to advantage in
the Highland costume.
iking his place on the dais, and putting the mouth-
piece to his lips, he began to Mow, or appeared to do
so. Not a sound could lie bring. Every eye was bent
on him, especially the boys', who were watching to
see what John would do. At last, finding it no use,
he made a polite bow, and said, " Ladies and gentle-
men, I regret to disappoint you, but my pipes are so
badly frozen that I cannot get a sound out of them,'
and making another graceful obeisance, retired to his
seat. So well did he carry out his programme, that
none but those who were in the secret knew the true
explanation of the frozen bagpipes.
In this year James H. Ashdown bought out Camp-
bell & Fulton, and established a branch store at this
point, with his eldest brother William as manager,
who continued in that capacity till the summer of
1883, when, owing to delicate health, he removed to
the more genial clime of California. The change was
the means of extending, to all appearance, his life for
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. H!>
a few years. He died, however, of consumption,
arising from Red River fever and cold, contracted
while in Manitoba. The business was continued suc-
Fully, through various managements, under the
supervision of Mr. Ashdown himself, and is now repre-
sented by a younger member of the family.
The business of Carey & Co., also established in
ls7 .». after oontinning for several years, merged into
that of John CB familiarly known throughout
the country as the "fanners' friend." J. P, Young
also put in appearance about this time, 1-Vw deserve
mors honorable notice for devotion to the interests of
the country and town of their adoption His ger
i with the fire brigade, which was organ-
ized in (.880, and which certainly was in its palmiest
while under his control, cannot be estimated
In the varied and trying eircni
through which the oorp ration ha I. Mr. Young
unselfishly and wilii- . ,n his best enei
to promote what he considered to be its true intei
If • ward in municipal honors ami
promotion, Mr. Young has had abundant reason to be
satisfied. Almost since his introduction to the town
he has been in some public office.
A prominent Freemason, an enthusiastic Odd-
fellow, he was the first Noble Grand of the little
lodge instituted April 22nd, l€
This was formed in the building which stood next
to T. B. Millar's old stand, at the foot of Main Street,
in a westerly direction along the Slough Road, and in
which Charles Hay, now of Vancouver, B. C, kept the
post-office of that date.
4-20 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
During the dark days of the Portage, when property
was oonaidered of little value, and the loan companies
were <li- t' the houses on the lots which had
fallen into their hands, with a view to realizing as
much as possible out of what was then considered a
bad speculation, this house, with many others, was
to a tanner, ami moved out on the plains, where
it now dors duty as a stable, In it, however, till the
erection of a building on Main Street by John
Dunoon, the lodge met The sailing being low, mem-
bers had to be careful on rising to get in the centre of
the room, so as to stand erect when addressing the
chair. A room was filled up in Dunoon's premises,
into which they moved in the summer of 1SNO. With
the increase of the population, the lodge prospered so,
that in 1882, when they again removed to more com-
modious premises in the newly constructed LafFerty
Biock, the membership exceeded one hundred. With
the decay of the boom it dwindled down to sixty-five,
but has since increased till they now number about
eighty. The charter members were John Young,
William Burns, Colin McKay, Tom Burgham and John
Dunoon.
The last Indian fight occurred this year, also, about
a days travel from Moose Mountain. Chief Pasquah,
now dead, and several of his band, started from his
reserve at Qu'Appelle to visit the Mandril Indians
across the international boundary, for the purpose of
ascertaining how they were being treated by the
American Government.
After spending several days amongst the Mandrils
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 421
peaceably, Pasquah started back for Qu'Appelle. After
the first day's travel two of his young men, Pacquace
and Mahindan-e-Cap-ow, now dead, concocted a plan to
return to the Mandril camp for the purpose of stealing
some horses, unknown to their chief. They then
retained and stole an iron-gray-colored horse. On
their way out from the camp they came in contact
with an old Mandril squaw, employed in digging
wild turnips. To make sure of their escape, fearing
that the old woman might inform upon them, they
shot her dead and left her there, then made their way
towards Qu'Appelle.
The Mandrils, on finding the dead body of the old
woman, at once suspected Pasquah and his party of
the deed, and at once started in pursuit in several
parties. One of these parties came across ■ camp of
who were out hunting buffalo from Moose
Mountain. The Mandrils halting within a few |
asked the Assiniboines what tribe they belonged to, to
which they replied; but there being alsoafewSaulteauX,
one of them answered, " Some of us are Saulteaux. '
The moment he spoke the Mandrils took up their
rifles and shot him dead. Then the fight became
general. A Mandril who was riding a gray horse had
his horse shot under him and was himself killed before
he could recover himself. The Mandrils then retreated
to a little ridge close by, fighting as they went. The
also arranged their carts for defence and
dug trenches, but being in a swamp, could not dig
sufficiently deep, owing to water level, to afford proper
protection. Some of the Assiniboines being out hunt-
122 HISTORY OF MANITOi: \
mly arrived in time to take part in the fight.
eing too late. As soon as the fight was over,
American [ndians started back and the a\ssiniboinea
started for Moose Mountain. Leaving their carts, camp-
i 1 1 _T utensils, etc . behind tli.'in.
Shortly after the fight Pete-e-way-ouaii-asa, an
[ndian trader, who was following in the Bame trail as
the Assiniboines, arrived at the battle-field. He at
once snnnisfil what had taken place, and noticing
among the dead the body of an American Indian, he
took and him, also taking his cartridges, rifle
lie, and returned as quickly as possible toEllice.
On arriving there* be had the scalp hung on a little
pole attached to the frame of the cart in which his
wife was riding, himself being a few paces in front on
horseback ymging his war-song, to the effect that he
had scalped one of the "Mud-an-houses."
The exact number killed and wounded could not be
learned, but the following was ascertained: one young
girl got her arm broken above the elbow; notwith-
standing this she carried a child eighteen months old
into Moose Mountain. Another young girl also was
shot in the thigh ; she also walked into Moose Moun-
tain. Tip-e-cut, or "The Night," received a ball that
passed from his chin and lodged at the back of his
jaw. He was left behind for some time, and after
seven days found his way also to Moose Mountain.
His wife was also wounded, but remained with her
husband for three days without food, but owing to
fatigue, having a child to support and not being able
to endure the pangs of hunger any longer, left her
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 423
husband and arrived safely. According to theAssini-
boines there were about thirty Mandril Indians.
In L 879, Charlie Bouse began disposing of his estate
to incoming residents, in such quantities only as they
required There is not the least doubt that had this
policy been pursued by all the land-owners the inflation
and far-reaching reaction which followed would never
have been chronicled by the pen of the historian. The
first really large and solid transaction in real estate
summated this year, by John McLean, who,
finding that with the incorporation of the town, the
taxes on his land would be too heavy to carry, sold the
bulk of Ids farm, reserving only that on which Ids
present home is situated with in surroundings, to
Campbell, Hay & \\><\y. for 180,000. During the
ion of i ; to the
r, which was not granted
till the opening of I ion of 1879 1 an
was held in accordance therewith. Sheriff
'.as appointed by the Government Returning
< officer. As this was probably one of the most humor-
OU8 'l»cr i«»n- held in the town, I propose to chronicle
•• of the d» -tails.
For Borne years hack a feeling of rivalry had been
growing between the east and the west section of the
town. TIm- occasion of this was the refusal by the
Hudson Bay authorities to sell land for building or
business purposes! around their premises situated at the
end. This feeling only increased in strength
and intensity as the eastern portion of the town was
built np, becoming in after years, at the various
424 HlSToUY OF KANTFOBA.
inunicipal elections, ■ veritable shibboleth or party
cry.
To live in the east end of the town, and to be
possessed of west ward sympathies, was sufficient
reason to boycott the individual from all inunicipal
honors he aspired to, and M in the west. This
being the first municipal election, both sections not
only brought their entire force into the field, but
red a continent that in point of numbers fairly
submerged the original.
The battle-ground of the contestants was the central
ward, being the largest and wealthiest. The nominees
for councillors were, John P. Young and William
Fulton, for the east ; William M. Smith and John
Connor, for the west ; while the centre was contested
by Robert Watson and Sam. Mcllvaine, representing
the eastern section, with Alex. McLean and H. S.
Paterson, the west. The mayoralty nominees were
II. M. Campbell, Marlatt's business partner, and Tom
Coilins ; the latter represented the east, the former the
trest In the west ward, Smith and Connor were
elected by acclamation. In the east, John Young and
Willie Fulton were nominated. Some suspicions being
entertained of Fulton's sympathies with the Camp-
bellite section, he was sent for by a number of promi-
nent east ward men, who had met at the old Portage
Hotel, and interviewed. The result of the inquiry
was satisfactory, however, and Young and Fulton
were returned for the east, also by acclamation.
The fight was thus confined to the centre ward,
both as to councillors and the mayoralty — the qualifica-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 425
tion as to voting being a free or leaseholder, or any
one paying rent.
A short time previous to the election, it came to be
known that Billy Smith was getting fanners from the
plains, and others, to sleep in and occupy the mill and
other property at the west end, and also, that property
was being cut up into Iota and deeded to all comers,
with a view to submerge the east ward influence in the
contest. Smith soon found, however, that this was a
game that two could play at The election being on
.Monday, P, V. < Jeorgen, with a staff of clerks, worked
all Sunday, and by the time the poll was Opened on
Monday,, had most of the eastern estate, consisting of
the land of Setter, House, Endson and Gaddy. deeded,
and certificates given to each of the purchasers. Armed
with these, protruding from their coat breast-pocket,
presented themselves to the
Deputy Returning Officer, G. B. Bemister, desiring to
avail themselvee of the franchise. When asked if
they owned any property in such and BUCh an estate
or ward, a slap on the breast-pocket from which the
important document certifying to their claim pro-
truded, and an emphatic "you bet," was the ready
response. Some, to soothe their conscience, had little
bags of soil taken from that particular portion of
mother earth to which they laid claim, in their pockets.
The result of this was that instead of ninety, the actual
number of bona fide voters in the ward, there were
nearly nine hundred — the trouble at the close being
not property to vote on, but men to represent the
property.
27
426 history OF MANITOBA.
All these certificates were returned the following
day, with the exception of that of one individual, who
stuck to his claim and sold it during the boom.
The east ward in this, afl well as almost all the after
eleeti !'i'-'l the day. A stranger entering the
council chamber, which was held in the hall of the
Hni'-l. could not but he amused at tin- manner
of procedure. No sooner was a motion by the east
pur ,,i) the table than it was offset by an
amendment, y moved by Billy Smith and
by Mr. Connor. Almost all motions made by
Smith were seconded by Connor, and generally lost.
\t \. t oothic lined by
ied to second Smith's motions.
One night, he had one he desired to press, but could
nut tind a seconder for it among the other members of
the Board, and Mr. Connor would have nothing to do
with it. On the adjournment of the council the two
men quarrelled ovet the matter on the way home.
Smith, it is Baid,waa bo decidedly hostile that he swore
all that night and nearly all next day.
Ahout this time appeared the Tribune, a journal
published in Conservative interests, with E. Cliffe as
editor ; in 1882, J. M. Robinson purchased a half, and
still later bought out Cliffe's entire interest and plant,
and formed an amalgamation with the Review, calling
the new paper the Tribune- Revieiv, which he has con-
tinued to edit ever since. Mr. Cliffe removed to Bran-
don, where he started another paper. The Manitoba
Liberal made its bow to the Portage public in 1884,
by C. J. Atkinson, now of Regina, N. W. T. The
history 6F MAKITO 427
xd ifl now owned by Martin, Curtiss and Wood-
Bide, the latter occupying the editorial chair. The
Saturday Night IS a small sheet, the product
of la* j, by J. M. Robinson
With the reader's permission, I will for a short time
return to L 878, and to the Totogan and Westbonroe Dis-
tricts. In that yearW. M. Smith went out to Toto
and purchased the milling privileges formerly owned
Shismand Bubear. In L 879, he was followed by W.
.1. M. Pratt, and a co-j.artnri.ship formed between the
rami Smith. In order to push the lumbering
interest more successfully, they built a steam-tug called
theLady Blanche, eighty tons burden, and with a
nominal horse-power of fifty. In the following year,
Smith sold out his interest to Pratt, and returned to
the Portage. In 1882, a neat little church was built
Hr. Campbell for the convenience of the settlers.
It was dedicated and opened by the Rev. Allan Hell.
<>f 1' In L881, 1882 and L 883 the waters of the
lake rose, flooding the village and low lands along the
shores, so much so that it was difficult to find a camp-
ing ground, the water standing eighteen inches deep
on the Moors of the houses. This caused Mr. Pratt to
abandon the business in toto. In 1883, Mr. McArthur,
of McArthur's Landing, built his present steamboat, to
I the want of the lumbering interests of the lake,
which so long a^ the season continues open still plies
regularly between the Landing and his mill, situated
about 130 miles north. His average product per
season is about one million feet. A branch from the
Manitoba and North-West Railway at Westboume
4l\S HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
connects with fche Landing, affording easy shipment to
all points by rail. The Landing itself is a beautiful place,
sita&ted on the banks of the White Mud River, about
five milefl from it- mouth, where it flows into the lake,
and is a favorite picnic resort in summer. In 1885,
was built the present steam dredge, belonging to the
Government, which Ls kept continually at work,
dredging and deepening the river between the Land-
in- and the lake In 1886, Mr. If eFhillips, D.L.S., was
ordered by the Local Government to survey a road
along the west shore of the lake, as far as Manitoba
Post, marking the same by iron posts, driven in the
ground at >tated intervals, and covered with tinfoil to
mark the bearings. In 1887, the church above referred
to was destroyed by fire, precursing the general doom
of the place, which with the disastrous effects of flood
and fire, and the construction of the Manitoba and
North-West Railway, has dwindled into nothing.
The Westbourne District has, in late years, de-
veloped into mixed farming and ranching, for which
it is eminently fitted, being broken up with bluffs and
slough, marsh and river, as indeed is all that section of
country on to the Riding Mountain. The ranching
industry is well represented by Senator Sanford,
whose capacious stabling and hotel stands close by
the Westbourne station, on the Manitoba and North -
WTestern Railway, and who heads the list with 1,000
head of cattle and 100 horses. Eastward along the
river are David and Donald Stewart, with 100 head
each. Next to them comes David Morrison with fifty;
while Walter Lynch, with a herd of about sixty, gives a
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 429
fine display of thoroughbred stock. William Shannon
com. with 150 head of cattle and forty horses.
Mclvan and Mc Robbie also run an extensive horse
ranching business, formerly owned by the Pnxley
Brothers. Rhind Brothers, formerly of Montreal, also
200 head, and Henderson about 150.
Btill, and along the lake shore, we find
James lie] kmald, with 350 head and twenty-tive horses;
\V. .1. Smith, with I 10 head and eighty horses; Laidman
and Bailey, with eighty head and forty horses; Adam
Smith, 150 head of cattle; Charles Green, with forty
head and twenty borses; and many others whom we
would desire to mention, but cannot for want of
space. In wheat raising tlii- section of country gives
nit-, close on 2,000,000 of bushels having
been market..! from the I' tins alone. The
following is a fail- example of the amount under crop :
McLean and McRohhie. 2,000 acres; Campbell Brothers,
BOO acres; Lorbie, 1,000; Sprii 700; l\ W.
Connor, W0; Beattie Brothers, 700.
On the 26th of May. 1881, a meeting was held in
the court-house, at the call of Mayor Collins, and a
fire brigade organized, with John Young as Chief.
Robert Watson, First Assistant* and George Bellamy,
i\(\: \V. A Prest, Secretary-Treasurer. A hose
company was also formed, with William Fulton, Cap-
tain ; John McKenzie, First Assistant; George Tre-
herne, Second, and R. C. Brown, H. J. Woodside, John
Watson and James Campbell, Branchmen. The num-
ber of members was limited to thirty. A hook and
ladder company was also formed, with Tom Ferriss as
430 HISTmKY OF MANITOBA.
Captain; George Snider, First Assistant; and James
Bfossack, Second; J. EL Bossons, Secretary-Treasurer.
This was the beginning of an organization which,
with a change of /» ra j ear by y>-av. occasioned by
ival of members to other Bpheres of occupation
and residence, stood by the town throughout its varied
trience of light and shadow. It was maintained
in a state of comparative efficiency up to the time
when financial circumstances pressed hard on the
town, and became, in later years, only a voluntary
company.
To the credit of the old members it must be said
that Long ley had resigned, if they were in the
d or close by when the alarm was rung, they
would rush to the hall to assume the position held by
them in days of yore, and otherwise assist all that lay
in their power. Mr. Young remained chief till he was
elected mayor in L885, when Mr. Roxburgh was
appointed in his stead. During the summer competi-
tions, held at Portage, Brandon and Winnipeg, the
brigade generally carried off second in point of
promptness and efficiency.
In 1883, at the close of the Dominion Day sports
which were held at the Portage, several humorous
episodes occurred worthy of being told, which may
help to warm up some old fireman's heart whose eye
scans these pages.
On this occasion, the Portage was honored by the
presence of several members of the Winnipeg brigade,
under Chief McRobbie, and also that of Brandon,
under Mr. Alexander. Previous to this event there
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 431
har] yeral false alarms, and the firemen natur-
ally felt indignant at being called out in imminent
baste to be made the bntt of some drunken loafer's jest,
day ha<l been well and harmoniously Bpent, and
the utmost harmony and ^'»> 1 feeling prevailed. A
lurking suspicion, however, rested on the boys1 minda
morning there would be a ruse of Borne kind.
About 3 a. in. tli' alarm was rung. The boys rushed
ad a 6re and barrels burning in front
I >n seeing what it was, and that there
urent danger, they coupled the hose and
waited tl n of Chief Young, who, arriving on
•round, took in the situation at one-, and ordered
the put <>n. At both hotels could be seen
lounging around, and apparently
m the firemen. < kice in a while
would be opened and something be shouted
le. Yon it all in, but determined
he would get there also. W.J. Souch, who was stand-
ing at the door of the sitting-room in the (Queen's,
wliich faced the corner of King and Main Stn
opened the door with the intention of chaffing or
coming out. Young turned the full force of the hose
01) the doorway, nearly knocking Souch off Ids feet,
and deluging the room to quite an extent. At the
other door Hugh LeRoy, a pi joker of the first
r, cam.- out to cross tie- street to John O'Reilly's
store. Before he bad reached half-way lie wa
thoroughly saturated that a good comparison could he
made between his appearance and that of a drowned
In a -hurt time the hose was uncoupled and put
482 history OF MANITOBA.
away, and the steamer dosed down. Chief McRobbie,
who bad retired to a room at the Queen's, had thrown
offhis coat and vest, and was leaning over the window,
chaffing with some of the men. [mmediately under
waa a pump with a large bucket full of water. Some
joke having passed, Watson said to Chief Young,
■•Shall I throw it on him?" pointing to McRobbie.
8," replied Voun. I b, do," replied ItcRobbie,
thinking thai from his height, twelve feet above the
ground, Watson would be unable to do so. Without
■ moment's farther consideration, Watson seised the
heavy bucket, and as McRobbie leaned over the win-
dow, laughing, dashed the entire contents upon him.
It is needless to say that the laugh was at McRobbie's
expense, who, after recovering from the effects, said,
" It served me right, I did not think you could do it."
With the year 1881, the boom fever seems to have
fairly set in, especially in the fall, and strange to say,
to have spread itself all over the Province at once.
Cities and towns sprung up whose only claim to being
such was their existence on paper. Lots found ready
purchasers at almost fabulous prices.
Portage la Prairie, being the second town in the
Province, with the fertile plains surrounding it, the
desire to purchase property, no matter the location,
wras intense. To a calm, considerate mind, the situa-
tion was certainly unique. A craze seemed to have
come over the mass of the people. Legitimate busi-
ness in many cases was thrown aside, and buying and
selling lots became the one aim and object of life.
Even the Sabbath services were not free from the in-
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 433
fluence. Carpenters, painters, tailors and tradesmen
of all kinds threw their tools aside to open real estate
offices, loaf around the hotels, drink whiskey and
with down on their lips not as
their teeth would talk glibly of lots fronting
here and there, worth from $1,000 to $1,500 per lot.
Enter one of these offices, Bach as J, a. Little's, and
yon would find all elnsses and professions represented,
fron boy to the most grays and reverend par-
son, all Bitting, apparently waiting and watching the
market. The large influx of Eastern capital, placed at
tie- disposition of the banks and jobbing houses, tended
to encourage this j and men who were never worth a
dollar in their lives before, nor never have been since,
would in ther, and, on the strength of some
on which they had made a small deposit, endorse each
Other's paper, and draw from the hanks sums which
had never only in visions of the
night Auction sales were held in the evening, gener-
ally in the bar-room of one of the taverns, or at one of
the other rooms, where property, miles distant from
the centre of business, would bring fancy prices from
excited bidders, whose pockets were heavier with
dollars than their brains with sense During 188]
there were no less than thirty offices whose exclusive
business was buying and selling lots. In the same
year, there were over twenty-five leading mercantile
and manufacturing concerns started. The population
at this time amounted to between three and four
thousand people. The business institutions of the
town, all told, numbered one hundred and forty-eight;
Bistort of Manitoba. 435
forty-one of which were real estate offices and offices
of ] . il men. There were three banka : the
Bank of ( Ontario, with authorized capital of $3,000,000 :
and two private institutions, whose limited capital was
supposed to be al K),000. There were five loan
and investment companies, whose capital was esti-
mated to be in the neighborhood of 13,000,000, and
whose investments in the town and neighborhood
were placed a( 1350,000; and lastly, nine jobbing
hous* simply acted as agents for private capital-
eeking investment in the town and country, whose
Loans would amount to from $120,000 to $140,000, and
a large amount of private funds borrowed from friends.
In manufactory and small, there were t went v-
nine houses represented, giving employment to
hands, male and female, and representing in value,
during the year 1881, the amount of $624,000; one
bouse placing their turnout for the Near at $100,000,
one at < and sb at $25,000.
In building, railroad construction, etc, the estin
placed at $400,000 ; representing an employment
of about four hundred mechanics and laborers. The
cantile interests were represented by fifty-eight
houses : the number of clerks employed in these being
one hundred and thirty-seven Bight of these did
more or Less of a wholesale trade, and the value of
their transactions was placed at $1,174,200. One
house alone did business to the amount of $100,000 ;
another, $150,000; three, over $70,000; and seven,
over 850,000. In hotels, livery-stables, day and mis-
cellaneous houses, the approximate business was placed
HISTORY Of MAXITOT. \.
giving employment to about sixty per-
male and fen I >ne of the most successful of
all theee schemes, M it still continues to be, was
(he Portgage Hilling Company, which was organized
oo thf share system, and which constructed a large
roller mill. 40 i 46, five stories in height, with a capa-
city of 1 50 barrels, now increased to 860 per day ; as
also an elevator, 46 i BO, with storage for about 150,000
bushels. The building was constructed under the
supervision of Smith Thompson, who came to the
Portage in 1878, with the machinery of a sash, door
Uld planing mill, which, after running for a short time,
be sold to Green ft Lynne, who in 1881, sold out to
Lynne ft Banks, The directorate of the milling com-
pany were Francis Ogletree, President ; Dr. Cowan,
\ He-President ; Directors: H. M. Campbell, A. P.
I .hell. H. S. Paterson, W. J. James. A. P. Camp-
hell was appointed manager, and continued in that
capacity during the years of 1882 and 1883.
Other schemes were also floated with a view of
encouraging manufactures and making the town a good
business centre.
The town hall, which was built in 1882, being
centrally located, was intended to serve as a meat
market. The east-enders, not satisfied with the loca-
tion, determined to build another building larger and
at the extreme east of the town, to be known as the
East Ward market. Shares were placed at one hun-
dred dollars, and taken up rapidly, and the construction
proceeded with at onee. By the spring of 1882 the
building was ready for operation. The market scheme
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 487
falling through, the shareholders decided to turn it
into a biscuit factory, there being at this time a splen-
did field for such an institution, there being none in
the Province. The most unproved machinery was
ired, a large oven built on the most approved
principle, and everything made firsi Everything
favorable to the . -nti -i prise. A niai:
was secured from Ontario, a man of experience, too
much experience for the shareholders, who after run-
ning for about a year began to find Mr,
Mil' tly a figure-head. In fact, before lie bad
put in six months <omc of the shareholders were in
favor of paying him his year's salary and letting him
go. But the larger holders stood by him.
At tie- expiration of that time it was found that the
basin conducted on too grand a scale to stand
prcssore, A mi held, and Fanjuhar
M<- bean appoint. -d manager, and a rigid system of
►my on all lines pursued, but it was too late. At
length McLean began to buy up the other shares, which
were sold him readily at 80 cents on the dollar, until
he had personally sunk about ScS,000 or $10,000 more
in it. After running for a short time in this way the
•Ontario Bank, who held a mortgage on the building
and plant, closed down on the concern, and the place
shut up. After remaining so for some time, it
was again opened by the Pratt Manufacturing Com-
pany, who ran it for a couple of months. It then
remained idle till the spring of 1885, when it was
again rented by Pauline & Co., of Winnipeg, for the
manufacture of hard tack for the use of the soldiers
138 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
at the front daring the rebellion of that j-ear. In
L887, the best portion of the machinery was sold for a
trifle, and Bhipped to Vancouver, B. C. The engine was
disposed of to Robert Watson, and the building itself
into the hands of the legal firm of Martin & Curtis
for t isand dollars, who moved it to the Avenue
toed it into a large business block. There
ia no doubt that had this concern been handled on
Damon-sense principles, the investment
1 have been at least self-sustaining, but the
re scale on which it was incepted was the pre-
cursor of itfl doom.
CHAPTEB XVIII.
Knitting Factory Flood Debt New Railroad Decline of thai
HardTimea J. A- Little Burning of the Preabyterian Church
the Front Town Counci] Resigns The Schools
agof the Win Sail Plre ! Kre 1 1 Dark 1 1
I bsb offspring of these times was tbe knitting
This was also organized on fifty dollar shares,
and at once proceeded with. Timbers were taken out
for the factory and the manager's house; a site was
* cured at the nd, and the house erecl
but before the factory had assumed form, the bottom
had fallen out of the boom, and the majority of
shareholders were so financially crippled tli.it many of
1 dared n any way in case of being pounced
upon by the sheriff
The year 1881 i markablefor the high water
in the Assiniboine, which flooded the farms Bouth of
river, compelling the settlers to seek safety In
boats. On t h, it rose up to the top of the
bank, and part of the road in front of the school-house
was submerged [n the city of Winnipeg the cellars
along Main Street were flooded and considerable
damage -lone. On August loth, L881, under Bydaw
13, the beginning of the present municipal indebted-
ness was incurred by the issue of debentures to the
amount of $40,000 for general improvement, and an
elaborate system of sidewalks built wherever it was
deemed necessary.
440 HISTORY OF MAMTor,\.
In this same war the Portag<\ Westbourne and
North-Western Railway was projected, with Duncan
M< Arthur as fondant; C. P. Brown, then Minister of
Public Works. Vice-President ; and David Rogers, Con-
structing Engineer. The work of construction was let
to Rattan & Rogers. The origins! company were
rge Brown. Bon W. A. Kennedy, John Smith,
.1 \ K Dnimmond, James Cowan, David Young, the
David Walker, John A. Davidson, and W. E.
Ssnford. Thk company was incorporated in 1880 as
Westbourne and North-Western Railway, with
power to construct a line from tome point on the
Canadian Pacific Railway between Poplar Point
and the north-west boundary of the Province.
It was decided, on the strength of a bonus given
by the town, to make Portage la Prairie the
starting-point of the proposed line. The estate of
David Cussitar, now deceased, and the Rev. Mr.
George, at the extreme east of the town and front-
ing on the Assiniboine, was purchased for the sum of
$70,000, and an engine-house erected capable of accom-
modating two locomotives, close by Cussitar's old
home. The reasons for placing this structure so far
from the objective point of the beginning of construc-
tion, about two miles, were: First, to enable the com-
pany to get a crossing over the Canadian Pacific
Railway, no mean difficulty, especially in those
days with the monopoly clause in force; second,
it was also proposed to run a line to the south,
connecting with Emerson, and, with the aid of a
bonus from the wealthy municipality of Portage la
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 441,
Prairie, erect a large iron bridge over the Assini-
boine at this point, costing not less than $300,000,
with accommodation I'm- traffic and foot passengers;
third, as it was not definitely settled in which
•tion the town would grow, this was intended
to boom the eastern portion, and in order more 8UC-
:iilly to do this a J)r. Bain was sent to London
to boom up this portion, the name selected being
the Great Eastern --tat.- Bain resided in the above
City for about two months, living in lordly style
all the tim.-. His hill to the company was close on
112,000 for tin* two months' stay. He, however,
teded while there in forming an English syn-
dicate, who purchased the estate for $1,250,000.
Part of this ram was paid down, the remainder,
owing to financial difficulty in Europe and lo
by the syndicate through the French consul, was
not paid over. The work of construction, how-
ever, was begun this year, and the grading of
thirty-six miles completed to the town of Gladstone,
then springing into notice. This was ironed in 1882,
and in November of the same year the line was pur-
chased by Sir Hugh Allan, of Montreal, and his a
ciates, and a further extension of fifteen miles pushed
on. M Iluttan & Rogers, the constructing engi-
neers, seem to have been financially handicapped from
the very start, and were often in trouble with refer-
ence to payment of wages, etc. In fact, shortly before
their exit as contractors, their outfit in the bush,
where they were making ties and cordwood, was seized
by" the sheriff and sold at a great sacrifice. Associated
28
442 histmky OF MANITOBA.
with theru as manager was a young man, Mr. Ronnie,
who afterwards figured as private secretary to the
Hon. John Nonjuav. The acquisition of the line by
Sir Hugh Allan was a boon to this western 'country,
and especially to the town. The construction of the
ootnmodioofl ronnd-houees, repair shops, etc., at present
owned by the company, Wis at once pushed forward,
and employment given to a large number of men, who
would otherwise have been idle. The expenditure for
some time in khtt neighborhood cannot have been
than $10,000 t >0 per month, and very
materially assisted the Portage during the decline
of the boom. If a stranger had walked over to
see the work going on, he would have found many
real estate agents, who seeing no further hope of future
inflation, had pulled off their coats and gone to work.
In May, 1883, a Dominion charter was obtained, as
also the right to extend the line into the North- West
Territories as far as Prince Albert. The total mileage
now under operation is 232 miles. The value of the
buildings owned by the company in the town alone
is placed at 8100,000. Their sidings in the yard are
equal to four and a half miles. Their grain ship-
ments for the last four years, in all kinds of grain, are
as follows: For 1885-86, 362,952 bushels; for 1886-87,
427,650 bushels; for 1887-88, 1,576,320 bushels ; for
1888-89, 719,850 bushels. Shipments in cattle: For
1885-86, forty-seven cars; 1886-87, thirty-one cars;
1887-88, fifty-four cars; 1888-89, sixty-six cars.
The year 1889-1890 shows an increase of over one
hundred per cent, on cattle shipments, and over twenty-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 41;]
Bve per cent on grain. W. R. Baker, Esq., General
Superintendent of the above, is deservedly popular
among the employees and the public generally and
patron of all outside sports, especially
the J*"" gwn« of cricket Every summer an
inrion is organized to the pretty picnic grounds at
W-tbourne or Arden, and the public invited. On
these occasions thousands of people inert, and very
happy re-unions of severed Mends take place. Before
ag, I shall jusl take my readers back to the
engine-house constructed on the Cn bate and
ibly 1 could not cite a better instance of boon,
folly than this Baine, the value of which at the
ide is not more than $20 per acre, there beiiu
m »H about 340 acre* This, at the above sum
Wn,,M ! *> Think for a moment of paying
for this amount of land. But let as
l00k !d t,H' **&& The English syndicate fell
through, and the land, with the payments made
thereon, has reverted back to the original owi
The fine building, designed to shelter the iron horse
Biter it had once crossed the Canadian Pacific Railway
which cost close on $5,000, was blown down in
in a storm, and lay Battened out on the ground
ome time, and was ultimately .sold to Mr. Swales
a farmer, for $50, who carried it away in sections. '
Another institution of those early days, but unlike
the former, a successful one, is the Ogilvie elevator
No. 17, which was erected in 1883, with a storage
capacity of 35,000 bushels, as also the Pioneer oat-
meal mill, which was bonused by the town to the
444 msmuY OF Manitoba.
amount of $1,400, operated by two canny but wide-
awake old Scotchmen, Messrs. Johnston and Russell.
The Utter in 1884 sold out bia interest to Mr. John-
ston, who in ol lss:» took in Mr. Barclay,
who assumed Russell's position and interest in the
rn.
Mr. Johnston, the first-mentioned, has been a
pioneer in i.nnv industries in the North*West. After
pleting the oatmeal mill above-men-
ttoned, I ed to Qa'Appelle, where, in the
"beautiful valley that calls" and in the little town now
known bv that nam.-, he erected the Qu'Appelle iojn
mills, which he opened and operated till the fall of
L886, when he sold out to ■ firm of English capitalists,
who still retain possession, and run the samewithgood
success. During the opening of the North-West
Uion, in the spring of that year, the townspeople
proposed taking possession of the mill, and making a
barricade of flour in bags, four feet high on each flat,
for protection in case of siege, and in it the home-
guard, formed by the citizens, stored their arms and
ammunition while the excitement remained. Mr.
Johnston returned to the Portage in the fall of 1885,
where, in connection with the mill, he opened out a
pork-packing establishment, also the first of its kind
west of Winnipeg.
With 1883, came the decline of the boom fever, and
the day of trial before whose fiery breath seventy -five
per cent, of the business institutions wilted away. The
banks, feeling that they had committed themselves,
issued orders to draw in every dollar possible, and a
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 4 4-">
regular system of seizure, on the ground of dishonest
paper, was organized all over the country. The situation
I painful one, and men once deemed honest and
I for any amount, were turned out of house and
home, their goods and chattels liened on and sold by
tie- sheriff*! in many cases not bringing even the latter's
To make matters worse, an early frost struck the
country, the best wheat bringing only from 25 to 45
cents per bushel, while a large proportion could not be
sold at any price. The writer was witness to a scene
of this description one evening, which he certainly
will never forget. Being at the Portage Hilling Com-
pany's premises, he observed a beam, with a load of
grain, drive op. The buyer came out, opened one of
tie- hags and then retied it. telling the owner that he
could not buy it at any price. It is impossible for my
pen to describe the look of pain which passed over the
poor fellow's face, as he hunt into tears, stating that
li«' had driven over forty miles, expecting to Bell his
grain to take back to his prairie home some necessai v
comforts for his sick wife. What became of him and
his load the writer never knew ; and this was only a
sample of the trials of those year* Add to this, in
many cases, money borrowed on security of farm and
stock, with interest due in the fall and nothing to pay
it with, and the reader can form an idea of the posi-
tion of possibly seventy- rive per cent, of the yeomanry
at this time.
The ease with which loans, especially on farm
property, could be obtained, and the willingness with
446 HISTORY 01 MANITOBA.
which the loan companies advanced amounts, in
many oases equal to the value of the farm itself,
tempted many to borrow who certainly would not
otherwise have done so.
The result was seizors of goods and chattels, with
the farm itself ultiinat.lv falling into the hands of the
loan company. After the passing of the Act entitling
> homestead for the second time, many who
fell that they could never redeem their places, and
others who had located on only a medium place and
desin thing better, end those who were tired of
the country and could not sell, borrowed all they could
and moved away, by so doing leai ing almost entire
townships in the hands of the loan companies. "Such
was the case of Blake & Palestine.
This state of financial difficulties and depression
only deepened as the years 1884 and 1885 sped on,
particularly in the town. This may be attributed to the
extensive credit system inaugurated during the boom,
when to say that you had taken up a farm, or you had
come to stay, was a sufficient passport to obtain goods
on credit, and it was almost deemed an insult to refuse.
The implement firms, too, had their agents all through
the country, each trying who could sell most, almost
pleading with the settlers to purchase implements on
time.
Buckboards, buggies and waggons were shipped in
hy the car-load, and the country became a veritable
dumping-ground for Ontario manufacturers, many of
whom wish to-day they had kept both their money
and their goods at home. These goods were, as a rule,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 447
sold on time, which in many eases never came — the
purchaser wearing the article out before the note
matured, leaving it high and dry in some ditch or out-
of-the way corner, leaving the manufacturer out both
his labor and capital, with no other resource under the
circumstances than to hear it and nrrin. If, however,
it w ble to extract blood from a -tone, or any
Other WS I tin- debtor, the whole machinery of
the law was set in motion to secure the desired result.
Only three things could save him : first, having what
he desired to secure in his wife's name, a hard matter
with a man who had none; second, pay up 01
under; and third, skip. Many, seeing no hope, chose
til.- latter, and. like Elijah, disappeared suddenly and
were -ecu do more; and in many of t1 es it was
probably the best solution of the difficulty.
The writer will nei net and experi-
ences of those years, reaching first the Individual, and
ultimately succeeding in bringing the town itself into
praetical bankruptcy. Having mentioned the name
of J. A. Little, I propose to cite one or two instances
of the effects of the boom personally. Mr. Little
started busitt maker and blacksmith in
1 879, in which he continued till 1881, when he dis-
carded the former trade, and went into the implement
and real estate busine
Active, temperate, and shrewd in his transactions,
Mr. Little soon became one of the leading lights in
this capacity, and an acknowledged authority on the
value of Portage property. His office was always
thronged with inquirers and others interested in the
disposal of real estate.
448 histmky OF HANITOBA,
In the spring of i^s:-. through i aeriea of Bucoeesfol
aions. be bad realized, in bard cash, over |100,000.
With this he went into the city of Winnipeg, and in a
few days, and before returning home, had invested
every dollar, and more, in other property. The tide
turn./!, and ere a year had sped Mr.
Liu. involved in difficulty that he dared not
own anything in his own nam.'. For jreera after he
labored hard and arduously to get, as the expression
goes, hi- bead above water again, and was in a fair
way of doing ao, when death claimed him in the spring
of the present year.
When the writer Bret knew him. so flushed was he
with success, that he had an elaborate plan prepared
for a residence which was to eclipse anything in the
North-West. Operations were begun, a cellar was
. and stone procured from a distance to finish the
•. A handsome stable was erected in the rear, and
here the matter ended.
Mr. Little realized that "the best laid plans o' mice
and men gang aft aglee." A short time previous to
his death the stable was removed to another lot and
enlarged, and is now doing duty as a livery. The
cellar has been filled up, the stones removed, and the
owner fills a quiet plot in God's acre at the west
end.
<t)uiet, thoughtful, level-headed people would be
astonished at the prices obtained for farm lands in the
neighborhood of the town.
A farm belonging to Dr. Cowan, of 640 acres, brought
$23,000. For sixty acres at the west end Mr. Suther-
land was offered the large sum of 840,000.
HISTORY OF .MANITOBA. 448
Roderick McLeod owned a river lot of 240 acres;
for this be was offered s:,0,000 and S1,000 to the agent
who effected the Bale, making In all $5 1,000, by John
McClatche. McLeod received $15,000 down. With
the decline of the boom, finding himself unable to make
the remaining payments, McClatche desired McLeod
,im a release and take back the land. This
McLeod refused to do, and the matter went to court.
Being brought up in equity, it was proved that the
land was over-estimated in value, and McLeod was
raited. The legal expenses in this case had grown
90 that they not only swallowed up the land in dispute,
but the McLeod homestead as well.
And all this in a country where, stretching away to
the north and the south, to the cast and the west, lie
millions of acres open for homestead and pre-emption.
A singular fact in connection with the boom
that only a small percentage, say five per cent,, of those
;nit improved their financial position; seven-
ty-five pei cent, of the land gambled in, returned with
all the payments made thereon to its original owners
On Friday. .January 18th, 1885, at a quarter to
eleven, the Hre bell rang out its startling peal on the
midnight air. The night was intensely cold, some-
where about forty below zero, with a biting wind
from the north. Not a soul could be seen on the
streets. The hurried strokes of the clapper indicated
that some valuable property was in danger, and sent
a thrill through the community at the thought of
lighting the fire-fiend in the face of such a cold, cutting
wind. Yet, ere the bell had rung its warning for the
450 history OF MANITOBA.
space of two minutes, groups of excited citizens, some
well clad in fare, other* as beet their circumstances and
speed would permit, all Bhowing inert- or less d&habUM,
were rushing v to where the flames were seen
rising from the roof of the Presbyterian church. The
firemen were soon in position, and five hundred feet
of hose were stretched along Duke Street and a stream
turned on the burning building. For a time an
unequal warfare was carried on between the brigade
and the consuming flames, but old Boreas was seem-
ingly "ii the side of the latter, for soon the hose was
up between the engine and the burning
building. The firemen themselves seemed like icy
spectres moving to and fro. The steamer was pressed
to its utmost capacity, but with all, the stream which
was being played on the church was gradually getting
smaller and smaller, while the mounting flames illu-
minated the scene for quite a distance around with a
lurid glare, seeming to laugh defiance and scorn at the
efforts of the brigade. It was soon evident that the
church could not be saved, and every precaution was
taken to prevent the spread of the fiery element. By
one o'clock in the morning the entire structure had
fallen in and was consumed.
The event had a depressing effect on the commu-
nity. It was like a stab from an unseen foe, a fatal
turn in the drifting stream. For upwTards of a year
or more the congregation had been wrestling with a
burden of principal and interest, which almost defied
their most strenuous efforts. Socials were organized,
and legitimate efforts in almost every direction used
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 4-"U
to wipe out the burden of debt. Had things remained
as they were in 1881, there would have been no diffi-
culty, but in the altered circumstances of the people
we find the cause of the failure. Many, nearly Jill, in
L881, had pledged financial support which they could
in in 1883. The consequence was a. narrow-
financia] ability to meet current expenses
and the indebtedness of accruing principal and interest
For some Sabbaths previous, for some reason, the
north chimney would not draw, and the congregation
had to resort to the basement to get rid of the smoke
On the Monday following the lire, the Board of
Management met in the fire hall, when it was resolved
to begin the erection of a new edifice BO soon a^ the
funds would justify the Step Mr. Bell was deputed
nror, by visiting other eongre
tions and making appeals to them, to raise as much
towards this object rible, which he did, the
amount being somewhere about $2,800. The other
churches of the town generously oil. red the use of
their buildings to the congregation, but the man
ment deemed it better to rent the town hall, which
was at once done.
The rebellion in the Territories, which occurred this
year, caused quite a ripple in the community, and a
company was formed known as Company " C," 91st
Battalion. Not knowing what our own Indians would
do in the event of Riel and his associates being suc-
cessful, a course of drill was entered on by the citizens,
with drill instructors, Captain Hunter, Mayor Mc-
Donald, and Mr. Houston, the High School teacher.
152 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
As the various trains passed through, laden with
volunteers ■ for the teal of war, the excitement
was sometimes intense. La'-.. Is congregated at
the Canadian Pacific Railway depot, all seemingly
animated with one thought, which found expression in
the lusty cheers that greeted the soldiers on their
arrival, and also served as their farewell as the train
moved out and westward. Amongst the crowd could
be seen groups of Indians gazing with curious looks
uniform and accoutrements of the volunteers.
. mysteriously, somehow, their numbers increased,
lj augmented by new men, it would seem, from
the land of the Dakotas, lying to the south. At the
conclusion of the rehellion the !)lst battalion, to which
the Portage company belonged, halted on the return,
when the ladies of the town breakfasted the men in
the ranks in front of the square. They then returned
to Winnipeg, being head-quarters, where, after remain-
ing a short time in the barracks, they were dismissed.
The rebellion of 1885, with its large cost to the
country and its loss of precious lives, was certainly
precipitated by neglect on the part of the Government.
It will be remembered that by the Manitoba Act, the
half-breeds of the country received a grant of 240
acres each. A number of these were living outside the
boundary in different parts of the Territories, and
though years had passed since the transfer of the
country, and frequent petitions had been sent to the
Government, these had not received the grant of land
bestowed on their brethren in Manitoba. Other griev-
ances, such as want of representation in the Dominion
HISTORY OF MAXlTor.A. 453
Parliament, the number of Government nominees in
the North-Wesi Council, the management of the
public lands, and the inattention of Government to
petitions and representations on local matters, began
to create during these latter years an amount of irri-
q amongst the white settlers as well as the French
half-breeds. The great amount of destitution exist-
ing throughout the Territories during L884, gave a
keenness to these feelings of dissatisfaction and
indignation.
In these circumstances, the French half-breeda sent
a deputation to Riel in Montana, who, apparently, was
only too glad to return with them. Meetings were
held fiid another Bill of Rights prepared and sent to
Ottawa, which received the same fate as previous
petitions — the pigeon-hole — certainly a serious mis-
take in this instance. Smarting under what he con-
sidered previous wrongs, we soon find Riel initiating
eond rebellion on the basifl of L869-70. Si
are seized and looted. First among the sufferers was
John Keir, a merchant at Batoche's Crossing, a small
village on the South Saskatchewan, a short distance
from Fort Carleton. On the 17th March, Riel made
a prisoner of Trees, a magistrate ; Keeley, a miller ;
Nash, Tompkins and Ross, freighters; using the
church at Batoche, first as a storehouse, afterwards
as a prison. He organized a council composed, with
one exception, of half-breeds ; the exception being a
man named Jackson, a druggist, from near Wingham,
Ont. The first reports of the rebellion were not
credited in Ontario and Quebec; the story being
454 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
ridiculed, as a device of party tactics. In his place in
the House of Commons, on March the 28rd, Sir John
Macdonald confirmed the news of the insurrection,
and on the 2oth, the 90th Rifles, with a portion of the
Winni] _ Field Battery, left that city for Qu'Appelle
en route for Batoche, Kiel's head-qoari
the 26th, Major Crozier, who was in command at
i. Bet out with one hundred men to secure
some supplies which were in danger of falling into the
bands of Etiel, and which were lying at Duck Lake, a
long, low, marshy sheet of water, extending to the
west of Stobert, the little Tillage where the fight took
place. The half-breeds had got there previous to
Crosier, and seized some of the provisions and arms
and 1 the loyal inhabitants. Here the fight
occurred between Gabriel Dumont, with his half-
breeds, and Crozier and his men, known as Duck
Lake, in which the latter had to retire, with twelve
killed and BeveraL wounded; the half-breeds having
ix killed and three wounded.
Crozier now fell hack on Fort Carleton, where he
was strengthened by the arrival of Col. Irvine with
eighty police and thirty volunteers from Prince
Albert. It was deemed prudent to evacuate Fort
Carleton at once, and fall back on Prince Albert,
which was done by the united forces, and the latter
place barricaded with cord wood and other material,
to stand a state of siege. By Riel's permission the
dead were brought in from Duck Lake, and buried in
the Church of England cemetery, the Bishop of Sas-
katchewan reading the burial service.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 455
On the evening of March 27th, the story of the first
act in the tragedy of the second rebellion was known
in (.-very city of Canada The Government, on hearing
of the seizure of the stores by Riel, and recognizing
the gravity of the situation, at once despatched Gen-
eral Middleton to Winnipeg, to be prepared for any
emergency thai might arise. Be arrived there on the
27th. Previous to hie arrival, the news of the tight at
Duck Lake had been transmitted over the wires Call-
ing at once for troops, he found that the only available
force* w< 90th Battalion, just organized, under
Col. Kennedy, now deceased ; a troop of cavalry , tu
Capt. Knight : and a field battery of artillery, under
Major Jarvia The 90th, a few days previous having
answered a full roll-call at head-quarters, were armed
and equipped for service, and their left wing sent on
under Major Boswell, on the i?">tli. to Tro; ition
on the I Canadian Pacific Railway, which was to be used
as the base of operations for the column, under the im-
mediate command of the General himself. Ifiddl
only remained twelve hours in Winnipeg. <)n the
oing of the 27th, before leaving, be ordered the
right wing of the 90th, under Major licKeand, to take
the train to Fort Qu'Appelle, and gave instructions for
the artillery to follow in the morning. He accompa-
nied these tro >ps personally to Qu'Appelle Station, and
from there marched to Fort Qu'Appelle, eighteen miles
farther north on the trail to ( Harks < Crossing. Having
empowered Major, now Senator, Boulton, in Winnipeg,
to raise a mounted force, which was one of the first
necessities, and knowing that it would be some days
456 HISTmKY OF MAMKT.\.
before the Major could join him, he entrusted Capt.
French, an Irish officer, who had been in the Mounted
Police, to raise • mounted force in the vicinity of
Fort Bile, This troop, with tin- addition of those
iously mentioned, constituted Kiddleton's force at
II.- was, however, soon reinforced by "A"
Battery, under the command of Col llontizambert, and
"C" School of Infantry, under Major Smith ; and with
• he determined to push on with all expedition to
^cene of the rebellion. His plan was to march his
own column from Kurt <v>u'Appelle to Clark's Crossing,
about 180 mfles The second column, composed of the
Queen's < Nm 270 strong ; fifty of the Governor-
General's Foot Guards, under Capt. Todd ; "B"
Battery, from Quebec, lift Strong, with two nine
pounders, under Major Short ; a portion of " C "
School of Infantry, forty-six strong, under Lieut. Wad-
more ; fifty police, under Col. Herchmer ; and a
Gatling gun— all under the command of Col. Otter—
re to push their way from Swift Current, a station
farther west, on the Canadian Pacific Railway, and meet
him at Clark's Crossing, where he proposed to join the
forces, and advance along both sides of the river, on
Batoche. The third column was composed of the
65th, of Montreal, under Col. Ouimet, 350 strong ;
fifty-two mounted police, under Capt. Oswald ; the Ed-
monton volunteers, and the Winnipeg light infantry,
300 strong, under Col. Smith ; forty-six scouts, under
Major Perry, as also one gun — all under the command
of General Strange. Attached to the staff of the latter
were Major Dale, who acted as Brigade-Major ; the
B
HISTORY OF M WITOBA. +$$
Revs. Canon McKay, and John McDougall, of Morley,
both of whom had been resident in the Calgary and
Edmonton Districts, and were well acquainted with
the country. These were organised at Calgary, a
point still further west, on the Canadian Pacific Rail-
way; and from thence were to proceed to Edmonton,
two hundred miles north; thence to Fort Pitt, where
ral Strange was to await th.- arrival of Ifiddleton,
with a portion of his force.
On learning of the dangerous position of the people
of Battleford, which was at that time in a >tate of
Middleton directed Col Otter to proceed to that
point without delay, and hold Poundmaker in check
until he came up.
The Colonel and staff reached Calgary on the 12th
of April. On the L3th, the column marched to 9
-wan Landing, thirty miles distant Sere they
>delayeda couple of days, waiting supplies and
transports. The troops and provisions were conveyed
m the river by the steamer Northoate, which had
been made ready, with fifteen oc twenty flal boats, to
carry supplies to Middleton at Clark's Crossing. Two
Gatling guns had also been brought to this point by
Capt. Howard, one of which was attached to "B"
Battery, under Otters command, the other Howard
took with him to Middleton. Arrangements were
materially assisted by Col. Van Straubenzie, Col.
Williams, of the Midland Battalion, and Gen. Laurie,
a half-pay officer of the British Army, now resident in
Nova Scotia.
On the 18th, all bring in readiness, at l p.m. Colonel
•J! •
460 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Otter commenced his march northward, with two hun-
dred waggons laden with forage, supplies and arms,
taking one of the old trails. The country through
■h the Colonel passed is a vast unoccupied prairie,
red with luxuriant vegetation and furrowed paths,
known a^ buffalo runs, only waiting the industry of
the settler to till it op with industrious and contented
homes. About ninety miles from Battleford the Eagle
River had to be I, and pioneers were sent for-
ward to construct a bridge for the passage of the troops
and transport, which was speedily executed. After
crossing tins river into the Eagle Hills caution had to
be observed, as it was in the neighborhood of the
Indian B where the disaffected tribes were on
the war-path. While the column was advancing,
twenty-five mounted police under Colonel Herchmer,
as also some scouts, rode about a mile ahead, and the
same distance to the right and left, beating into every
coulee and clump of poplar where an enemy might be
ambushed, thus preventing the possibility of surprise ;
while at night, the pickets extended from a quarter to
half a mile on all sides of the camp. By two o'clock
on Thursday afternoon the column had reached the
reserve of Chief Mosquito, of the Stonies.
On the 24th, they reached Battleford, and relieved
the besieged. Fired with a sense of the wrongs
inflicted on the settlers, and the murders perpetrated,
Otter determined to go out on his own responsibility,
and punish Poundmaker, who was known to be in
force at Cut Knife Hill, thirty-five miles distant.
Here ensued the battle of Cut Knife Creek, where
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 461
Otter found a stubborn resistance, and had to retire
on Battleford, with eight dead and thirteen wounded.
He remained at the latter place till the 25th of May,
when he was joined by Genera] Middleton — during
which time he was simply acting oo the defensive
General Storage's column moved out of Calgary for
Edmonton, on the 20th of April, with Major St.
souts and the right wing of the 65th Battalion,
under the command of Colonel Hughes. The left
j Left on the 23rd\ with Major Batton'a corps,
and were followed a day or two after by the
Winnipeg light infantry, under Colonel Osborne
Smith, with some mounted police, under Major
Perry, Both detachments crossed the Bow River at
ernment Ford, and arrived at Edmonton on
the 2nd and 5th o! May res] Here Strange
distributed bia i rationing half a company of
56th, under Lientenant Norman. lean, at Red Deer
Crossing, the other half, under Captain Kttieh, at the
Government Ford, about forty miles from Edmonton.
Captain Ostelle's company was sent to the Hudson
Bay post at Battle River, while Colonel Ouiraet
remained at Kdmonton. The remainder of the 65th,
Under Colonel Hughes, with Colonel Smith's battalion
and the mounted men, went to Victoria, en route to
Pitt, the scene of the massacre of the 2nd of April,
which they reached on the 25th May. The following
graphic description of which may !><• in place here:
"Another beautiful spot in this picturesque region is
Lake, some thirty odd miles north of Fort Pitt.
Six years ago it was a small, thriving settlement,
462 BBROKY OF MANITOBA.
beautifully situated on Frog Lake Creek, about five
miles from the lake itself. To-day it is a deserted
place, with a melancholy history which will forever
operate Against its future settlement It is the scene
of the terrible massacre which took place early in the
spring of iss">. when Fathers Marmand and Faffard,
Mr. Gowanlock (brother of Alderman Gowanlock, of
Toronto), and five others were cruelly tortured and
murdered by Cree Indiana Etnmora of the massacre
reached the outer world early in April, but no white
man visited the place until the evening of the Queen's
iay. L885. The writer formed one of the party
which tirst visited the settlement after the terrible
tragedy, arriving there about six in the evening. Every
house in the place had been burnt, the mill had been
wrecked, and also the little Catholic church. A half-
starved dog was the only living creature to be seen ;
a number of huge, over-fed hawks and buzzards
pted. All about the place there was a putrid,
overpowering smell, and attracted by this smell and
the birds, an investigation into the cause of the smell
was made. In the basement of the church — and
evidently thrown there after death — were found the
bodies of four men. Two of the bodies were evidently
those of the devoted priests who ruled the little settle-
ment so gently and loyally; not that their features were
recognizable, but the remains of their dress proved it.
The other two bodies were those of laymen. All four
had been scalped. Their heads and faces had been
saturated with coal oil and then set fire to, for they
were burnt and charred beyond recognition ; their
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 463
hands and feet had been chopped off; their hearts had
been cut out, and other indignities, which cannot be
mentioned, had been practised upon them — let it be
hoped after death and not before. It was a horrible
sight, there, on that beautiful evening, in that beauti-
ful district, the sun still high, everything so quiet and
so pretty, to find the tortured victims of Indian
ignorance and Government indifference. The living
who found the dead, cried like children at the sight.
" One by one the bodies of these brave men were
■ctfully and carefully taken out of the church
basement. Four rude coffins were made, four graves
were dog in the little churchyard, four plain and
clum-y oroasofl were made, and just as the sun peeped
up over the eastern horizon, and just as the birds began
their morning those mangled bodies were
rently lowered into their last, narrow earthly
■iiT-place. Ov*t tie- -lead bodies of the priests the
Roman Catholic litany for the dead was read by a
layman, a Roman Catholic; and over the other bodies
the beautiful service of the Church of England was
read by another layman. Wild roses and other wild
Mowers were gathered and thrown upon the coffins in
their graves ; the earth was slowly thrown in after,
and four small mounds, each surmounted by a rudely-
made cross, were raised to mark the last resting-place
of men who deserved a better fate. The remembrance
of that night will never be effaced from the memories
of the few living who took part in the proceedings
described."
Meanwhile Middleton was pushing his way towards
464 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Batoche. Reaching Clark's Crossing, he divided his
importing acroea the river by means of a scow,
the Grenadiers, twenty rf Hajor BonHon'fl corps, under
the command of Captain Brown, the Winnipeg Field
Battery, and a portion of " A " Battery, under Colonel
Montizambert, with Lord Melgnnd aa chief of staff.
The forces advanced simultaneously from both sides of
the river on the f»sd of April. On the 24th, occurred
the battle of Fish Creek, the scene of a fruitless
fight, as a com-pondent puts it, in which the troops
lost ten killed and thirty->ix wounded ; and in which,
as another correspondent writes, if the rebels had been
armed with Sniders and plenty of ammunition, they
would nave wiped us out in short order. The steamer
'licote having arrived on the 5th of May, Middle-
ton made preparations to move out of camp at Fish
Creek. He conceived the idea of converting her into
a gunboat, for which purpose she was furnished with
clumsy barricades to serve as bulwarks. The folly
of equipping and arming her in this manner was seen
when she passed down the river and began the fight
of May 8th. Those on board failed to accomplish any-
thing,* and after barely escaping being caught by the
ferry rope and held till every one on board could have
been massacred or captured, she drifted helplessly
down stream, where those on board could not even
see, much less take part in the battle. It was simply
imperilling valuable lives, and withdrawing from the
force a number of men who were badly needed on the
following Saturday, Sunday and Monday. After
three days' unsatisfactory fighting, Batoche was carried
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 465
by Straubenzie, Williams, Grassett and Hague putting
their aether, and determining to advance when
the decisive moment arrived, despite the orders of
Ifiddleton, It was determined that the attack should
be made on the left if practicable, and the men had
ly reached the position held on the first day, when
the lonsr-looked-for command came. "Break into double
— double!" and was answered with thrilling cheers of
taction. Their turn had come, they knew it, they
felt it, and with a rash and a cheer, they were down
on the rebels with the fierceness of Bashibazouks.
The cheering was that of satisfied and contented men,
ami their enthusiasm was intense; nothing could have
withstood their pace, force and dogged determination.
I shall not follow up the pursuit and capture of
Riel, Big Bear and other prisoners, dot will I take up
more of the reader's time with details of the defence
and execution at Regina. The events are all fresh in
the public mind. With all doe respect to those who
bonded to the call of duty, the whole thing
savors somewhat of a huge bungle, hoist* 'red up by
red-tapeism, and covered over with unmerited eulogy.
There is no denying the fact, that had the few hundred
half-breeds, who were in a manner fighting for home
and hearth, been as well provisioned and armed
as were the loyal troops, they would have driven the
latter out of the country. The fulsome eulogy be-
ved on Middleton, Adolphe Caron, and others, who
simply did no more than their duty, and were well
paid for it is simply disgusting, and if her Majesty
has honors to bestow, her representative ought to be
46b' BtBTOBl OF MANITOBA.
careful to see that tiny are bestowed on those to
whom honor is due. As tor lliddleton, flattered,
feasted Mid knight! lie soon found, as others have done
before him, that a very short interval elapses ofttimes
between popular Carol and popular censure. A few
on the pinnacle of undeserved fame, to-day
loaded with opprobrium and reproach.
The financial position <>f the town continuing still
further to deteriorate, despite the pruning in the shape
of reduction of salaries and of officials, meetings were
held by the citizens to devise some means of either
bringing the matter to a focus, or tiding over the
tinai. n which had been reached. Some favored
approaching the creditors and asking a reduction
of interest, or no interest at all, for a few years. The
majority, however, seemed to favor a proposition of
thirty cents on the dollar, boldly asserting that the
town could not pay more, and that in our present
embarrassed position, they could not even pay taxes.
Meanwhile several of the creditors had pressed their
claim at the courts, and judgment was rendered against
the town for upwards of 816,000.
The situation, to say the least of it, was embarrass-
ing, and without a precedent. The best legal advice
was resorted to, but no clear, definite light could be
thrown on the subject. Voluminous as law text-books
were, there were technicalities in the position for
which even these did not provide. The above judg-
ment having being placed in the hands of the sheriff,
and not knowing the moment when that functionary
might take action, it was resolved by the council, on
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 467
the advice of the present Attorney-General, Hon.
Joseph Martin, to resign in a body, so that the sheriff
could find no official on whom to serre his writ. This
• lone on August 18th, L886. Previous to the
nation, a resolution was passed appointing Mr.
Martin solicitor without salary, to represent the
t'>wn'< interest in the and attend to matters in
connection with the settlement of the town debt, and a
fund of | - placed at his disposal. A citi;
commit!. rganised, haying for members the same
the council, as it was considered, that
knowing the ciroumstanees thoroughly, they could more
Faetorily discharge the peculiar duties of the posi-
tion than new men.
Shortly after, the school board followed suit, and it
is only in keeping with the truth to state that some of
the members of the board regarded the action as both
unbusinesslike and dishonorable, an opinion which
was shared in by many of the people; being the
minority, they were obliged to submit. Before doings. >.
however, the teachers were paid up to the close of the
year, and a committee named to manage school matters
with a view to running the school on the voluntary
principle. These immediately got to work, and pre-
pared a new assessment roll for themselves, on which
to levy. A collector was appointed, and sufficient
money was obtained to keep the schools running till
June of the following year. As payment could not be
forced, it is to the credit of the medium ratepayers to
say that they paid up cheerfully the levy placed against
their names, but not so the large property owners. In
168 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
June, the committee found themselves where they had
starts! ; with no means of compelling payment of
b, an empty exchequer, and the largest property-
owners and non-reeklentfl holding back, and refusing
to give anything. Thus handieapped, they decided to
retire, an I see what Mr. Somerset, the then Superio-
rs of Education for the Province, would do.
The schools were immediately closed. It is well
known that the Scotch, as a rule, are decided educa-
tionalists. Pinch where it may, the children must
have education, say the mothers ; and the spectacle of
such a noble institution as the Portage Central School
building, one of the finest in the Province, erected in
1883 at a cost of $40,000, with its doors closed, and
the future legislators and population running the
streets wild when they ought to be preparing to fight
the battle of life, was, to thoughtful minds, a state of
matters that could not long be tolerated.
Communications were addressed to Mr. Somerset,
who came up and held several meetings, but practi-
cally this was the extent of his operations. A politi-
cal issue was close at hand, the giant heel of monopoly
was grinding too hard on the industries and issues of
a new country, and whether he feared the influence
of the powers that were fast coming to the front, and
wanted to stand well with them, or no, at any rate he
failed to put the necessary machinery in motion and
compel the opening of the schools, which was clearly
his duty and within the compass of his power.
Meantime a new aspirant for educational honors
came into the field in the Portage. The time was
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 469
auspicious, and L ansdowne College was launched with
a flourish of trumpets and a profusion of flowers, suffi-
cient to satisfy any ordinary ambition. Life sketches
were given in the local papers of the teachers and
principals, and every means taken to boom the insti-
tution. Strange to lay, nun who were able, and who
would not contribute a dollar to keeping the public
schools open, could Bend their children to the last-
mentioned institution.
On December loth, L886, about six o'clock in the
evening, and just about the time when all citi
kged attending to the wants
of the Lnnei man, tin- tire bell SOUnded a rapid alarm.
Peopl'- rushed from the supper table in hot h
seizing hat and coat on the way out. "The tire —
where is it?" was tbe question excitedly asked hy one
and another. At that moment a bright streak of
flame rose high in the air from the tower of the fire-
ball, as if to answei tie- question, showing that the
only protection the town bad was now a victim to the
flames. A valuable team of horses belonging to John
Prout stood in the stalls behind the engine. The
owner of these, who was at supper in the Rossi n
House, situated close by, with several others, rushed
to the now rapidly consuming building, and, with
superhuman efforts, and at the risk of their own lives,
;. I the frantic animals from their terrible situa-
tion. The engine stood in its position over the pit,
but so fierce was the conflagration that the pole could
not be reached to attach a rope or chain to draw it
out. The entire outfit, consisting of a Ronald engine,
470 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
which cost nearly 18,500, hose cart and fifteen hun-
dted feet of hose, was consumed in about thirty
minutes. The caretaker, the walls of whose house
abutted against that of the fire-hall, had only left the
building to go into supper about a moment before the
bell rang. To make matters worse, the insurance
policy bad run out a few days previous, and through
the financial difficulty in which the town was involved,
had not been renewed.
The calamity, for such it was, fell like a thunder-
bolt on the community, and men looked into each
othei lull, questioning gaze, as much as
to say, " What next ? " A meeting was bald next day,
and the situation discussed. The Winnipeg Council,
synijMtliizi ur with the Portage people in their now
doubly trying position, wired that they would loan
the town an engine on certain conditions being com-
plied with. An answer was returned, accepting the
offer, and thanking the Winnipeggers for their sym-
pathy. A subscription list was opened, and a fund
started to erect a small engine-house over the tank on
the ruins of the one burned down, which was done
immediately. Even here, in the hour of calamity, we
found the sectional feeling to which I have alluded in
previous pages, and citizens well able to do so refused
to give anything to this fund, because it was not
placed in a position harmonious to their views.
In a few days the engine arrived, accompanied by
an engineer from the city, to see that all was right,
and none too soon. Six days later, on the 19th of
December (a Sabbath morning), the Doiger block took
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 471
fire, and the engine was called into requisition, but,
through some mean- or other, failed to be of any ser-
A hand-to-hand bucket brigade was organized
by the citizens, who formed lines and passed the
buckets along ; by this means they limited the extent
of the Hre. The names of certain citizens who worked
like heroes, not only in this, bat later fires, deserve
public recognition. Amongst these were Robert Jack-
son, John Tot bar! Watson, W. K. Sparling, G.
Snider, and many others whom we would desire to
mention. The damage done on this occasion would
amount to about 18,600.
Hardly had the citizens rallied from the last shock,
when a fire broke out in what may be termed the
husin.-ss block of the town, situated on Main Street, on
New Year's morning of I sss. about three o'clock.
Being then without a tire-alarm, or an engine, and with
the experience of the two late fires and the uft.r
helpless and incapacitated condition to fight them, the
excited cry of " Fire I Fire I " ringing out on the morn-
ing air, blanched the cheek of the bravest of our
citizens, as, jumping from their warm beds, they mshed
out, hurriedly clad, into the cold, freezing atmosphere
of that New Years morn, with no engine and very
little water, for everything was frozen hard at the
breathing of the ice king. " What was to be done ?"
It was soon apparent that the buildings could not be
saved. With a will the populace turned to, and
carried all portable property into the street or other
place of safety. Roddie Campbell, whose name is men-
tioned in previous pages, occupied the largest of these
472 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
stores as a furniture warehouse, and, with his wife,
slept over the store. He was awakened by a stifling
sense of smoke ( letting op, he discovered all retreat
cut off at the hack, in which the stairway was situated,
1 > \- the fast-advancing flames. Awaking his wife
they had barely time to put on sufficient clothing to
r their nakedness, when he pressed, or rather
'ids wife to the front window, and throwing up
-ash. told her to get out on to the cornice and jump
for her life. A large crowd had gathered below who,
seeini: that by jumping twelve feet on a hard icy side-
walk, tfra Campbell might seriously hurt herself, told
her to wait till they could get a ladder, or a mattress
to jump on. Campbell, who was behind almost suffo-
cated with the heat and smoke, pushed her off, and
sprang himself after her. Fortunately, beyond a slight
hurt on the ankle, Mrs. Campbell landed safe and
sound. The aim being now to keep the flames from
spreading to the adjoining block, men were posted on
the surrounding property to beat and smother out the
flying embers as they lighted in all directions. There
is not the least doubt that, had the wind been favor-
able, the entire business portion of the town would
have been wiped out that morning.
To describe the scene would be simply impossible.
Some worked like Trojans, others stood with their
hands in their great-coat pockets taking it all in, as
the expression goes. The street on the opposite side-
walk was piled up with goods of every variety. Some
bustled here, some there. Once in a time a voice
would be heard above the noise of the confusion,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 473
calling for water to extinguish some incipient tire.
By the time that old Sol had risen, the whole was a
a of ruins, in which could be distinguished broken
and twisted stoves, and the blackened and smoking
iins of the foundation timber, bedded on the icy
ground. The loss through this in personal and real
estai
\ Q( table Feature in connection with the insurance
on the building occupied by Mather Bros., was that
the risk was taken with BL J. Foote, representing the
London and Lancashire Fire Insurance Company, at
eleven o'clock in the evening, and at three next morn-
ing tin- place was in ashes, the application and claim
• ber.
This last loss completely paralyzed the town,
already practically bankrupt, with credit gone, and
without an official means of dealing with the outside
world tot no firm would care to deal with a town
with, >ut a council, and with the sheriff only watching for
some modut operandi of enforcing his claimand putting
in a receiver. These were dark days indeed ; besides,
there was strong suspicion that in our very midst
there was some cut-throat who was burning our
built lings The fire insurance companies were raising
the rates and even refusing the risks, so perilous were
they considered to be.
CHAPTER \l\
Still Aii-.tli. | Win M 'A anted— Monopoly— Conditio n of
the Town Inc.ii.l: An Town Council l;
gan ii of Mr. Bell Railway Strife.
Hardly had those who where burned out i]jot down
to business again, when, on the 16th of February,
about six vreeka later, the cry of "Fire!" once more
startled the citizen* Thia time it was found to be the
Rossin House, and this, also, was the second time for
the same buildii
The morning was cold, and the old cry, " Everything
frozen hard, and water scarce." After the fire had got
beyond the incipient stage, and beyond control, it was
found they could not save the building. Every pre-
caution was taken to keep it from spreading. Close by
Prout's livery and Hill's carriage shop were situated,
one on each side. A large pile of green cord wood was
between the carriage shop and the hotel, and the heat
was so intense that the steam rose in clouds from the
ends of the wood, and the resin melted in the knot-
holes of the lumber in the building — still it was saved.
Jn the burning building itself, we have to chronicle
another act of heroism on the part of Mr. Jackson, one
of the proprietors. An old man, who made his home
at the hotel, was asleep in his bedroom, apparently
unconscious of his danger. Jackson made his way
along the floor to the room, and at the risk of his own
life brought him out in safety.
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BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 477
E rtunately again the fire was confined to the build-
ing in which it commenced. On this occasion also,
everything was lost.
Tne unpeti ricnlture by the rapidly
increasing population developed a phase of matters
hitherto unknown and anfelt The Came of Manitoba
wheal induced anybody and everybody to go into its
production. The result of this was that, with the
usual fertility of the soil, crops were realized that
defied the extensive carrying powers of our icreat
national highway, the Canadian Pacific Railway
take out in time to benefit the settlers. As might
•••'1. the cry for more railway facilities
from all over the land. This was opposed to the
monopoly clause of the Canadian Pacific Railway: hut
shall the interests of a whole country beeontu
vient to that of a syndicate of railway magna!
was tli.- question asked and answered in the negaJ
''>' t}lr people themselves. The question was not
a political hut a provincial one. In vain the adminis-
tration at Ottawa was importuned by petition and
deputation from the Premier downward. Railways
were chartered by the Local Legislature of Manitoba, to
be disallowed at Ottawa. This treatment certainly
alienated the affection and sympathies of the people of
Manitoba from the administration in power at Ottawa.
Wot years the country was in a chronic state of insur-
rection. Men came to the front who but for the
• ncies of the hour, would certainly never have
been heard from. Amongst the population there were
political agitators and demagogues, as there are in all
I7fl HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
countries, eager to take Advantage of any breeze that
would waft them into position and power. Farmers'
Unions were formed all over, with their boodling
"Purvises." Conventions were held, and delegates
attended, rabid speeches were made by excited patriots,
and manly bosoms beaten with clenched fists, as men
itvd themselves ready to shoulder a Winchester
or do anything t<> free Manitoba from the gall
of the very monopoly which had certainly been
the means of building up the country, and without
winch, it i> ay, thousands would never have
seen it. The outcome of all this was the overthrow
of Conservative intereata in Manitoba, and the return
of the present Martin and Greenway adminstration in
1887. Sir John A. Macdonald apparently chose to
give way to the surrender of the monopoly clause,
when he saw himself face to face with the Liberal
party elected because of the enforcement of the same,
even though that should be at the point of the bayonet,
and his own party, after many years of honorable and
active service, and after time and again urging its
withdrawal, turned out in the cold. As might be
expected from such a state of affairs, party feeling
ran high, and every second man was a politician of no
mean repute in his own estimation at least. During
the summer, a petition from the town was presented
to the Local Government, asking for a commission to
adjudicate on its indebtedness. This was granted, and
in December of this year Judge Ryan, Robert Adam-
son, and Mr. James, of Brandon, met in the council
chamber, in said capacity, to examine into and report
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 479
on the financial standing of the town, the debentured
debt of which at this time, with accrued interest, not
pounded. judgments and costs, amount.
r.46. The commission brought in a report, on
the basis of which an arrangement lias Mnce been
effected apparently satisfactory t«» all parties.
The frequency of the tires occurring in our midst
eling of insecurity with reference to
the value of and personal property, and
citizens retired to real as it were to sleep with one
shut and the other open, not knowing but that
before morning their homes would be in b This,
with the unfortunate financial position into which the
d bad fallen, made matters serious indeed.
The Monetary Times, of Montreal, and other finan-
taking their cue, do doubt, from the rabid
utterances of some of the thirty per cent men, thought
that the people of the town intended to repudiate the
debt, and indulged in criticisms reflecting upon the
r of the town and its official
low, indeed, was property valued at this time,
fcbat at a held in 1887, whole blocks could 1„-
ght for a dollar, and lots rained now at from $30
0 pet t ot, barely realised that amount altogether.
In fact, many who had invested considerable allowed
their property t«» go by default and be sold for taxes,
with tin- intention of never troubling with it again.
The position takm by the heavy landholders is, to
a certain extent, responsible for this anomalous condi-
tion of affair... Had they as individuals paid, or been
compelled to pay, their taxes, there is not the slightest
480 history OF MANITOBA,
doubt bat tli-it the municipal ship would have been
tided over th«> financial breakers, as the median rate-
payers would certainly have ilone their part in the
matter. ( >n the other hand, the land had been bought,
in many cases, at an exorbitantly high figure, and was
also subject to a high taxation. Sales could not be
• iain and pay the taxes, and so. in
the WOrdfl of a leading business man. '"the municipal
ship Wtf allowed to drift." Some there were who,
having private means at their disposal, made money
out of this situation by buying discarded property
and holding it till the better day came ; hut there are
certainly few who, having the welfare of the town
sincerely at heart, would desire to live through the
trials of those weary years.
In the beginning of L887, B, H. G. G. Hay, on in-
tin_r the remains of the old engine destroyed at
the burning of the fire-hall, considered it within the
compass of his power to reconstruct and make it as
serviceable as before; consequently an arrangement
was entered into between him and the citizens' com-
mittee, that, in the event of successfully doing so, he
would be allowed the amount of a loan which the
town had given him. Mr. Hay went to work with a
will, and, despite the difficulties of the undertaking,
completed his work successfully, and had the engine
ready for trial by the 24th of May of the same year.
Several official inspections and trials were made, but,
through some misunderstanding between Mr. Hay and
the committee, the engine was not given over by him
officially to the town till the summer of 1888.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 481
With the spring of 1888 the incendiary, who had
only stopped ash were to allow the fevered public
pulse to cool, again began his ignoble work. About
the 6th ril the alarm was given that the
Queen's Bote] was on fire, Owing to the promptness
of several of the brigade and others who were close
by, the flam* extinguished without doing much
harm, and carpenters were at once put to work and
tin- damage repaired. Hardly, however, was the work
finished— -in tact some of the mm had not taken their
tools away- when on the 12th, about seven o'clock
in the evening, the Ifl le in connection with the
hotel was disc >vered t<> he on tire The flames spread
with great rapidity, aided by a slight wind from the
soutl rine in Mr. Hay's possession was
but, by the time it had arrived on the ground,
the stable had been burned completely down and the
hotel itself v. T|lr efforts
of the firemen were direel block, which
on fin- in several pi also the skating-
rink Water being scarce, a ditch on the north side
of Dufferin Street stood the test I'm- a little while,
when the hose was changed to another on the opposite
side There is no doubt, but for the engine, the
damage done that evening would have been very
serious. If there had 1 n any doubt in the minds of
the citi/.cn> as to the cause of previous conflagrations,
these two tires following each other in quick succession
and in the same building, proved conclusively that
some one was at work with the intention of burning
down the town.
482 BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
Hardly had the excitement died out when, on the
L5th of May, the London House, a log building
standing close by, and east of the Queen's Hotel, was
discovered to be on fire, and this for the second time.
So badly scorched was it on the first occasion, that it
lered tenantlesa < >n this last occasion it was
burned to the ground It i> perfectly safe to say that
if the agent of I oflagrattons had been found
red-handed, Judge Lynch would have been called into
requisition in short order.
A nward for the arrest and apprehension of the
incendiary was offered by the citizens' committee, and
Detective Foster, of Brandon, invited to look up a
trail. Five days later, about three o'clock on Sunday
morning, May the 20th, the cry of "Fire! Fire!" was
again echoed on the ears of the thoroughly alarmed
citizens. "The mill is on fire!" were the words that
passed from lip to lip, as they turned their gaze again
towards Main Street and the scene of the late confla-
gration. The body of flame which leaped from the
interior out of the windows and through the roof
showed too plainly that the mill was doomed. The
Pratt block, being connected with it, was soon also a
mass of flame. William Lyons, who now occupied the
Lome Hotel, seeing that the entire block was doomed,
at once set to work, and was assisted by the populace,
who worked with a will, and carried out all his furni-
ture on to the street. A light wind from the south
bearing the flame northward, on it swept, enveloping
in its fiery embrace everything within a certain radius.
First the mill, then the Pratt block, then the Lome
HISTORY OF Manitoba. 483
House and large Btablefl in the rear, next Hossack &
HcKenzie'a blacksmith shop winding up with the
Nation of the Club House. The extent of the
dams nearly as follows : Mill. $3,000; contents,
Oj Pratt block, $4,000; contents, $1,000 ; Lome
Bouse, $5,000; blacksmith shop, $1,000; Club House,
si (mm); John ItcKenzie's lot - 0; Lome House
Btables $1,000; the whole coming close on S20,000.
The preceding conflagration at the Queen's burned
op about $7,000 worth of property. Through all this
work of destruction, owing to the promptness of the
ele and citizens, not B life was lost, either human
or animal ; although Mr. and lira Campbell had a close
call, also the old gentleman mentioned at the EtoSBUl
Boose, as also John Proofs team. No thanks, how-
ever, were due the incendiary, who apparently cared
not for either citizens' lives or their property, pro vi« led
his fiendish purpose • •■!.
These fires tended to deepen and strengthen a feeling
ntralization, winch had been growing in the minds
of the business men foi some time. The old cry of
east and west end was felt to he, in such a town as the
Portage, a bugaboo which should he discarded at once
and forever. Roughly pushed out by an unseen, and as
yet unknown foe, the sufferers ohe by one established
themselves along Saskatchewan Avenue, till the busi-
portion of the town during the growth and decay
of 1870 to 1880 was to a large extent a burnt and
and deserted ruin. But the end had not yet come. On
the following 25th August of this same year the
building formerly occupied as a private residence by
48 t HISTOfcY 0* MANITOBA.
P V Qeoreren, now used as an hotel bv Mrs. "?OUng,
relict of the late William Young of the west end, was
Hre<l between tour and six in the morning. The fire
was 1 in time, however, ami at onee put out.
This was repeated three separate times, happily dis-
ich occasion in time to save both life and
property. Foster, who had now taken the matter in
hand, had l»v patient perseverance, struck a trail winch
at length tuned onl to be the right one. The Queen's,
which bv this time had come down to the level of a
\. wae frequented by a rough class, com-
1 of half-breeds, and others not known in the
category of thos ded as respectable citizens.
Amongst these was a ta 1. powerfnl man of the name
of Sam Mick, Few On looking at the rather kindly
expressioned face, would have thought this man was
the means under the pressure of a stronger will, and
with his blood fired with whiskey, of burning property
wholesale, without n danger of life or limb ;
vet such it was Poster was gradually getting the
thread of evidence closer and closer around the objects
of his suspicion Something prompted Sam to get out
of the way. He felt as if the Portage was getting
too hot for him, and accordingly left for Mmnedosa.
Foster followed him,* and, on the 24th day of May,
1888, arrested him as he was boarding the train
to go farther west. Very little was said on either
side. Mick asking the detective if he was a big man
that had squealed on him ; and, though warned by
Foster, that whatever he might say would be used as
evidence against him, voluntarily testified to his
HISTORY OF MANITOBA, 485
guilt in the matter. Foster arrived in the Portage on
the 25th, and consigned his prisoner to the care of
Governor Moss. The Bame day he arrested Jim White,
mine ho>t of the Queen's
A thrill of astonishment passed through the com-
munity a^ the news of White's arrest passed from
month to month, and men seemed to wake np to the
fact that \'<>v years they had been living on the very
are of a volcano.
On Jnne 5th, both, having chosen to be tried under
the Speedy Trials Act. rather than wait the Assizes,
were hrought before Jmlgc Hyan; Mick charged with
og fire to the building of Mrs. Young, and White
with inciting to the Bame. The case was one of the
most interesting held before the County Court of the
( Yntral Judicial 1 district, and awakened a lively int
all through the Province. The principal witn<
were lira foungand her son William. David Drain,
and Hiss Taylor, a dressmaker who resided with Mrs.
Young when the building was tired The prosecuting
counsel was Victor A. Robertson, now deceased ; W. J.
Cooper and P. V. Geo rgeu were retained for White's
ace, Mr. Georgen for Sam Mick.
The case was clearly proven against Mick, who may
be said to have stood self-condemned — his words to
ter, at liinnedosa, being that another party gave
him a coal-oil can, and told him to i,r<> and fire the
building, and that he (this other party) would watch
while he did so; also that this other party (Jim
White) bad offered him 125 to do it. David Drain
also testified to being offered money to burn several
HISTORY OF MANITOBA,
other buildings, UllODgst which was the Hudson Bay
I, now the Leland House, and also the post office.
Plans had been laid bj which, it* they had been Buceess-
t'ul. every prominent building in town would have been
tamed to the ground. Mick, while under Governor
M _ pott ;V. confessed slao that, but for the old
man residing In the building (meaning Mo*a himself),
the court ii. use and gaol would have been burned
Ajb the case trow on, no less than fifteen
ehari re preferred against White, while the evi-
dence adduced showed dearly bia guilt in the matter.
Being under the influence of liquor while thus inciting,
the question turned on how Car he was responsible for
hk actions. Judge Ryan, the night before pronouncing
judgment, eommunicated with Justice Taylor, in
Winnipeg, who advised him that if there was any
doubt the prisoner was entitled to the benefit of it.
On the 18th of June, White and Mick were a-ain
brought into court. Judge Ryan, in passing judgment
on Mick, dwelt in severe terms on the enormity of the
crime of which he had been guilty, of the probable loss
of life but for the providential circumstances connected
with the various fires, and sentenced him to five years
in the Provincial Penitentiary. In addressing White,
he said that if he did not occupy Mick's position before
the bar of his country, it was simply because the law
chose to give him the benefit of the doubt as to whether
he knew what he was doing while thus inciting to burn,
and after severely reprimanding him, discharged him.
No pen could picture the expression of poor Mick's
face, as he saw White, the inciter of his ruin, walk
HISTORY OF KANITOBA. 487
forth into liberty, while he, the poor tool, got five years
for doing his dirty work. On his release from gaol,
ami ere he reached the court-house yard, White was
privately informed that he was no longer • desirable
nt at leas! in the Portage, and that the sooner he
got out the better. Acting on this suggestion, he took
the east-bound train that afternoon for Winnipeg, and
thence to Uncle Sam's dominions, from which ogly
rumor- bave been heard of him since ; bat as we have
nothing to do with these, we gladly drop the veil on
\it.
On the 8th of this month also, the town council,
which bad dropped out of existence as it were, was
again reorganized under a provisional Act, introdi
into the Legislature and pushed through by Attorn, y-
General Martin. The provisions of the Act limited the
amount of unpofl ion on the town, not to exceed
two milk on the dollar, one half to be given to the
other half to be devoted to current
penditore; and the corporation wheels once more
began to move.
On September 28th, the Brandon Presbytery met in
Knox Church, to consider the resignation of the Rev.
Allan Bell, who, through failing health, had resolved
to move to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, whence he had
received a call. This was felt to be a loss to the entire
Community. Mr. Bell was a leader of thought in the
true sense of the term, open-hearted and generous,
liberal in his political and religious views. He was at
all times ready to assist the town and country of his
early adoption, throughout the varied vicissitudes of
\SS HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
it- chequered career. His mind was like the prairie,
from whose broa«l, billowy boeom, bedecked with wild
flowere, he drew much of the inspiration of those early
irated by distance from the Leading
eloquent speakers of his own denomination, he de-
veloped a style all hi- own. His advent to the little
tion meeting in the log school-house on the
banks of the dough In L875, with its average attend-
Bfteen to tw -nty. to that of the edifice which
marks his departure, and a congregation of from three
to five hundred, will mark an era in Portage history
which can never be el!aeed,and the influence of which
( innot be estimated. He was succeeded by the Rev.
Peter Wright, of Stratford, Ont.
The town bein^ at this time without a fire alarm of
any kind, (the bell having been destroyed), through
the kindness of Mr. Baker, Superintendent of the
Manitoba and North- Western Railway, a triangle was
made of a long steel rail at the company's shops and
presented to the towrn. The credit of the suggestion is
attributed to the present accountant and two other
gentlemen, who had seen this mode of alarm success-
fully operated in some cities in the States. It was
mounted on a skeleton wooden tower, about thirty feet
in height. Not being braced, however, with ropes or
wires to withstand the high winds of the country, and
the base being constructed too narrow in proportion
to the height, it was blown over shortly after, and for
a short time the whole structure lay across Duke
Street.
The triangle scheme not being favorably entertained,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 489
a concert was projected and successfully carried
through to raise funds for the purchase of a bell,
which was immediately obtained The platform was
1 from its humiliating position, and the latter
hung thereon. But the chapter of incidents even in
this line was not over. ( >n the Legal council assum-
ing control of municipal matters, in L 888, the tower
and bell were removed to the vacant ground beside
the town hall. It was hardly in position, however,
• was again blown down, the bell cracked by
the fall, and the tower broken to pieces. A platform
over the eastern entrance of the town
hall, and here, safely secured, from that date it has
pealed out, though.cracked, tin' hours of noon, six and
half-past seven.
In the fall of ivss came the boom of strife between
the Canadian Pac way and the ICanitoba and
Northern Pacific, backed by the most strenuous efFoxi
the present administration in its attempts to cross the
mentioned road. There isnodoubt that, but for the
position assumed by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the
latter railway would have reached Portage in time to
carry out some, at least, of tin- season's grain. The
former, however, only assumed its prerogative of the
monopoly clause, pledged to it by the Government at
Ottawa. A state of matters ensued in which it is
creditable to the good judgment of both parties that
no blood was spilled. The situation of the contend-
parties was strained to the utmost tension on
several occasions, and men stood ready armed on both
sides. A rash shot fired would have precipitated
490 BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
terrible bloodshed, and an insurrection throughout the
country, for without doubt the sympathies of the
people were with the Provincial Government, and
■gainst the Canadian Pacific Railway, and hundreds
would have flocked to the assistance of the Govern-
nifiit.cvrn if thai meant the support of their measures
at the point of the bayonet.
The situation was watched with intense interest by
entire country. En a sense both were right; in an-
other, both were wrong. The ( Canadian Pacific Railway
only contending for the privileges contained in the
monopoly clause an 1 by the Dominion author-
ities. On the other hand, the people of Manitoba,in view
of the anomalous and trying circumstances in which
they found themselves placed for the want of suffi-
cient railway carrying facilities, in view of the peti-
tions and deputation^ which had been sent to Ottawa
anent this, to them, most important question, in view
of the fact that no single road, no matter how well
equipped, could carry out the produce of this vast
grain-producing country during the fall, and in time
to benefit the settlers and bring in the numberless
desiderata essential to its growth and prosperty in
such quantities and at such rates as would foster its
progressive and manufacturing interests, were right in
insisting that if such facilities could not be obtained
constitutionally, they must be obtained by more forci-
ble means. On the other hand, the rights of the
Canadian Pacific Railway had to be respected. Had
not the country pledged its honor to the syndicate as
to certain privileges on the completion of certain con-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 491
tracts \ and it was only constitutional courtesy that,
re crossing a national highway such as the Cana-
dian Pacitic Railway, the matter should receive the
sanction of the Railroad Committee at Ottawa, and all
menta be satisfactorily completed
Such was the view taken by the more thoughtful of
the community. Th.Tr were others, however, who
would be I with nothing hut taking the Cana-
dian Pacitic Railway by the throat at once, and effect-
ing a crossing with or without permission. A few of
the latter contrived to get uj> a Mare at the Portage
on the evening <»!' (1 19th, The f aroe wa
d about eleven in the evening. A team was
red from a livery, and a few slabs from
McDonald's null, the triangle given by W. R. Baker
to the town was transported to tie' N. I\ and M. grade,
where it touches tie- Canadian Pacitic Railway track
at the rifle butts. Rumors had apparently reached
Winnipeg of the intended ruse, for by the hour
appointed, an engine was standing on the track
at the point of crossing. The writer can always
respect an earnest effort or a good farce; hut this was
neither, and conscientiously believing that none of the
participants, who were moving ahout with caps pulled
down over their faces and coat collars turned up, so
that they would not he recognized, would care to have
their names handed down to posterity in connection
with such a silly affair, I will simply give the
modus operandi of the performance. The slabs were
intended to serve as ties, the dumping of these off
intended to give the impression of the unloading of
$2 histoUV OP MANITOBA.
ties; then the team would drive round the butt and
come back into the grade with what was supposed to
be a load of rail- ft] blows on the triangle with
an axe or hammer, and the noise of the falling slabs,
would represent the unloading of the rails. Men
moved back and forth with lanterns as if issuing
orders and directing the work of con-truetion. A pro-
minent legal gentleman, accompanied by a justice of
the peace, promenaded the grade, ordering off all who
might be drawn thither by curiosity, and who were
known not to be in sympathy With this magnificent
and patriotic effort. The farce, however, did not go
off so smoothly as its promoters desired. Several
Gentiles got to amongst the crowd who made no bones
about calling those (for the time being) imitators of
the cap and bells, " d d fools." If they meant to
lay a crossing, why not get the materials for doing so
and go at it like men, and not act like a lot of idiots,
throwing down a few slabs, and pounding an old
triangle.
On the acceptance by the Government, as the repre-
sentatives of the people, of the proposition of the
them Pacific Railway, for the control of the Red
River Valley Railway, and the pushing forward of
their proposed route through the country, the road
was graded to a point where it touched the Canadian
Pacific Railway track, close to the town, and behind
the rifle range. Mr. Martin, as Railway Commissioner,
without regarding precedent, and apparently desirous
of running tilt with the Railway Committee at Ottawa,
with whom it is said he had previously communicated,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
attempted to force a crossing at a point on the south-
ern branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway, now
familiarly known as Fort Whyte. The Canadian
Pacific Railway determined, however, that until the
necessary legal permission had been obtained from the
Railway Committee, neither Mr. Martin nor any one
else would en
The troiil.l.' may be said to have been brought to a
tfi by Mr. Martin, as Railway Commissioner, issuing
a proclamation, calling foi good loyal citizens to serve
special constables to protect the track-layers in
ring the south-western branch of the Canadian
Pacific Railway. "All willing re in that capacity
will be sworn in to-nigi BO, at the city police
court, by Chief Clark. Also a number of lain,,-.,
work as tract i will be paid Apply
to Alexander Stewart, at the same hour and place.
God save the Queen."
An indignation meeting was held in the evening,
and while the Winnipeggera were speechifying, a band
of traiek-layera trained rails, ties and a diamond out
to Beadingly. Tim road was heavy, as also the loads,
yet, despite this, they succeeded in reaching the point
of crossing, raised part of the Canadian Pacific Rail-
way track, put the diamond in place, and also about
one hundred and twenty feet of rails on the Portage
extension, on each side of the Canadian Pacific Rail-
way grade, then returned to the city. The change was
discovered in the morning by the Canadian Pacific
Railway sectionmen, and word was telegraphed to Mr.
Whyte, who immediately sent on a force of men to
31
494 BI8TORT Of MANITOBA.
remove the jewel. Arriving there, they found ex-
poundkeeper Cox in charge of twenty-two provincial
specials, who were left to guard the crossing. Mr.
Whyte held a parley with Cox, stating that he was
unwilling to use violence, bat was determined to remove
the diamond at any cost. Cox offered resistance
until he was convinced of the hopelessness of his
by a blow in the eye from a stalwart navvy, and
before he l»a<l sufficiently recovered from his astonish-
ment, the Canadian Pacific Railway men were tearing
up the diamond, which was loaded on a car and taken
to Winnipeg as a trophy. The remaining specials
remained qniescent spectators. On the 20th, a special
was also sent to Morris, with one hundred men, but
this was found to be a hoax. Meantime the Canadian
Pacific Railway had been granted an injunction by
the courts to prevent the Portage road from crossing
their line, pending the decision of the committee at
Ottawa. On the 29th. Judge Killam, in an exhaustive
judgment, continued the injunction. This placed the
Local Government in an interesting position. As the
Government of the country they were bound to protect
the Canadian Pacific Railway in its rights, and at the
same time they were doing their best to break
through them. The situation was now getting hot.
An engine and three men were stationed at the point
where the Portage road crosses the Canadian Pacific
Railway. Finding they could not cross here, they
determined to take another point, and in order to reach
this, deflected the road a little south of the grade,
taking advantage of their road allowance or highway,
BISTOOT OF MANITOBA. 495
and laying the track thereon about one -fourth of a
mile on each side of the Canadian Pacific Railway
track. The latter, to keep the road dear, kept an
engine moving back and forth. On the 31st, the situa-
tion became serious enough to justify the Justice of
the Peace in calling out forty-five of the School of
Infantry. During the night a demand was made for
the remainder of the school, who were accompanied
by Major Bedson and Lieutenant-Colonel Villiers. At
this juncture the Free i iporter describes the
ifion thus: "When 1 reached Fort Whyte this
morning at '2 a.m., the glare of two engines was to be
I a couple of miles off, but no sharp fasilade
announced the beginning of hostilities. Matters looked
ing enough, however. A train of Canadian
Pacific Rail? thee blocked the road allowance
on which the Ports osion crosses it. Tl
tilled with soldiers. The engine w^u* a live one,
with a driver and a fireman. On the Canadian Pacific
Railway side-track was another train, with three or
four hundred men from the shops. On the Port
a long line of cars ran within a short distance of
the Canadian Pacific Railway engine, and attached to
them also, was a live engine. At the point where the
two trains almost touched, a tire was burning in the
ditch along the Canadian Pacific Railway, while
sitting on one side of it was the company's watchman,
and on the other sat four or five of the Government
police. Although warming themselves at the same
fire, no communication passed between them. Thus
they sat through the long hours of the night in the
falling snow.
HISTORY 01 MANITOBA. 497
The provincial force numbered 160, 120 of which
were track-layers. The Canadian Pacific Railway
official.* expressed themselves as anxious and willing to
comply with fche law. yet determined to protect their
property and the rights of the company. At this time
a collision was feared, as there were a large number of
on both sides wh<»e feelings were intense as to
the claims of their respective companies. It is to the
credit of all concerned that, despite tins intense feeling,
no rash act was committed, and thus passsed over
fully what might have 1 q a serious matter
indeed I me rash shot fired would certainly have
called for a reply, and no one could tell where the
matter would have ended. On the L5th of November
Government stopped all work, leaving the Cana-
dian Pacific Kail way master- of the situation, and thus
ge of Fort Whyte.
With another turn of the political wheel this road,
of which so much | i, and for which so
many were willing toshoulder their Winchesters, beat
their bosoms, etc., lias become competitive only in
name, which simply means that they will only carry
at the same rates aa the Canadian Pacific Railway,
instead of at the promised reductions which were going
to make Manitoba farmers all rich and prosperous ; said
railroad has actually passed into the control of a foreign
corporation, and become only a branch of the same,
extending into Manitoba. The Red River Valley
Railroad, originally intended to be kept an open high-
way for all comers, has, according to the conditions of
construction, also passed from the control of the Local
498 BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
Government into that of this company, so that instead
of being blessed with one monopoly, Manitoba has now
two.
With l^D-90 Portage la Prairie has once more
Msnmed its march to matt-rial prosperity. The
public schools haw been opened and established on a
good beaia Lanadowne College, now affiliated in
the Art- Department with the University, ha^ ;i
large ami handsome new building of its own, which
stands in close proximity to our Central School, and
comes to the front prepared for both collegiate and
preparatory work. Important business changes have
also taken place ; the street lamp has now given way
to the electric light ; the paper mill, referred to in
connection with Mcllvaine, and the only one in the
Province, after being shut dowTn for several years, has
been acquired by Patterson Bros., represented by R.
W. Patterson, of New York ; J. W. Patterson, of Mont-
real, and J. C. Patterson, the resident partner, and is
now running out three tons of paper every twenty-
four hours — the manufacture being confined to tar
and plain building, carpet felt and wrapping. A neat
and commodious Home for Incurables has also been
established, already filled to its utmost capacity — Dr.
Millroy, Medical Superintendent ; John P. Young,
General Superintendent and Bursar. The old registra-
tion system, with reference to land titles, has been re-
placed by the Torrens, and an office established here
under the charge of Mr. W. H. I. Wilson, barrister, form-
erly of Winnipeg. In closing this sketch of the Portage
of the Prairie and its neighborhood, in which the writer
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 499
has resided for many years, he would fain indulge the
hope that his efforts in endeavoring to preserve a large
portion of contemporary history, which would have
either been lost entirely or inadequately expressed, have
been fairly successful, and that they may prove valuable
for reference in days to come, when both writer and
pioneers have passed away.
CHAPTEB \\
Notes of South.. . uithT.'V :.n. Gretna, Maiiit.m,
randon Weal Selkirk Emeraon City of
Winnipeg Winnipeg Journaliffn I tfaYigation and l N
Buffalo Hani ii -• ■■■ of "• Roman Catholic Church,
.r.-h of Rngknd, Prei diate, CongregatiooAlwta,
Ba; Lei Oddfeflowship Freemaeonry The Orange
g,M ifclTC from it- hu-.-i.ti-.M in
1071
Within the last tea years, and with the large influx
of population, many new towns have sprung up in the
Province. In the short term of their existence, there
is little yet to record but what is common to an agri-
cultural town or village. A few necessary industries,
with stores, churches, schools, and probably an elevator
for storing grain, is all they have to boast of ; and the
history of one is largely the history of all. Old
Father Time has not yet made their institutions ven-
erable enough for the historian to linger over and
chronicle, either as a prosperous or deserted village ;
yet, young as they are, they deserve recognition, and
that indeed, in the present compass, is all the writer
can give them.
The region known as Southern Manitoba lies south
and west of Winnipeg, including in its eastern side a
large number of French and Mennonite settlers. The
western part of the region, extending for some 200
miles to the western boundary of the Province, is one
of the finest sections of Manitoba, and settled by an
Hlsroiiv OF MANITOBA. ,*">0 1
excellent class of settlers from Ontario ; chiefly from
the counties of Huron and Bruce. The chief centres
of Southern Manitoba are Emerson, Morris, Gretna,
Iforden, Miami. Carman, Glexfboro', Manitou, Pilot
Mound, Boiasevaine, and Deloraine. Its importance is
further shown by the fact that it comprises twelve
out of the thirty-six constituencies into which Mani-
toba is divided, and is noted for its agricultural pro-
ductiveness. It is chiefly a wheat growing section,
though cattle, sheep and pigs are raised in abundance.
In poultry raising, it takes tie- first place in Manitoba ;
and lately, a coal mine has been discovered, near Delo-
raine, which will be of great service to the settlers of
this region.
North-west of Portage, on the Manitoba and North
Western Rail way, are the towns of Gladstone, Neepa-
OSE, Rapid City, Birth-. Bifisoarth and
RusselL On the Canadian Pacific Railway are Car-
berry, Brandon and Virden.
Rapid City is the oldest of these, being situated on
land granted by the Government to an English com-
pany, on certain conditions of settlement, in 1877. In
that year the present town site was surveyed, and
settlers brought out from England, and located on the
land, under the charge of Mr. Whellhems. The popu-
lation now numbers over 500 ; with schools, stores, etc.,
as also a cheese factory, elevator, and woollen mill.
Jn the spring of 1879 the Assiniboine was ascended
by steam-boat as far as Fort Ellice, 210 miles west of
Winnipeg, and soon followed by the tread of the
pioneer. At the point where the trail to the west
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
crosses the Bird Tail Creek, twelve miles east of the
fort, a site \ cted for a village. Here G. H.
Wood, of Woodstock, Ont., settled down, and very
soon others followed To-day, the population is over
500; the town h beautifully situated in the valley,
■Jonirthe banks of the Bird Tail Creek, and is the
county- lioal L\keand Russell counties ; hav-
all the requirements of modern civilization, in schools,
churches, grist mill, and other privileges, of which it
may OS justly proud.
BRAHDOH.
Brandon, probably, of all modern settlements in the
Province, deserves most recognition, for two reasons —
first, because it is the second city in the Province ;
second, though suffering with other large centres of
population during the boom, Brandon, like Winnipeg,
held on its wray, and, though necessitated to make
arrangements for a year or more to tide over the
financial crisis following the boom, resorted to no
subterfuge to evade the claim of its creditors. Its
progress, consequently, was steady. It is also a young
city, dating its origin from 1879-80. Mr. Sani'ord
Fleming, in his railroad report of 1880, advised the
Government to found a city at this point. The situa-
tion is good, and with the hills on both sides of the river,
the town presents a fine appearance from any point of
approach ; and it is also secure from floods. Brandon
takes a lively interest in its public schools, and is
second to none in its educational facilities, having five
primary schools, and also a collegiate department. It
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 503
18 the seat of justice for the Western Judicial District;
criminal and civil assizes arc held twice a year, in
March and October; the county court being presided
over by the Boil I>. M. Walker, who, it will be
inhered. was Attorn ral for the late Hon.
John Norquay, and who is i resident of the city. The
and gaol occupy a beautiful location, a
short nil the business portion of the city,
and are admirably managed. Crime not being very
prevalent in the district, the capacity of the ira<>] is never
overtaxed ; it has had, unfortunately, one execution,
that of Webb, an Englishman, for murdering his wife
in the tall of 1888. The Provincial Experimental
Farm is also situated north of the river. Brandon has
four larg two banks, Hour and oatmeal
mills; three oewspa] - and Mtiil ; it
has also several line hotels, a large number of business
bouses, and prominent necessary industries. In the
year 1887 no ten than 875,000 bushels of wheat were
marketed here, besides other grains.
NKKPAWA.
Neepawa is situated in an excellent grain-growing
district, in the centre of the municipality of the same
name. The population is about 400. It has three
churches, an excellent public school, an elevator and
ral grain warehouses, and one newspaper — the
Neepawa Register — several good hotels, and stores of
all kinds. It is a strictly temperate and thriving little
town, no liquor of an intoxicating nature being allowed
to be sold within its limi:
604 HIST..KV Of MAM'ImI'.A.
MINNEDOSA.
Minnedosa is beautifully situated in the valley of
the Little Saskatchewan, entirely surrounded by hills,
and 18 a divisional point on the Manitoba and North-
t Railroad. Becoming involved, like other towns,
during the boom, it followed the ill-advised and
unfortunate policy pursued by Portage la Prairie, and
has suffered much through adopting that course. It
has a population of about MM), two saw mills, one flour
mill, two elevators, three churches, one public school,
and a newspaper -the Ifinnedosa Tribune.
\\ KSt SELKIRK,
The town of West Selkirk, situated on the west side
of the Red River, about twenty-four miles from Winni-
peg, dates the commencement of its progress from the
winter of 1874-5, when the telegraph line was extended
to it from Winnipeg, and the offices of the Canadian
Pacific Railway located on the west bank of the river.
Being on the main line of the projected railway,
where it was intended to cross the Red River, and
being practically the head of deep water navigation of
that river, owing to the rapids of St. Andrew's, a few
miles to the south, with twTo harbors of considerable
depth running back on each side of the river, it soon
attracted considerable attention.
The first store erected, afterwards known as the
" warehouse," was that of J. & F. Colcleugh, in 1875.
In the spring of that year grading began eastward to
Cross Lake, the contractors being Sifton, Ward & Co.
With the commencement of this work, Selkirk became
history OF MANITOBA. 505
the seat of considerable activity. The first hotel was
started by James West in the same year, as also another
store by Warner \' Bullock, and a brickyard opened
up by Eli fardiner. In 1876 other stores and
Is followed, and a school opened in the fall of the
year in a log- house.
Winnipeg watched with jealous eye the progress of
this embryo town, and being aware of its many natural
advai lid all they could to retard its prosperity
and build up at it-- expense their own city.
With the overthrow of the Mackenzie administration
in 1878, the route was changed, and the plan adopted
of utilizing the railway bridge, shortly fco be built at
Winnipeg, now known as the bonis,' Bridge, and run-
a line west from thai city, thus leaving Selkirk
in the cold.
This was ;i heavy blow to the prosperity of the little
tizens, however, did not give themselves
up to despair. In L882, b by-law granting a bonus of
170,000 to the Canadian Pacific Railway, for the pur-
pose of building a line of railway from Winnipeg to
Selkirk along the west bank of the Red River, was
ed by the municipality of St. Andrew's, and a
company formed to build a railroad from Selkirk
westward to Poplar Point and Portage la Prairie. A
charter was applied for and obtained during the
ession of 1S81-2, but here, for some reason,
the matter was dropped.
The lumbering interest, which aided largely in
building and sustaining Selkirk, dates from the year
1868, when lfcKenny,of Winnipeg, commenced opera-
506 BISTORI OF MANITOBA.
fciona on nd, situated about eighty miles from
the mouth of the river. Ee also built a schooner,
called the Jeeau McK&rvny, which, with his timber
rights on Broken Dead River, was purchased from him
later Mc Arthur, of Winnipeg, who,
: running the business fox some time, resold the
above to Buber& Walkley, who, to extend their opera-
tions, purchased other limits from the Government on
Winnipeg River, to which they removed During
if the tin u was also changed
to Walkley & Sons. wh«>, in 1 884, entered into part-
nership with the North-Weal Lumbering Company,
erected a large saw-mill at the town of Selkirk, with
a capacity of 80,000 feet per day, which worked for
two seasons, but unfortunately, through mismanage-
ment, proved a failure. In 188S the machinery of the
mill was sold by sheriffs sale to Alexander McArthur,
who resold it in the present year to the gas company
of Winnipeg, who removed it to that city.
The fishing industries of the town have also been of
an extensive nature. The first of these established
was the firm of Reid & Clark, in 1878, who, after
running business for some time, sold out their plant
to the Chicago Company for the sum of $80,000. The
next in order of precedence was Gauthier & Company,
in 1886, who also held large fishing plants on both
Lakes Huron and Erie. Then followed Howell &
Company in 1888, who built a steamer. of their own,
with refrigerator barge for preserving the fish. The
output of these companies per season represents about
300 tons each, and was valued in 1887 at $150,000, all
BISTORY OF MANITOBA. 507
of whicli is shipped, packed in ice, to the Chicago mar-
ket, at a fair price.
The Dominion Government, finding that with the
increase of the population and the corresponding
increase in crime, the accommodation for convict
Stoney Mountain was Incoming limited, notified the
Local Government that they mnsi find an asylum for
the insane, who, op to that time, had been under the
care of C Ison The Local Government at once
rented buildings at Lower Fort Garry, to which
lunatics wen . nrd daring the erection of the
present large, commodious and handsome asylum at
Selkirk, which was began in 1888, and finished in
1886, at a cost of $115,000, situated in a command-
ing position on the Weedy Bills, about a mile w€
the town In 1888 it was found m • bo meel
the wants of the Provin tie- original
building by adding a wing, which was completed in
He- institution can now ae< modate one
hundred and fifty patients, and has been under the
superintendence of Dr. Young and a trained staff of
tants from its inception; at present there are
eighty patients.
ikirk was chosen by Sanford Fleming, C. E.,
as a crossing for the railway, for the following
reasons : First, it is situated on a high ridge of
land, composed of gravel, running twelve miles south
and north of the town ; this rid^e was almost the only
part left uncovered in the floods of 1820 and 1852,
when thf site of the city of Winnipeg was completely
submerged Second, being thus situated, a bridge built
50N histmky OF HANI IOBA.
at this point was Lee* liable to be flooded and carried
away by the waters, and, before reaching here, the
force of the current was more apt to be broken by-
contact with the many points <>t* land.
Daring tbc high water of 1882, the river all but
Mowed over the rails of the Loui-f Bridge at Winnipeg,
and a h.avilyd»alla>tfd train of fiat cars, with an
e attached to each end, was stretched across, to
h it down and keep it from being earned away.
lien were llso stationed along the banks with pike
poles, to MS that floating logs, etc., were poshed under
and carried through.
Selkirk has now excellent educational facilities, and
Episcopal, Presbyterian and Etonian Catholic Churches.
A beautiful spire, 104 feet in height, has been added
to the first of these during 1890, the gift of the pre-
sent incumbent, the Rev. Mr. Harvey.
Town OF KHERSON.
Emerson, situated near the boundary, on the banks
of the Red River, dates its inception from the spring
of 1874, when Thos. Carney and W. N. Fairbanks laid
out the present site of 640 acres into town lots. Dur-
ing the summer F. T. Bradly and Capt. Nash laid out
200 more. These gentlemen sold the lots cheap,
assisted in the establishment of religious and educa-
tional facilities, and in every way promoted the rise
and progress of the little town. In the summer of
1875, the population, all told, was about 100. The
opening of the railway between this point and St.
Paul gave an impetus, not only to the town, but also to
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 509
the surrounding country, so much so that at the end
of the year the population of the town alone had in-
creased to 800. In the spring of 1 880, Emerson was
incorporated as a town, and immediately set to work
to construct a bridge across the river, that settlers
located on the west ride mi<jfht be able to brino- their
{T-uluce into the city, which cost in the neighborhood
1-5,000. "Meanwhile other industries were pushed
forward. A strain planing and Hour mill was put in
operation, capacious business brick blocks erect.. I. and
churches built in various parts of th.- town ; by the
end of the year the population bad increased to 1,400,
and the business pku <•> to seventy-five, while the trade
operations extended fully 200 miles west.
In 1881, like all booming towns, the strides were
simply remarkable; fine buildings were erected, amongst
these the Carney block, the Fairbanks, McKay, Burn-
ham, and numerous other large buildings; the Bmerson
Aioicultural Works put in operation; six churches —
esented by the following: two Methodist, one Pres-
byterian, one Baptist, English and Roman Catholic —
held weekly services. The manufacturing interests,
though only recently established, showed an output of
$607,200. The sales of fifty-eight houses represented
commercial transactions amounting to 81,399,400, giv-
ing employment to 170 clerks. The value of the
building operations was placed at $300,000, while the
tract of country covered by the above commercial
transactions exceeded that of 1880 by 100 miles still
further west. The population had increased to nearly
3,000. The educational staff in the public school was
32
510 UlSToKV Of MANITOBA.
represented by three teachers, and an average atten-
dance of over 200 pupils.
About this time a company was formed, and appli-
cation made to the Legislature for a railway char-
ter, to be known m the Pembina, Tar tie Mountain and
Rock Lake Railway, which was obtained daring the
session of 1881-82, and eighteen miles of the road graded
in 1888. ICeanwhile the Pembina Mountain Railway,
a charter for which had been obtained from the
Dominion Government in ls7!>, had been completed
to Winnipeg, cutting off the western trade from Emer-
son. In this dilemma! a deputation was appointed to
wait on Mr. Van Home, of the Canadian Pacific Railway,
with reference to a branch road from Emerson, con-
necting frith the Manitoba and South-Western at
Rosenthal. Mr. Van Home, though assuring the deputa-
tion that it would never pay for the axle-grease, con-
sented to build the branch, provided the town would
construct an iron bridge across the Red River, three
feet above high water mark, and of sufficient strength
for railway traffic This the Emersonians consented
to do, the wooden bridge constructed in 1880 having
been carried away by the high water of 1882 ; which
also flooded the town to such an extent that the people
had to take to the up-stairs of their houses, the water
standing six feet in the streets, the steamers plying
their vocation a mile from the bed of the Red River
over the prairie. Amongst the incidents worthy of
note, was that of the steamer Cheyenne, with a barge
laden with lumber, which passed the Carney House, right
on up Park Street, and unloaded at the Presbyterian
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 511
church. For weeks many of the citizens did not taste
a warm meal, their stoves being flooded over in the
□ of the house. Daring this year also, the
le became numerous enough to
assume the form and name of a town, Went Lynne. This
was probably caused by the unreasonably high valua-
tion on property at Emerson, which could he ohtained at
asonable sum at West Lynne, just across the river.
I he Hudson Bay post, which was .situated there also,
helped to build up and sustain the rival town.
in 1882, a city charier was obtained, including both
corporations. Plana and specifications were also pre-
pared for the new bridge, tenders called for, and
the contract for the construction of the same let to
'i & Westbrook, i • 1200,000. Appli-
cation was also made to the Dominion Government
for aid, prho agreed to give the Bum of $50,000.
no funds in the treasury, the corporation
arranged with the Federal Bank to supply the money,
on the pw Bentation of the estimates as the work pro-
ceeded, tl •■ bank taking as security the notes of the
corporation, which it discounted. When the first note
matured, there being no funds to honor it, the hank at
once took legal steps against the council, who had
signed the note as a body, and seized their personal, as
well as some public, property. In this situation the
council applied to the Dominion Government, who at
once sent on a cheque for the amount promised, out of
which the council paid off their indebtedness to the
Federal Bank, and also several pressing local bills with
the balance."' It may just as well he said here that the
512 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
remaining notes were only autographed by the mayor
and town clerk of the corporation (as such), and that, so
I i.oration 18 concerned, they remain unpaid
at this date. The succeeding estimates M they were
presented were paid by the bank, BO that the con-
tractors, and workmen engaged on the bridge received
their wages. ( hi the completion of the same, however,
the bank ordered the contractors to retain possession,
until the town had made some arrangement, which
they did, Bwinging it up sad down stream and camp-
ing on it. By this time the road had been graded and
ironed up to the approach to the bridge. Seeing no
other mode of obtaining possession but by taking the
law in their own hands, the citizens procured a number
of boats and ladders, and rowing out into the middle
of the stream, placed the ladders, and despite the
opposition of the occupants of the bridge, took posses-
sion, pretty much the same as a man-of-war's men
would an enemy's ship, threatening to throw the
occupants into the river, if they offered any oppo-
sition, swung the bridge across the river into posi-
tion, and having once gained possession kept it. But
the trouble was not over yet. Superintendent Van
Home, who had become tired of the delay in con-
nection with the bridge, and who in reality had no
sympathy with the proposed branch, despatched a
construction train one Sunday morning, and despite
the excitement and protestation of the citizens, tore
up the road-bed within the corporation. In 1883, a
successful effort was made to raise the first bridge,
which had sunk to the bottom of the river, and which
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 513
was replaced in position at a cost of about $25,000
With the decline of the boom, Emerson went down
farther than any other city in Manitoba. In 1886 a
ration took place between the two towns, on some
important question, which continued till June, 1889,
when they again united and reorganised, as the town
ni Emerson, the present council being composed of D.
EL fttcFadden, Mayor, and <;. Johnston, E. A. Dalgell,
J. Carmiebael, J. W. McDonald, J. E. Donald, J. E.
Coer and I). Wright The town is well laid out, the
t- well graded, with wooden sidewalks. The
m,|t 00,000) u large, but when the two
bridges, costing in all about $270,000, their fine town
hall, fire-hall and other public buildinj osidered,
it is not difficult : hat the corporation have done
with the money. The Burrounding country is excellent,
and of lal ming to 1 • d up thickly.
d with the history of Emerson are the names
(,t' A & Campbell, G A. Douglas, 11. Tennant, F.
Tennant, W. Forsyth, W. .1. Whitely, d. Malloy, E.
Winkle. M.P., J. Quthrie, J. Nugent, R. McDonald, G.
Matheson, R. J. Chalmers, .lames Thomson, M.P., and
many otl
CITY OF WINNIPEG.
As many of the events referred to in previous pages
occurred in the city of Winnipeg, and form part of its
history proper, I cannot, in my present compass, enter
into detail with reference to the many business changes
which have occurred since the rebellion of 1869-70,
and will only refer to a few prominent events occurring
Md
u
<
Z
Q
<
*^
O
a
i
history OF MANITOBA. 515
since then, Its | >n then numbered about 500,
and the leading business men were represented by A.
McDennott, A. Q. B. Bannatyne, John Biggins, W. II.
Lndrew Iff. Kenny, William Drevcr, Dr.
.itz. George Bmerline (or Dutch George, as he was
>, If. s. Donaldson, EL Patterson, Onis
Iffouchamp, W. Q. I K I, l.arber, Alexander
mes I i. Ashdown, Mr. ( lingras, I Iharles I farrett,
Brian Devlin. At this time the city had no banks.
no lawyers, no city council, no
s, two d -illy one policeman, who was
the 1 [udson Bay rale, and no l<
■ than oubtable int Mulligan,
timers will remember how on one occasion some
mischief -loving individua ed by Jack McTavisb,
I bound him to a 1 to his astonish-
ment deposited him in the gaol, b small log building
- of Fori I tarry. .Mr. Mulligan,
to hi i the joke good-naturedly. The only
school in existence in the villain- was one taught l»y
Miss Bannatyne, who afterwards became the wife of
John Black. The first Bchool-house was erected
at Point Douglas, and was opened on the 3 1st October
byW. F. Luxton. The Manitoba/n of that date says:
"The Winnipeg Public School will be opened on Mon-
day at Point Douglas. Mr. Luxton, we understand,
will conduct the institution, and with such a principal
we augur well for its success." At this time the Rev-
George Youni{ commenced operations at Grace Church.
The first Quarterly Court held in Winnipeg since the
abolition of the Hudson Bay sway, sat on the 16th May,
->ir, HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
1871— Judge Johnston presiding; John Sutherland,
Sheriff; Thomas Bunn, Clerk of the Court— and the
first grand jury in the Province of Manitoba was sworn
in, with Alexander Begg as foreman, and John Gunn,
Laronce, Malcolm Camming, William Bender-
son, D. Capulet, Bte. Bmoe, William Johnston, A.
Johnston, D. Barcus, M. Ifelvor, Bte. Bowel, William
orgs HeKay, Francis Janiot, as jurymen.
The first legal advertising cards were those of Royal &
Dunne, James I ml D. ML Walker. On the 12th
of July the < hrangemen also celebrated the anniversary
of the" Boyne, Lodge 1307, Stewart Mulvey, Master,
with about eighty members. On Sunday, the 17th
September, 1871, Grace Church was dedicated, the
George Young officiating in the morning, the
Rev. William Robinson, of High Bluff, in the evening.
St. Andrew's Society was formed on the 7th of Novem-
ber, 1871— D. A. Smith, President ; A. G. B. Banna-
tyne, First Vice-President ; A. M. Brown, Second Vice-
President; J. F. Bayne, Treasurer; J. J. Hargrave,
Secretary ; the Rev. John Black, Chaplain ; J. W.
Hackett, Piper. On the 18th of November the second
expedition of volunteers arrived in Winnipeg, under
the command of Captain Scott. They were loyally
welcomed by the citizens, and presented with an
address signed by Jock McGregor, W. F. Luxton, R.
A. Davies, W. Palmer Clark, Dr. Lynch, and others.
St. George's Society was first organized on the 12th
April, 1872, with C. J. Budd, President; J. H. Ash-
down, First Vice-President ; Robert Simpson, Second
Vice-President ; Lyster Hay ward, Secretary-Treasurer ;
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 517
Dr. Budd, Physician; A. D. C. Hervey, Marshal ; Rev.
Mr. Pinkham On August 8th, L882, an
I the troops was held in Winnipeg by
Colonel K. Ilo-s, and a sham battle
followed. The Manitoba Rifle Association was also
formed abont this time, with the Lieutenant-Governor
a- Patron; Vice-Patron, J). A. Smith; President,
Major Irvine; First Vice-President, <«. B. Spencer;
President, Major Peel - <-::ivy. Major
W. M. K I lagnier. ( hi the
1st < N Iferchants' Bank gave notice that they
won! ish a branch, with Duncan McArthar as
manager, which was done on the L4th December follow-
ing. Abont this time occnn trouble ovef the
rporation Bill; as also the establishment of a hoard
of trade with two rival chartered companies Dr,
Bird from hi^ residence on the pretence
of being eal -ee a patient. When near Point
Douglas, he waa forcibly taken from his cutter, and a
pail of I thrown over his face and shoulders.
This act caused much indignation in Winnipeg, and
although a reward of $1,000 was offered for the appre-
hension of the guilty parties, they were never < 1 i s -
red.
The people of Winnipeg helieved that in opposing
the Incorporation Bill, the Clarke Government were
working into the hands of the Hudson Bay Company
who, on account of their dread of taxation, were
hostile to the movement, \V. K. Luxtoh was the first
to announce himself a candidate for mayoralty honors,
followed by Kennedy, Ashdown, Bannatyne, Cornish,
"Is history <>r KANITOBA.
IfeMieken and liacaulay. Frank Oornisb was elected
mayor, with Councillors T. Scott for the sooth ward,
the west, A. Strang for the east,
and A. Logan for tin- north. The G ri tire in
Winnipeg occurred on the :hd of I >eeeml»er. I ss*!. when
rliament buildings wore burned down. It
that through a defective stove-pipe, the walls
in a partition on the second story took fire, and before
■ I the flame* had made such headway that it
found it. the building. This was
the finding of the in bion, hut there IS another
story. Joe M<< Sroesan, the old caretaker, was troubled
with an ulcerated arm, which made him always uneasy.
On the night in question, Joe, on discovering the fire,
id traces of coal oil ; there was no person in the
building with the exception of Attorney- General
Clark and himself. After the destruction of the
building, the Government charitably sent Joe to
Montreal to undergo an operation, where his arm was
amputated. On his recovery he took small-pox and
died. The h ition was held while Joe was in
Montreal. It is generally believed that the building
was fired by Clark, and that the story of the lost
money was also a fraud. The first execution in the
city was that of Michaud, for the murder of J. R.
Brown on the prairie near the city. Michaud was
arrested on suspicion, and afterwards confessed to the
crime. He was hanged on Friday, 28th August, 1874.
About this time the agitation for a railway bridge
across the Red River came up, and Major Kennedy and
Mr. St. John were sent to Ottawa to represent Winni-
HISTORY Or MANITOBA. 519
Interests in the railway and bridge question. A
steam ferry-boat was put on the river, also this \
by McLean, of flat-boat notoriety. On Tuesday, the
17th of August, L875, being a civic holiday, the corner-
stone of the city hall was laid with masonic honors,
by Grand Master the Rev. Dr. Clark, assisted by the
.1 Officers of the Grand Lodge. Speeches were
made by Chief Justice Wood, the Hon. R. A. Davis
and Consul Taylor. The following societies took part
in the ceremony: I>. 0. L, l$07 and 1352, Grand
Orange Lodge of lianii iba, Good Templars. I.O. O. F.,
one lodge; ICasonie Lodges Manitoba Lodge, No. l ;
Wliite Star \<». 2; Prince Etupert'fl Lodge,
Ancient Landmark L Jt. John's Lodge, etc. The
•t deposited in the stone contained a large num-
ber of articles, eonsi coins, hills, newspa]
photos of several parte of the city, and other things
likdv to be of interest to succeeding ages. In this
year, also, the genera] hospital was erected ; Mr.
Ashdown finished his line corner block ; Holy Trinity
Church was dedicated by his Lordship the Bishop of
Rupert'- Land, assisted by the Rev. Archdeacon
( ! owley, the Rev. Dean Grisdale, Canon O'Meara, and
the Rev. Messrs. Pritchard, Beck, Pinkham, Young,
Wilson and Fortune. The latter was inducted as
incumbent. On Christmas morning of 1875 the old
fire-hall, situated on Post Office Street, took fire ; the
draft of air passing up the hose-tower caused the
flames to spread so rapidly that there was not sufficient
time to save the engine. I n fact, the men in charge
had hardly time to save their lives, their hair and
520 history Of MANITOBA.
clothing bein ; ing. So quickly did the
fire do it> work, that few citizens were ;i\vare of what
had happened till all was over. The loss to the city
was in the neighborhood of $15,000, besides leaving it
without proper fire protection The eivio elections of
L876 resulted in a scrimmage, in which F. E. Cornish,
W. R, Thibidean, J. R. Cameron and George B. Elliott
were implicated. The two first-mentioned were
arrested and committed foe trial. Cameron and Elliott
the country, and never returned It would appear
as if the quartette had visited the house of Returning
Officer Haggard, and, alter some quarrelling and hard
blows, had walked off with the poll-book. Cornish
and Thibideau were afterwards fined $20 each. On
the 7th of January, L870, the second execution took
place, the criminal being a man named Mclvor, who
was hung for the murder of George Atkinson, at
Beaver Creek, near Fort Ellice, North-West Territory.
The executioner bungled his work, and Mclvor, whose
neck was not broken by the fall, died by strangula-
tion. Owing to the grasshopper plague, there were
upwards of 45,945 barrels of flour imported into
Manitoba this year. One of the worst storms ever
experienced in the Province swept over the city on
the night of December 1 2th, and many citizens had
narrow escapes from being lost or frozen to death. In
this year, also, Matt Davis, Joe Devlin and William
Annette were drowned in Lake Winnipeg ; their bodies
drifted ashore, and their boat was found afterwards,
bottom up.
The first sod for St. John's Ladies' College was
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 521
turned on Wednesday, May 30th, 1877, by Kiss Hart
Davis afterwards lira. Alfred Cowley, the Principal.
On Saturday, tlie 3rd .June, an incident occurred
worthy of recital. While the frequenters of the Red
n wen' enjoying their cocktails 1. randy straight,
whiskey sour, ponies of beer, mint juleps, milk punches,
and tom-and-jerries, two ladies— Mrs. Cedarholm and
Miss Garrison — walked in and took possession of the
premises. As soon as the drinks were finished] and
when the astonishment of the occupants had subsided.
one of the ladies quietly produced a Bible, from which
she gave a forcible exposition, which was listened to
attentively by the men present. Daring the exposi-
tion the ladies were only interrupted once. In this
year Lord Dufiferin visited Winnipeg, and while there,
laid thee Ladies' College, when
the c " him a royal reception. <>n the 22nd
November, Lieutenant-Governor Cauchon arrived in
Winnipeg. A few weeks later his lady, who had been
in a critical state since her arrival in the Province,
1 to her rest. Despite the inclemency of the
weather, her funeral was largely attended. Arch-
bishop Taehe* preached an eloquent discourse to a large
concourse of people who assembled at St. Boniface
Cathedral to participate in the closing ceremonies.
The gaol record for this year is worth glancing
at. There were 84 apprehensions, with 73 con-
victions; 62 of these could read and write. The
nationality was represented thus : Manitoba, 28 ;
English-Canadians, 15; French -Canadians, 6; Eng-
lish, 9 ; Irish, 10 ; . Scotch, 5 ; German, 2 ; Swiss,
"-- HISTORY OF MANITOBA,
1; Danish, 5; Siberian, 1 ; Icelandic, 2; Swedish 1;
and American, & The date of the arrival of the first
boats at tli«- port of Winnipeg, from 1870, may also be
interesting, which are as follows:
April 28
W7J •• May 6
L873 •• " 3
April 28
L878 M " 30
187- ■ , " 25
1877 II ndkbm " 23
1878. ... March 22
( »n Tuesday, the 9th ( October, l ^77. the first locomo-
tive brought into Manitoba arrived at Winnipeg by
the steamer Selkirk, with a barge containing the
engine and a number of flat cars, all profusely decorated
with hunting. Steam was up on the locomotive.
What with its shrill whistling and that of the steamer,
the ringing of bells and the chorus of the various mill
whistles, there was a perfect babel of noise. The
steamer touched at No. 6 warehouse, then steamed
down to the landing below Point Douglas, where a
track was laid, on which the engine and cars were run
ashore, and thus was landed the first locomotive
brought to the Province. On the 23rd January, 1878,
the present Historical and Scientific Society was organ-
ized in the court-house by the following gentlemen :
Rev. Messrs. Robertson, Pinkham, Grisdale, Hart and
Bryce, Dr. Cowan, and Messrs. Whitcher, Ross, Codd,
McDonald, McArthur, Parsons, Hunt, Hane, Begg and
Nursey ; Dr. Cowan, Chairman;. Mr. Begg, Secretary.
L874 -.nun
Iv7~> 3,000
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 523
On April the 8th, a resolution was passed, pledging
the city to pay the cost of a railroad bridge across Red
Stiver, provided the Dominion Government would con-
struct the Canadian Pacific Railroad westward from
Winnipeg, all of which was done. The growth of the
city may be better judged from the following table: —
Year. Papulation.
1871 600
1,000
187:: LfiOO
I •.'.' «;,oi8
2,635,806
4,000 8,031,685
1877 5,500 3,097,824
7,000 3,216,
187t> 8,000 3,415,065
188o L0,000 4,011,900
18H.s ... 25,000
The city occupi y the position of the metro-
of the Canadian North-West. It is the centre of
it v, both for the provincial affairs of
Manitoba and for Mich functions of the Dominion
Government as are exercised in the Province. The
office of the Dominion Lands Commissioner, the
Dominion Savings Bank, the Custom Eouse, the In-
land Revenue, the Post Office, the Public Works, the
Fisheries Inspectors, and the Indian Department for
Manitoba, are located here, and the city is also the
head-quarters of a Military District, and has a Royal
School of Mounted Infantry, maintained by the
Dominion Government. As the provincial capital,
Winnipeg has the residence of the Lieutenant Gover-
524 HISTmKY Of MANITOBA.
nor of the Province, and is the place where the Pro-
vincial Parliament holds its sessions, and where all
the offices of the Provincial Ministers are located. The
Governor ience, known as the Government
Boose, is ■ spacious structure of yellow brick, sur-
rounded by well-kepi gardens and lawns, and flanked
by hot-1 n<l stable* It is the centre of a
generous and cultured social life.
The title of the chief executive, Dr. Schultz, is
Lieutenant-Governor. He is appointed by the Minis-
try at Ottawa, receives a salary of SS,000, and has
free use of the Government House for his family resi-
dence. The Parliament Building, facing on the same
street as the Government House, is not imposing in
its architecture, but is roomy, well built, and well
adapted for its use for the public offices and the place
of meeting of the House. The House consists of
thirty-five members, and the Provincial Cabinet is
composed of five members. These gentlemen meeting
as a body, constitute the Council, and the one chosen
as President is known as the Premier. This position
is at present filled by Hon. Thomas Green way, Minister
of Agriculture. The Lieutenant-Governor is the exe-
cutive head of the Provincial Government, and repre-
sents both the Imperial and Dominion authority. He
does not, however, side with any political party. The
Premier is the responsible political head of the Pro-
vince, holding his office only so long as he can com-
mand a majority in the Provincial Parliament. He
and his associates in the ministry shape the policy of
the Provincial Government, and largely control its
appointments, its legislation and its finances.
history Of MANITOBA. 525
A good deal has been said about the disastrous
its of the great Winnipeg real estate boom, which
began in 1880, and ran wild for about two years, forc-
ing up values to an absurd height, and leaving, when
it subsided, a great many people wrecked and stranded
on the shoals of financial disaster. Something might
well be said, however, on the other side The boom
brought large amounts o! i astern money to Winnipeg
for investment in buildings, and it created a handsome
city with a rapidity rarely Witnessed elsewhere.
>'S of handsome and spacious business blocks were
erected on faith in the future; and in those two or
three years of activity and excitement the town made
as much progress as it would otherwise have made in
■a Now it is reaping the benefits of this
sificeni growth. It has ail the business facilities
and attractions required for maintaining its position
as the commercial capital of the Canadian North-
West It did not have to emerge slowly, through
n of struggle, from the stage of shanty architec-
ture and muddy streets, but was lifted up bodily on
that great wave of speculation to an advanced position
of comfort and civilization. Individuals lost money
heavily by the erection of these fine buildings, but the
city as a whole was greatly the gainer. It is now as
attractive, so far as its public and business architecture
is concerned, as many cities of three or four times its
population in the older parts of Canada and the
United Stat*
Winnipeg is also an educational centre for the entire
Canadian North-West, having three colleges for
n
526 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
general education, and a medical college. These
ire St. John's College, Episcopalian ; St.
Boniface, Roman Catholic; Manitoba College, Presby-
| mitoba Medical College. They are all
affiliated in a university organisation, known as the
University of Manitoba, which conducts examinations
and C legrecs. TheW are also in the city nine
public schools, several Roman Catholic schools, the St.
John's Ladies' College, St. Mary's Academy, a business
college, and a number of private schools. A Metho-
dist school, known at Wesley College, has also been
opened.
The principal business street, nearly two miles in
length, hi tli enough to accommodate the traffic of
State Street,Chicago. The rivers are bridged by perma-
nent iron structures. The City Hall is of imposing size
and attractive architecture. There is a uniformed tire
department, provided with the best steam machinery
and housed in good brick structures. Many of the
streets are paved with cedar blocks; the sewerage
system is well advanced, and there is both gas and
electric light. The railroad system of the Province all
centres in the city. The -principal line is the
Canadian Pacific Railroad, which extends across
Manitoba, traversing the entire length of the Province
for 315 miles. This great northern transcontinental
highway starts at Montreal, on the St. Lawrence River,
and ends at Vancouver, on the tide water of the
Pacific. It has a number of branches in Manitoba.
The South- Western branch runs from Winnipeg to
Glenboro', a distance of 105 miles; the Pembina
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 527
branch, from Winnipeg to Deloraine, in the extreme
south-western part of the Province, is 202 miles long ;
the Emerson 1 -ranch, connecting with the St. Paul,
Minneapolis and Manitoba road, runs from Winnipeg
to Emerson, a distance of sixty-six miles ; the Gretna
branch, on the western side of the Red River Valley,
isaspurof the Pembina branch, running from Rosen-
feld to Gretna, where it connects with one of the
Dakota lines of the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Mani-
toba road. The other branches arc those from Winni-
1 kirk, twenty-font miles, and from
Winnipeg to Stonewall, twenty miles.
The genera] use of yellow brick for business struc-
tures, and to a considerable extent for residences, gives
Winnipeg a very bright and cheerful appearance.
the principal business thoroughfare, is
L32 feet wide, and forms a segment of a circle, extend-
ing from the Canadian Pacific station to the bridge over
the Assiniboine, just beyond the ruins of old Fort Garry.
• of the buildings on this street are of brick, and
many of them are three or four stories in height. The
most conspicuous edifices are the City Hall, in front of
which stands a soldiers' monument, commemorating
the heroism of the men who fell fighting in the Kiel
Rebellion, the tall handsome Post Office building, and
the large stores of the Hudson Bay Company. The
store fronts on Main Street are full of attractive
goods, and in the evening the sidewalks are crowded
with promenaders.
In the tall and ornamental edifice called the City
Hall are hospitably housed several institutions not
528 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
pertaining to the municipal government. The Board
of Trade has rooms on the ground floor, and the third
is occupied by the circulating lil miry and read-
ing room of the Historical and Scientific Society and
the comfortable club rooms of the St. Georges and
St. Andre
An interesting place to visit, for a glimpse backward
into the early and romantic epoch of Manitoba his-
U the little old cathedral church of St. John, in
the extreme northern outskirts of the city. It is sur-
rounded by B walled church-yard shaded with oaks
and crowded with grave-stones, The most striking
monument is that at the graves of the gallant young
Winnipeg soldiers <>f the 90th Battalion, who fell at
Fish Creek and Batoche, fighting Riel's half-breeds.
On the inner walls of the church are many tablets
erected to the memory of former officers of " the hon-
orable Hudson Bay Company," their wives and child-
ren, who died in the " Red River settlements," some of
them as long ago as 1835.
Nothing remains of old Fort Garry, which stood
at the upper end of Main Street, near the con-
fluence of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, but the
stone archway of the former portal. In front of this
emblem and vestige of the past assembled, in 1887, a
remarkable gathering, consisting of all the chief factors
of the Hudson Bay Company, who came from their
posts all over the " Great Lone Land " of the Canadian
North-West to hold a council. These factors are sturdy
men of business, but they sometimes express a little
sentimental melancholy as they look back to the old
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 529
days when they were veritable kings in the country,
exercising the right of sovereignty in the name of
Great Britain over Indiana and whites in all their
wide domain. They were princes and judges then, as
well as merchants ; now, they are only buyers of furs
and sellers of merchandise.
The wholesale houses furnish dry goods, clothing,
millinery, stationery, paper, bouts and shoes, china and
ware, groceries drags, chemicals, hardware, stoves,
oils, paints liquors, fruits, wall-paper, jewellery, etc.
There is an extensive manufacturing suburb, in which
are made furniture, upholstery, brooms, brashes, tents,
matt: bricks and biles, boilers, macbin-
biscuits, confectionery, harness and saddlery, tin-
ware, sash and doors, boxes, gas fittings, leather, soap,
etc. There are also breweries, flour mills, coffee and
spice mills, and marble works. It will be seen from
these lists that Winnipeg is fully equipped as a mer-
cantile and manufacturing centre.
Of late years, competing systems of roads have found
their way into Manitoba and to Winnipeg. These consist
of the Manitoba and North-Western Railway, the new
Northern Pacific line now built from Portage la Prairie
to Winnipeg; the Red River Valley road, from Winnipeg
to Pembina, already completed ; and the new line from
Morris, on the Red River Valley road, to Brandon, in
Western Manitoba, with the South -Western branch to
the Sour is country. The Portage la Prairie road, the
Red River Valley road, and the Morris and Brandon
road, will be operated by a new corporation, called the
Manitoba and Northern Pacific, controlled by prominent
530 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Northern Pacific capitalist* At Pembina this system
will connect with the Northern Pacific lines to Duluth
and Bt Paul. drain destined for Europe will be
shipped to Duluth in bond, and will go thence by the
and canal route to Montreal. A winter all-rail
route will be afforded by way of St. Paul, Chicago, and
the Grand Trunk Railroad to the east. Manitoba thus
secures two L,rr.'>it competing transportation systems,
each controlled by a powerful company.
There is still another railroad enterprise, which has
already constructed forty miles of track northwards
from Winnipeg. This is the Winnipeg and Hudson
Bay Road, a daring scheme, which attempts nothing
less than a complete revolution in the carrying trade
of the northern centre of the American continent.
The plan is to build a road from Winnipeg to Fort
Churchill on Hudson Bay, a distance of 750 miles,
and to establish a line of steamers from Fort Churchill
to Liverpool, to take out grain and cattle and bring
back merchandise. The distance from Winnipeg to
Liverpool via Fort Churchill is 3,641 miles, and is 1,052
miles less than that via Chicago and New York, and 783
miles less than via Montreal to Liverpool. Fort Churchill
is sixty-four miles nearer Liverpool than Montreal and
114 miles nearer than New York. A glance at the map
will show that Hudson Bay stretches far into the interior
of the continent. Unfortunately it is navigable for
only three or four months in the year, being closed by
ice for the remainder of the time. The projected rail-
road will have absolutely no local traffic, the country
through which it is to run being a cold and sterile
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 531
wilderness, not capable of supporting a population.
To make a road through such a wilderness self-sustain-
ing, with no business save the through traffic in grain
and cattle for three or four months of the year, is a
problem to appal experienced railroad men. The
projectors of this enterprise are full of enthusiasm,
however, and have succeeded in obtaining from the
Provincial Parliament of Manitoba the promise of a
My which will amount for the whole road to a
sum about equal to the present entire revenue of the
Provincial Government. The forty miles already con-
structed are not operated, because there is no local
business on the line.
The foreign importations of the city in 1887 amounted
l',735,140. The exports from the Winnipeg con-
sulate for the same year were : United States, $448,353;
t Britai: tern Canada, *;,000,000.
Is with British Columbia, which rose from
almost nothing, aggregated the sum of $250,000,
being shipments in rlour.oats, barley and dairy products.
The catch of Hsh from Lakes Winnipeg and Manitoba
amounted to 1,488,330 lbs., with invoice value of
$61,359. These were exported to Buffalo, Minneapolis,
St. Paul, Omaha, Kansas City and Chicago.
WINNIPEG NEWSPAPERS.
The fourth estate has been well represented by the
following papers: The Nor- Wester, from 1859 to 1870,
for the most part of the time controlled by Dr. Schultz,
but which was gobbled up by Riel in 1870. Then
followed the New Nation, edited first by Robinson, an
532 BIS&ORl Of KAKROBA.
American and a strong annexationist, later by Thos.
Spence, which lived till October the loth of the same
the plant of which wm purchased by Coldwell
& Cunningham, who started the Mn nitohan. About
this time appeared the Ni km LetU r, s scurrilous little
sheet. / o appeared on 25th May, 1871,
l>h Royal, editor. On the 11th July, 1871, the
<d appeared. It was a paper larger
than the M" with Stewart Mulvey as editor.
On January lat, 1^72, appeared the MamMba Trade
Bi ">iv, published by Alexander Begg, now of Van-
couver, B. C. An article on the incorporation of
Winnipeg as a city so offended Cunningham, of the
Manitoban, who did the printing, that he refused to
print it any more. A second number was issued,
which was the last. In the beginning of March, 1872,
Mr. Begg, finding every obstacle put in the way of pub-
lishing the Trade Review by Cunningham, arranged
with Mr. Royal to publish a weekly, entitled the
Gazette and Trade Review. The first number was
published on the 9th of that month. On the 9th
November, 1874, the Manitoba Free Press made its
bow to the public, and was ushered into existence
with an advance special number. Mr. John Kenny
was the proprietor, W. F. Luxton, editor. On the
loth of this month, the Gazette appeared in a new
dress, as also the Manitoban. Le Metis also made a
fresh start with the removal of its establishment
from Winnipeg to St. Boniface. The Manitoba Lib-
eral ceased to exist in May, 1873, and was succeeded
by the Nor- Wester, with E. L. Barber as editor and
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
manager. This paper really originated with E. H. G.
G. Hay and R. A. Davis. On July the 6th, 1874, the
Free i to the front with a daily edition, the
first daily paper in the North-West. In June, 1874,
the / made its appearance as the
organ of K. A Davis, edited by Alexander !>•
The Manitoba Daily Herald appeared in 1877, also
the Manitoba Telegraph, dedicated to Conservative
interests in general, and Mr. Morris' in particular.
The first Dumber eatne out on the 7th September,
1878, published by Mr. Norsey, and printed at Le
ffice in St Boniface. Daring November of
this year another little paper appeared, Quiz, an off-
shoot of Grip, whose editor was anonymous. Of a
freedance order, it created quite a sensation, and at
one time its circulation was as high as one thousand
per week. The Gazette was another paper started
this year, with Mr. Abjohn as editor. It was not, how-
ever, recognized by ' *le people, on account of
the coarseness of its utterances. A suit was entered
against it by Mr. Royal in the fall of the year, and
damages laid at $5,000, which was the means of clos-
ing it up. Though not owning to the charge, ex-
Attorney-General Clark was supposed to be the mana-
ger and editor. At the close of this year Mr. Nursey
tried to float the Manitoba Printing and Publishing
Company, for which notice of application had been
made for a charter to the Legislature. Owing to the
shareholders backing down, the concern dropped In
January, 1879, Quiz appeared enlarged, and in Feb-
ruary produced its first cartoon, " Norquay's Pro-
534 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
vincial Troop." In this year also we have the Daily
88 and the 7 The Daily Times appealed
again in 1880, the Newt in L 881, the Bum in L882-3,
lfanito6an in Ms;,. *g also the flfi tea in L885 and the
Jfontt*i0 Cfott in 1887. Of later date still are the
the Oo Ih-Wesi Former, the
North -W- $w (Oaiholi N mg8, Town Talk,
and tlic V. World, not foigetting the Commerc i < i f ,
tnoepted in L883. The Fr# Press still leads in the
field of journalism, as it has always done from its
inception ; and though it may be twitted with change
of opinion, it must ilea be Mid, that " he who never
changed his opinion, never corrected his mistak
The >88 is to-day, with reference to franchise,
the leading paper of Manitoba, and though to some
minds its movements may seem erratic, it is possibly
the best friend Manitoba has got.
RED RIVER NAVIGATION.
Navigation on the Red River was inaugurated by
the steamer Anson Norfolk, in the year 1859, by J. C.
Burbank & Company, of St. Paul, Minnesota, backed
by the Hudson Bay Company. The boat was found
quite inadequate to the waters of this far northern
river, so much so that in 1861 the company decided
to bring up another from the Mississippi. The name
of this last was the Freighter. She ascended the
Minnesota River to near Lake Traverse, and from
thence crossed the prairie and nearly succeeded in
reaching the River Bois du Sioux, the southern afflu-
ent of the Red River. In case my readers might
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
535
think it absurd for a steamer to cross the height of
land, let me explain here that in that year the rainfall
in April and May was so great that the bed of the
and Itinnesota Rivera was quite inadequate to
hold the volume of water, and for twenty or thirty
on either Bide the country was inundated. The
7//o\ failing to reach her destination, caused
lleasra lan-hank & Company to begin the construc-
tion of a new boat, afterwards called the litferna-
</. This boat made her maiden trip in June of
L862, and is elsewhere referred to in our pages, since
that date many a noble craft and joyous crew has
ersed the murky waters of the Bed* River, not,
however, laden with rich treasures from India's coral
strand, hut with tic necessaries of life for the pioneers
of this new western world.
In connection with river traffic, we must not over-
look the flat-boat In tie- dry seasons follow-
ing the flood of iVi tters were of no use, and
Joseph Whr with Messrs. .1. .1. Hill,
Harris and Bently, inaugurated a Bystem of Hat-
boat service. Being ad thorough frontiersmen, hard-
ship and obstacles were to them hut the very elixir of
life. Following in their wake, about 18G8, was James
McL'-an. more commonly known as Flat-boat McLean.
Jim was one of those who crossed the plains and moun-
tains in 1*02, to the Cariboo gold fields, and, as is
usual with the most of those who search for gold, found
it as hard to retain as it was to obtain. Returning to
old Red River, his keen perception led him to invest
his savings in flat-boats and provisions, for the benefit
B0SIOB1 Of MANITOBA.
of the settlers of Bed River, who were suffering so
much from the grasshopper plague, and, with his part-
ner, the famous Billy Smith, soon had an exten-
. which was dissolved in 1S72, owing to
Smith playing the A in Government officials a
sharp trick at the boundary, where, much to their
chagrin and his own gain, he got some sixty thousand
feet of lumber north of the imaginary line. McLean
oontinaed in tin- business for some time, finally build-
ing a steamer known as the Alpha. The Hudson Bay
Company, who at this time really owned the line, not
wishing a competitor, bought the craft, and McLean
shortly afterwards, with William Sinclair, took the
contract of carrying her Majesty's mails to Prince
Albert, where, as usual, he made friends and money
fast ; and, at the close of his contract, sold out his
outfit and moved to Fergus Falls, Dakota, where, in
the early days, he had secured a quarter section of
land. His sudden death, in 1889, cut off from the
neighborhood a useful citizen and hearty pioneer.
J. J. Hill, one of the present railway magnates in the
north-western States of America, has had a rugged
training in the world's school. In 1860 he was doing
odds and ends in St. Paul. In the river traffic, in
1862, his quiet, business-like manner soon found him
many friends, and, in fact, four more open-hearted and
straightforward men could hardly be associated to-
gether, than the Pioneer Flat-Boat Company. Their
business was a lucrative one, and, although one of the
firm, J. Whitford, lost his life by the Sioux massacre,
near Fort Abercrombie, the remaining three remained
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 537
in the business for some years. Mr. Hill resided in
St. Paul, attending to the buying and forwarding,
while Harris and Bently looked after the transporta-
tion. In 1871 Mr. Hill and his friends made a new
venture, in the form of a steamer named the Selkirk,
and, through the influence of friends, secured the
bonding privileges of the United States customs. This
was really the fulcrum to future success, for at this
time thousands of tons of freight was coming into
Manitoba, and no one could bring it but this firm.
A few years later we [find him, with 1). A. Smith,
buying up the old St. Paul and Pacific, afterwards the
St. Paul and Minneapolis, and now Great Northern Rail-
way. At the time of the purchase the Dutch bond-
holders were so sick of American railways that they
threw away many of their roads, to save money, and
wake men made millions by the parol
Mr. Hill was for BOme time one of the leading
men in the Canadian Pacific Railway, and bis
business enei such an impetus to this under-
taking that railways were built and equipped with
a rapidity hitherto unknown. His latest venture
is thoroughbred stock, and the farmers along his
line are now being presented with some of the best
specimens in that line, so that in a few years
his present costly experiment may be the means of
furnishing his railway with a very lucrative branch of
business. Mr. Hill has always been a good friend to
the old settlers, who often, in those early days, had
need to use his liberality. He was always willing to
give them a helping hand, and although now finan-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 539
cially far removed from old times, yet, in the event of
of them, he is the same old friend as
of yore.
Having frequently referred to the buffalo hunt, on
which bo much depended in the early days of the
settlement, it may be interesting to the reader to know
the amount of equipment for this undertaking and its
make up. The brigade which left the settlement in
the year 1840 consisted of the following ■ — 1,210 carts
and horses; 655 cart hoi 6 draught oxen; 40:i
6S used for saddle and bridle ; 1,240 scalping
knives, for cutting up buffaloes ; 740 guns (flint
Locks); L60 gallons gunpowder; 1,300 pounds of
balls; G,240 gun flints. For a description of the hunt
t the following cutting from the PUot Mound
Sentinel will give a fair idea: "The last great
buffalo hunt ever enjoyed in this portion of the
North-West took place about twenty-five years
and nearly all the half-breed population of
Manitoba were engaged in the chase. A consider-
able number of those who took part in that wild raid
on the buffalo are now settled along the Pembina and
near the lakes, and delight to recall the remembrance
of the great hunt with the various scenes, incidents
and adventures connected with the occasion, the like
of which can never again take place.
" That fall the buffaloes had congregated in immense
numbers south and west of the Turtle Mountains,
about two or three days' drive from this place. The
hunting party was very large, and consisted of men,
women and children, with 800 carts and many hundred
540 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
horses. As the hostile Sioux were abroad the party-
had to keep well together, while outriders were
stationed at different points on the plain for the double
purpose of watching the movements of the buffalo
berdfl and to give notie-' if danger should appear, for,
although the Sioux would not attack 1 very strong
party, yet if a few hunters should chance to become
separated in the chase they were liable to be cut off
and destroy
"The butialo hunter of the plains possessed peculiar
and distinct character ; he was a hold and skilful rider,
a good shot, hardy, strong, watchful, and, like all beef-
eeting men, he wee courageous ; he usually rode a
horse possessed of speed, strength and wind; like his
master, the horse fully enjoyed the excitement of the
chase, and in the attack needed no urging and no guid-
ance, but would strain every nerve to bring his master
alongside of the buffalo, and as the shot was delivered
would instantly sheer off to escape the expected
charge of the infuriated monster of the plains. In
those days the buffalo hunter was usually armed with
a smooth-bore flint-lock gun ; his supply of powder was
contained in a horn that hung from the shoulder by a
strap ; the hunter kept several bullets in his mouth for
the sake of expedition in loading. When a drove of
buffalo were to be approached the advance was made
by hunters in the greatest silence, the leader of the
party a little in advance ; his chief duty was that of
restraining the impetuosity of the more impatient of
the hunters and get his band as near the buffaloes as
possible, before the herd would become alarmed. This
BISTORT? OF MAXITOHA. ;>4I
near approach was absolutely necessary in order that
the horses -hould not he out of wind before the Mine
was reached I he horses were always as eager as the
i and frantic for the eh having bo be held
in by main strength, At length, when the buffaloes
oommenced to more, the uneasiness would men
and as the herd Btarted tl r would shout, not till
then, 'Away I and in a moment every horse would spring
forward with the wildest impetuosity. All had to
no horse could be restrained, bridles were let
jTUns were brought into position, and the wild
cavalry bore down on the flying herd. After the first
shots had been delivered the buffalo hunter loaded his
gun while hi gun was
Uld the pan drawn hark to its place, then
a quantity of powder was transferred from the hand
to the gun barrel and the bullet permitted to roll
down. In firing, care- was taken not to raise the
eh higher than the muzzle lest the hall should roll
out, hut as the rider was generally only a few feet
from the animal that he wished to shoot there was no
necessity to raise the gun to the shoulder and the
buffalo was usually KB high as the horse. Sometimes
a single hunter would shoot four or five buffaloes
during a single chase made, on a good herd. The
larger the drove the better chance there was for the
hunter, as the animals in advance in some degree retard
the progress of those in the rear, where the attack was
taking place. Cows ami young hulls were the animals
mostly sought for in the fall of the year. Calves
and old hulls were not killed, unless by accident or
34
542 history Of mamtop.a.
when game was scarce. The fat on the back of a good
buffalo was two or three inches thick and of delicious
flavor. On the occasion of the great hunt 800 carta
were loaded with pemmican, tongues and choice pieces
of meat and the skins of buf&lo. When a hunter had
dropped a buffalo at some distance from his companions
or from the camp, the hone was tied to the head of
the animal, and generally continued to move in a circle
watching lest an enemy should approach while its
master had his attenti D engaged in skinning the
beast that had been capture. 1. Twelve or fifteen years
ago many of these old buffalo hunting horses had
been purchased by the white settlers who were then
commencing to occupy the country, and it was amusing
to notice with what horror and excitement one of these
experienced animals would get the scent of an Indian.
During the continuance of the great hunt, which lasted
many weeks, the food of the hunters was meat and
nothing else, the only change was in the manner of
cooking. The next season the buffalo herds had moved
far to the west, and never again returned in such num-
bers so near the Red River, and even yet the wander-
ing people of the plains look upon the loss of their
buffaloes as the greatest calamity that ever befell their
race."
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
Having reviewed the material history of the colony,
I propose to give, in as brief space as possible, the
story of the rise and progress of the various religious
bodies which have become identified with it.
HISTORY OF MAXITor.A. 543
In point of time, the Roman Catholic Church was
the first to occupy missions in the North-West, or as
it was then known, Rupert's Land. Jn L690 we
find two French Roman Catholic prints visited the
country to teach the Indians, having previously
Btndied the Indian Language, In L731. Pere Afessager,
a Jesuit, was attached as chaplain to the little hand
under the command of Ve'randrye, the
elder, who was the first to explore the country wesi
Lake Superior Aieesager did not remain in the
country, hut returned to Canada with his party.
In 17-> I tomcat!, also attached to an ex-
ploring party, under one of Yerandrv.'s BODS, This
. , while camped (.n an island at the Lake of the
Wo eked by a band of Sioux, who mas-
1 them all. The island has since been called
[gland The conquest of Canada by Eng-
land interrupted Roman Catholic missions in Rupert's
Land, and not till the year 1818 do we find any
1 of missionary efforts. In that year two
French-Canadian priests from Quebec, the Rev. N. B.
Provencher and the Rev. Severe Desmoulin, arrived at
Red River. In 1822, Provencher was consecrated
bishop, with the title of Bishop of Juliopolis — the
name of a town in Galatia — it being the custom of
the Church to provide titles for bishops located in
regions not yet regularly divided into dioceses from
places in the East. Bishop Provencher was invested
an auxiliary to the see of Quebec, with authority
over those portions of the diocese known as the Hud-
son Bay and North- West Territories. Again, in 1844,
544 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
these portions were detatched from the see of Quebec
r, uii'l erected Into a separate Apostolic
under the jurisdiction of Bishop Provencher.
1 Hiring these twenty-two yean hfl was assisted by the
undermentioned priests :
LB Desnioiilin 1818 to 1824.
di W80 1827.
3." 1S~: 1832-
4. • 1: :• B0QCh«t ] >-~ ls;;:i-
5. lVlo-uit 1831 is:.'.'.
6. •• ChirU-.s Bdooard Foiw 1832 1839.
rhibetuK 1833 1868.
8. « M. Knurs 1837 1838.
\. Maynuul 1841 1845.
10 " Jos. E. Darvt an 1841 1844.
11. « L. Lafleche 1841 1856.
12. M .I..s. Bouraaaa 1844 1856.
The above-mentioned M. Thibeault, in 1842, was the
first priest to visit the Saskatchewan valley and the
English River district. In the first-mentioned he
founded the mission of St. Ann at Frog Lake, in 1844 ;
in the latter, the stations on Red Deer Lake, known
as Notre Dame des Victoires and He a la Cross, in
1845.
After spending ten years in Indian labors, he
returned to Red River, where he settled down in the
parish of St. Francois Xavier, and where he was
appointed vicar-general of the diocese. M. Demers
became Bishop of Vancouver Island, while M. Darveau
was drowned at Dog Bay, in Lake Winnipeg, in 1844,
while on a visit to a post under his charge. In 1841
was established the order of the Oblats de Marie
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 545
l'lmmaculee, founded by the Rev. C. J. Eugene de
Mazenod, Bishop of Marseilles, in 1 S 1 6 , in France.
This order required of its members poverty, chastity,
obedience, and perseverance,
To the li*' v. Pere I Principal of this Order
in Canada, Bishop Provencher, in 1844, applied for
^t him in working his missions. In
to this request, early in L845 the Rev, Pere
Aubert and Frere Alexander Tache*, were sent to Red
River. On their arrival. Pere Hubert was appointed
i of the diocese, while Frere Tache' was
lined a priest bj Provencher, an<l after
having finished his novitiate, admitted into the order
of the Oblate These priests were accompanied to the
settlement by two ladies, members of the order of the
Grey Nuns of Canada, who cam.' to strengthen the
r incepted in 1844, by the arrival of
Valade, I. and Lafranoe, members of the
Grey Nunnery of Montreal, who also came at the call
of Bishop Provencher, to found a branch of their ordef
at St. Boniface, an d open • school for the instruction
of the youth growing up under his charge
On the 9th of November, 184H, Frere Faraud arrived
at St. Boniface. After palming the grade of sub-
deacon he was ordained a priest by Bishop Provencher
in 1847, and appointed to accompany the plain hunters
on their fall trip. In 1848, he went to He a la Crosse,
and to Athabasca in 1849, where he permanently
resided, at the mission of the Nativity, a station
founded at the western extremety of Athabasca Lake,
by Kgr. Tache' in 1847. From 1844 to 1850, Bishop
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
Provencher conducted personally the episcopal busi-
01 his diocese ; in 1850 a co-ndjutant and successor
was appointed on the 14th of June, in the person
of Pore Tacho, with the title of Bishop of Arath, and
the Darnel of the diocese changed from that of the
to that of St. Boniface. Daring this year
Pere Tacht- visited Europe, where he was consecrated
in the Cathedral of Vivien, by Archbishop (iuibert of
Tours, and Bishop Mazennd of Marseilles, as also
appointed 1'V the latter, Superior General in Red River
of the Order of Oblats. After paying a short visit to
Rome, he returned to He a la Grosse, arriving there on
the 10th of September, 1852.
On the 7th of June, 1853, Bishop Provencher died
in his palace at St. Boniface. His memory is held
in high respect by all who were privileged personally
to know him, and especially by the poor of his own
parish. His name will be long remembered and asso-
ciated with the cathedral destroyed seven years later,
whose two towers, standing 150 feet in height, were
prominent objects in the landscape, and seen from a
great distance on the prairies. They possessed a chime
of bells of singular sweetness, which Whittier, the
American poet, beautifully refers to in his " Canadian
Voyageur":
"Is it the clang of the wild geese,
Is it the Indian's yell, ^
That lends to the voice of the north wind
The tones of a far-off bell ?
11 The voyageur smiles as he listens
To the sound that grows apace ;
HISTORY OF MAMloi'.A. 547
Well be kn«»\vs the vesper ringing
Of the bells oi face.
M Tlu- belli of the Roman M
That nil from their turrets twain.
To the boatman on the river,
he banter <>n the plain.
•• Bren 10 In oui mortal journey
The hitter north winds Mow,
And thus upon life's red rrrer
Our hearts, as the oarsmen, row.
ad when the angel of shadow
s his feet on wave and shore.
And our hearts grow dim with watching,
And our hearts faint at the oar,
M Sappy is he wlio heareth
The signal of h
In the bells of the holy I
The eh rnal pear.
On the 3rd <»f November, 1864, Bishop Tache, as
successor to the deceased prelate, arrived at Red River
from He a la Crosse, ;md took possession of his cathe-
dral church and palace at St. Boniface. In August of
this year also, there arrived in the settlement from
France, Pere Vital Grandin, who accompanied Bishop
Taele: on a tour to Athabasca in 1855. On the 10th
of December, 1857, by virtue of a papal bull of that
date, Pere Vital (Jrandin was formally nominated co-
adjutant and successor to I iishop Tache, with the title
of Bishop of Satala. On the 30th of November,
1 b59, he was consecrated in the temporary cathedral
of St. Martin, at Marseilles, by Bishop Mazenod.
ill- lKITOBA.
Though in pooi health, he returned to hia station at
0. In L858, Pew La Comb estab-
lished St. Albert's Mission, nine miles west of Edmon-
ton, now the largest and most prosperous mission in
thf North-West At this time it was simply an
Indian and 1 1 camping-ground j it is now tin4
of a bll with palace, cathedral, nunnery.
and rations other buildings, all large and well fur-
nished, the ]• ne being i handsome frame struc-
ture three stories in height, lighted by rows
inner windows, bavin and well-lighted
meat In L867, Pere La Coinl» was succeeded by
La DUO, and still later by the Bishop of Grandin,
in 1871.
In I860, during a protracted visit of Bishop Tach^
to his Saskatchewan missions, the cathedral, school
and palace at St Boniface were destroyed by fire, the
details of which are found elsewhere in our pages. In
1861, he visited Europe, with the double purpose in
view of raising funds for the erection of the present
church and palace, and making the preliminary ar-
rangements for a division of his diocese, separating the
Mackenzie River and Athabasca districts into a separate
bishopric, with the Rev. Pere Faraud as Bishop, under
the title of Bishop of Anemour. He was consecrated
by Archbishop Guibert, in the Metropolitan Cathedral
of Tours, on the 30th of November, 1863, returning to
his diocese in 1865.
In 1861, Bishop Grandin proceeded on a tour
through the Mackenzie and Athabasca regions, where
he founded a depot which he called Providence ; this
BISTORY OF MANITOBA. 549
residence of a new bishop.
Aiter penetrating a< far as Fort Norman, be returned
to He ;\ la < 'rosse. which i 1 in 1 1 1 * * heart of the
in
Another mi --ion station, worthy of a more extended
notice, is that of Lac la Biche, situated od the shore of
of that name, about nine miles north-wesi of
Bay post, in latitats 55°, Her.', long
re railways were thought of, the Fathers, with
their Indian wards, sowed, harrowed, reaped, and
ground into flour, both excellent wheat and barley.
To follow the ever-wideni Bam of mission
effort put forth by the Roman Catholic Church of Red
i is more than in mi compass I am able
irform : to judge of its influence in those early
. mply im All honor to it and
the A tair noble, self-denying efforts
in the days which fa md 1 could find
no better fitting words to conclude this article, than
a writer in the Toronto Saturday Night, who
speaks thus : —
'• Whatever the bickerings of party politicians, what-
ever the aim ring ami ambitions men, DO W-
ious antipathies in Eastern Canada
may be, tie* writer (a Protestant) wishes to bear his
mony to the devotedness, earnestness and simplicity
of the Roman Catholic missionaries in the far north
portion of the far North- West. Where can be found a
ampler, more gentle, earnest old man than Bishop
( hmndin, who -•• extends over the territory north
of the Saskatchewan ? A more lovable old man the
BISTORT OF MANITOBA.
writer never met. To show what the Catholic mis-
sionaries will do, the case of Father Legoff may be
mentioned When the writer first met him he mis-
took him for an Indian. Father Legoff wasborn in
Quebec and is of good birth, being descended from a
line of aristocratic nobles of Old France.
thirty end forty yean tgp he volunteered
tussionary work in the tforth-West, and when the
writer met him he had been for twenty-aeven years s
missionary to s little band of Wood Orees and Ohip-
pewayans at their settlement, 2G0 miles north-east
from Edmonton and civilization. He was as tanned
as an Indian, his clothes were ragged and torn, he
looked ill and weary, but to hear him talk, as he sat
at supper in the writer's tent, in the finest French (he
cannot speak a word of English), to see his eye kindle
and light up with enthusiasm as he spoke of the
gratitude of the poor uncultured Indians under his
charge, to gradually come to ascertain his gentleness
of character, his childlike religious simplicity, to
understand the hardships he had passed through— of ten
in winter on the verge of starvation— to gradually take
in all that he.had given up, all that he had voluntarily
assumed, was to love the shabby-looking priest, and to
wish the world contained more such noble men and
noble Christians. For months at a time this devoted
priest never saw a newspaper or received a letter. For
months at a time he never had a chance to talk in his
native language. His diet was that of the Indians,
coarse, plain, ill-cooked; he would work with the
Indians on their little patches of clearances ; he bap-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 551
tized, married, buried them, and when his own time
comes will l>e buried by them. And the case of this
spare-looking, devoted, noble priest is but one of the
many. Self-denial, self-abnegation is their characl
Bather Damiens can be found, even in the
solitude and vastness of the far north of the far
North-W
The Cathedra] of St. Boniface, consumed by fire in
18G0, has been replaced by a stone edifice of neat
design, | iplendid organ, a gift from the
Archbishop's numerous friends in Quebec, and with his
Lordship's ])alace, also constructed of stone, and the
large and handsome buildings of the college and nun-
nery close by, form pleasing and attractive objects in
the landscape. T of St Boniface have also
an hospital for curable be, with eleven beds,
almo tupied by sufferers of all creeds and
national";- an orphanage, and a refuge for
infirm and helpless female
ciH'RCH OF ENGLAND.
The first Church of England missionary to the Red
River settlement was the Rev. John West, who, accom-
panied by a school teacher, named Mr. Sarbridge,
reached York Factory in October, 1820. Finding that
his sphere of labor amongst the settlers, who were
mostly of Scottish origin and Presbyterian by pro-
ion, would be limited, he determined to seek B
wider range of usefulness among the Indians at York
lory, end by many acts of kindness soon won his
way to the red man's favor. Seeing their poverty
HISTORY 01 MANITOBA.
and deep moral degradation, he determined, if possible,
to educate ami train some of the children for future
countrymen. With this pur-
pose in new he Buooeeded in getting some boys from
Indians settled STOnnd the factory, whom he took
with him to Red River. Arriving there he at once set
ark, and on or near the spot where now stands St.
a'a Church erected a r lol-house, which also
- a church, a portion being fitted up as the
residence, Sere, with these Indian children
and the children of a few traders and settlers, he
Diced the first elementary >chool, the embryo of
the many schools and colleges now scattered throughout
Manitoba.
Peeling an argent need for financial assistance, Mr.
West applied to the Church Missionary Society in
England. His appeal was supported by the influence
of the Hudson Bay Company, and was so successful
that between the years 1822 and 1857 no less a sum
than £50,000 was granted for missionary and
educational work in Rupert's Land. On the expiration
of his engagement in 1823, Mr. West returned to
England by way of York Factory, meeting there his
successor, the Rev. D. T. Jones. Under Mr. Jones'
regime, the original wooden church erected by Mr.
West, was replaced by one of stone, the foundations of
which can still be traced in the cemetery. This church
was opened for worship in 1834, and was known as St.
John's, or the Upper Church.
The parish extended five miles down the Red River,
from the point where it is joined by the Assiniboine. In
HISTORY' OF MANITOBA. ■>•'•>
1824, Mr. Jones Pounded another mission six miles
farther down the river, known as the Middle Church,
or St. Paul's. In 1825, he was joined by the Rev.
William Cochrane, a ds Archdeacon, who is
tyled the father of the English Church in Red
r. The- tmen labored conjointly between
St Paul's and the Dpper Church during the year 1825.
In 1826, Mr. Jones r< to England, on leave of
absei ir, leaving Mr. Cochrane alone in the
at On Mr. Jones' return in 1827, he moved
I i; ipid i A herwise known as St. Andrew's, where,
on behalf of the ( ionary Society, he estab-
lished a third mission station l'<>r the benefit of those
too irreat a distance from either St.
John's Here, for tie- b] year, he
held divine worship at his residence, till in 1829, a
ipleted, which did duty as school-
bouse and church till 1882, when another and larger
ice was erected to meet the wants of tie- increasing
fregation. The school-house referred to was that
in which tie- Honorable Donald Gunn, the Bed River
rian, taught for many years.
In 1 882, John IfcCallum arrived in the settlement,
and, under the patronage of Mr. done-, established the
first educational boarding institution for the benefit of
the families of the Hudson hay Company's officers and
the better class of settlers. This institution was suc-
ul from its inception.
In 1886, Mr. Cochrane, still on the aggressive, estab-
lished a mission among the Indians farther down the
river from St. Andrew's, at a point known as St.
BISI0R1 OF MANITOBA.
Peter's, or the Indian settlement Here he persuaded
the red men to settle down and cultivate the forma
placed at their disposal Be personally superintended
the • of a church built that year for their use,
walking twelve miles daily fot that purpose, Associ-
ating with them daring the day, and encouraging them
in their labors, he succeeded in establishing the most
il Indian mission in Rupert's Land, the settle-
ment around which lia> increased, and to-day its snug
lafttlly Canned fields are still in the
• ssion of a Christianized and civilized Indian
population.
In 1888, Mr. Jon.- returned to England. Leaving the
entu the upper and middle parishes to Mr.
Cochrane. In 1889, the arrival of the Rev. John
Smethur>t relieved him from the exclusive charge of
the Indian mission and enabled him to devote his
energies to St. John's, St. Paul's and St. Andrew's.
In 1841 the Rev. Abrain Cowley, afterwards Arch-
deacon, arrived and took charge of St. Paul's. Mr. and
Mrs. Cowley came by way of Quebec, but such were
the difficulties of travel at that early period, that in
order to reach the settlement, they had to return to
England and come out by Hudson Bay boat.
In 1844, Dr. Mountain, Bishop of Montreal, at the
request of the Church Missionary Society, made the
first episcopal visit to the North-West. During this
visit the Rev. Mr. Cowley was ordained, and spent
the first fifteen years of his residence in the Indian
country lying to the north. Mr. McCallum was also
ordained, and appointed to the charge of the upper
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 555
parish of St John's, In L844 also, the Rev. James
afterwards Arcl came to the settle-
ment, uid was from that date till L852, engaged in
the Indian mission work in the interior. In 1846, the
arrived and took charge of the
- Andrew's, Mr. Cochrane taking that of
St. John's, and continuing the regular minister until
1850, In 1849 occurred the death of the Rev. John
McCallum, a loss severely felt by the school which
he had founded An important suit in chancery,
which had been dragging its weary length from L838,
at the hasten family of deceased Chief Factor
James Leith, Esq., who had in that year bequeathed
the sum of £12,000 to he spent in behalf of Indian
missions in Rupert's Land, was decided in this year.
, Langdi i the Rolls, by an order in
I the case according to the original
intention of the donor, on the strength of an overture
made by tin- Hudson I y.iy Company, that should the
said sum aside for the original purpose, they
would add to the same the amount of £300 sterling
per annum, to endow a bishopric, BO as to give to the
see an annual income of £700. Thus provided for,
her Majesty, by letters patent, founded the bishopric
of Rupert's Land, extending from the coast of Labra-
dor on the east to tin.' Rocky Mountains on the west.
In this same year the Rev. David Anderson, Kxeter
College, Oxford, was appointed the first Bishop of
Rupert's Land, and con-aerated in Canterbury Cathe-
dral. Bishop Anderson arrived at Red River, by
way of Yorl ry, in tie lull of the same year,
BISTORT or MANITOBA.
and established his bead-quarters when Mr. West
^ed the first mission -ehool and church in 1831,
naming his church the Cathedral of St. John's, and the
capacious dwelling-house adjacent, Riven him by the
Hudson Bay Company for an episcopal residence,
iop's Court.
One of his first official sets mi the consecration of
the stone church at St. Andrew's, the building of
which had been brought to a successful issue by the
efforts of Archdeacon Cochrane, and which was then
regarded as the finest Protestant church in the settle-
ment. < >n the 23rd of December he ordained Mr. Bird,
one of the Indian hoys brought by Mr. West from
York Factory, who was afterwards appointed to the
charge vacated by Archdeacon Hunter, in 1855. In
this year also the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt arrived
from England. Bishop Anderson also instituted two
Archdeaconries in Rupert's Land, viz., those of Assini-
boia and Cumberland. The Rev. William Cochrane
was appointed to the first and the Rev. James Hunter
to the latter. He also divided the settlement under
his care into parishes, and when not otherwise engaged
in superintending his large diocese, officiated as clergy-
man at the Upper Church, and teacher in St. John's
school. In this year the Rev. John Chapman was
appointed incumbent of St. Paul's, or the Middle
Church, which up to this date had been supplied by
the ministers of St. John's and St. Andrew's" A new
church had been erected in 1844. Mr. Chapman con-
tinued as incumbent until 1864.
In 1850, on the retirement of Rev. John Smethurst
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 557
from the Indian settlement, Mr. Cochrane went to reside
permanently at St. Peter's, amongst his Indian wards.
The wooden church he had built in 1836, soon gave
way to one of stone, completed and opened for wor-
ship in 1854. In 1850, a church was built in the
parish of St. James, which extends westward for seven
miles along the Aasiniboine, from its confluence with
the Red River, and the Rev. Henry William Taylor,
S. P. C. K., missionary, was appointed incumbent, a
position which he held until 1867. InAugustof 1851
Mr. Borden, now bishop of the diocese of Moosonee,
arrived in the settlement, by way of Moose Fort.
In L859 Archdeacon Hunter, from Cumberland, was
appointed to the charge of St. Andrew's, vacated by
the return of the Rev. Mr .lames to England Mr.
Hunter continued* in charge oft until I
when he also returned to England, and was succeeded
the Rev. J. P. Gardiner. In September of this
same year, the Rev. Henry George arrived at Red
River, by York Factory. Bishop Anderson also
ordained William Stag, as also William Mason, who
up to that time had been a Methodist minister.
In 1854, Mr. Cochrane founded a mission at Portage
la Prairie. He was succeeded in his charge at the
Indian settlement by Mr. Cowley, who continued
there till his death. Mr. Cowley was succeeded at St.
Peter's by the Rev. Henry Cochrane, who, although of
the same name as the Archdeacon, was not related to
him. In 1854, a church was erected west of St. James',
in the parish known as Headingly, or Holy Trinity,
and the Rev. Griffith Owen Corbett, of the Colonial
558 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
and Continental Society, was appointed incumbent.
He held this position until L868, when be was suc-
i by Rev. Henry Cochran.', and still later, in
1866, by the Rev Junes Carrie. In 1856, Bishop
Anderson returned to England to raise funds for the
erection of a new church in his own parish, and the
nt edifice, which was erected and opened for
worship in lN<i*2. ifl the result of that mission. In
1864, Bishop Anderson, to the regret of his many
friends, returned to England, and resigned his see into
the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was
succeeded by the Rev. Robert Ma eh ray, Fellow and
Dean of College, Cambridge, who was conse-
crated in Westminster Abbey on the 24th of June,
and arrived in Red River on the 13th October, 1865.
On the death of Archdeacon Cochrane, in this same
year, the Rev. John McLean, of King's College, Aber-
deen, Scotland, and later of St. Paul's Church, London,
C. W., in the diocese of Toronto, was appointed arch-
deacon. He arrived in Red River in 1866, and in
addition to the office of archdeacon, wras appointed to
the charge of the cathedral parish and wardency of St.
John's College. During the interim between the depar-
ture of Dr. Anderson and the arrival of Dr. Machray,
the Rev. Thomas Thistlewaite Smith, of the C. M. S.,
conducted service at St. John's. Adjoining the parish
of Headingly, westward along the Assiniboine, are St.
Margaret's, St. Anne's and St. Mary's, all of them
founded by Archdeacon Cochrane ; the two first-men-
tioned were supplied by the Rev. Thomas Cochrane,
son of the Archdeacon, till 1864, when the Rev. John
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 559
Chapman was appointed resident clergyman. Mr.
Chapman retiring in 1866, the Rev. Henry George, of
supplied i itions till 1868, when the
Rev. Gilbert Cook was appointed On the death of
Archdeacon Cochrane, in 1865, the Rev. Ihnry George,
then at Westboorne, was appointed to the charge of
St. Mary's, Portage la Prairie Mr. 1 1 led in the
fall of 1881.
The missionary efforts of the Church of England
wn< ' [ndians of the North- West, which have
1 een quietly carried on for more than half a century,
are now widely extended, and have borne abundant
fruit The whole of the erritory from east to
west la dotted with well-equipped and Sourishing
mission stati I which are to be found even
within the Arctic circle To solve the problem of the
aan's physical, mental and spiritual well-being, the
lom of mature and combined ezperi
free-will offerings of those who have learned in
Christ the true brotherhood of man, as well as the
unflinching devotion and self-sacrifice of many who
counted not their own lives dear unto them, have been
uded The great missionary societies of the
Mother Church have been the chief agencies through
which this work has been carried on, notably the
Church Missionary Society, which for fifty years has
taken the lead in providing both men and means.
Many native clergy, educated though its instrumen-
tality, have been long engaged in missionary work.
The Rev. Henry Cochrane, of St. Peter's, is a noted
example ; as also the Rev. Mr. Settee, one of the boys
-
p
g
-
o
o
to
—I
i
-
a
i 8
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 561
brought from York Factory by Mr. West, who was the
first native catechist and clergyman, and who, after
fifty years' service in the Master's work, still resides at
St. Peter's. The Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel in Foreign Parts, the Colonial and Continental
Society, and the Society for the Promotion of Christian
Knowledge, have also aided largely in sustaining mis-
sions in the North- W
Of the twenty-four clergymen engaged in the dio-
cese of Rupert's Land in is? I, fifteen were employed
in mission work among the Indians, assist.'. 1 by cate-
chists and -ehool teachers, the remainder officiating in
collegiate and parochial work in the settlement,
Till the cession of the country to Canada in 1870,
the history of the English I 'hurch in the Red Rivei
a the Protestant element is concerned, is largely
the history of the country itself.
The little cause begun by Mr. West, in 1821, in that
beautiful spot on the banks of the now historic Red
r, has, like a mountain stream, small in its origin,
widened out to a mighty river, with branches spread
out over the land. The diocese created in 1849,
stretching from the rock-bound coast of Labrador in
the east to the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Moun-
tains in the west, from the dividing line of the nations
on to the Polar seas, has now become the centre of seven
bishoprics. At the Arctic circle we find Bishop
Bompass, at Calgary Bishop Pinkham, at Fort Chip-
pewayan Bishop Young, at Qu'Appelle Bishop Anson,
at Moose Factory Bishop Horden. What Westminster
Abbey is to Old England, St. John's, nestling among
HISTORY Of MANITOl'.A.
its beautiful foliage, In quaint and quiet simplicity, is
to Red K\^ < t I [ere laid away in the old people's por-
tion of the cemetery, theit graves carefully tended, lie
tins of our honored dead, [abiaier, Norquay,
v. T. D. Jones, and many others who have
figured prominently in the early history of the settle-
•. Th« wooden eroaaea and slabs, now black with
£eh mark the last resting-place of many
of the pioneers, apeak of an era in which there were
trials and difficulties, which have happily passed away.
Noble I. and stately edifices and churches have
D the place of the log school-house and church.
The adjacent village of Winnipeg, which in 1871 only
numbered 500 souls, is now a populous city of 25,000
inhabitants. Old Fort Garry, with its many historic
associations, is a thing of the past, so also the other
forts and more distant landmarks. The vandalism of
the age has swept all away; change is over all, the old
historic mission stations have become the centres of
new districts and more extended operations, and new
men, who have taken the place of those who braved the
hardships of what Archdeacon Cochrane called " the
Wilderness," will, no doubt, be honored when they, too,
sleep with their fathers. Such names as Grisdale,
Matheson and O'Meara belong more to the present day
and the present state of things than to the old. But
they will, no doubt, be honored by the future historian
when they, too, sleep with their fathers.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 563
PRESBYTERIAN
The first Presbyterian missionary to the North-
Wesl was Mr. James Sutherland, in 1811, who was
authorize- 1 to marry, baptise, and attend to the
spiritual wants of his fellow-c mntrymen, until the
arrival of a regularly ordained minister. One of the
stipulations the Scotch pioneers made with Lord
Selkirk, before leaving their native homes, was that
they should have a clergyman of their own persuasion.
This Selkirk acceded to, and proffered the appoint-
ment to the Rev. Donald Sage, the son of the parish
minister of Kildonan. Mr. Sage desiring a year to
perfect his studies in Gaelic, Mr. Sutherland, being an
ordaine.l elder, was sent as a substitute pro tern. Before
Leaving the settlement in 1817, Lord Selkirk again
repeated Ins promise to the colonists, who had iSsem-
hifl Call, and it i >1 left the matter in
; Mr. Pritehard, I I at Red River, with
instructions to attend to the same.
The arrival of Mr. West, in 1820, was a disappoint-
ment to both parties, for two reasons : first, to Mr.
West, who felt hifl usefulness curtailed because of his
inability to speak the Gaelic ; second, the Scotch
Presbyterians could not or would not take kindly to
the use of the Book of Common Prayer. Mr. West
on his arrival in the settlement, built his first church
on the ground granted by Lord Selkirk to the Scotch
pioneers for that purpose. In order to increase his
usefulnesfl amongst them, he used Rowse's version
of the Psalms, and held one of the services on the Sab-
BlflfTORt 0* MAMK»i;.\.
bath after the Presbyterian form. About the time of
Mr. West's return to England, a petition was forwarded
to the Bndson Bay Company, desiring a clergyman of
tli. ir own persuasion to be sent out to them ; no
notice, apparently, was ever taken of this, and the
fate of the petition was known only when two years
afterwards it was found in a butter-tab, which had
been shipped that year from England
After the purchase of the colony by the Hudson
Bay Company, several leading colonists again peti-
tioned that honorable body to send them a Presby-
terian clergyman, as also to contribute to his support,
giving as their reason for doing so, Lord Selkirk's un-
fulfilled promise. To this memorial the company
replied, that when the colony had been re-transferred
by Selkirk's executors to them, no mention had been
made of such stipulation. Two affidavits were then
sent to London by the Presbyterian party : the first
stating the verbal promise made in Scotland, the se-
cond describing the circumstances under which it was
repeated in Red River. The company, however, re-
fused to view the promise as a stipulation for a min-
ister of the Presbyterian faith. The petition was then
sent to the Rev. Dr. Brown, of Aberdeen, Scotland,
Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church,
and the Rev. John Bonar, Glasgow, Convener of the
General Assemblies' Colonial Committee, both of whom
endeavored to meet the wants of their Red River
friends. These gentlemen in 1849 replied, stating that
they could not induce any clergyman to accept the
charge. An application was then made to the Hudson
HISTORY OF MANIInllA. 565
Bay Company for the transfer of the church and land
from the possession of the Episcopal to the Presby-
terian Church. In 1851, the matter was finally
ed by the company making over to the Presby-
terian community a lot on Frog Plain, on which the
present church is erected, together with the sum of
£150 sterling. This may be said to he the first
Presbyterian organization in Red River. The respon-
sibility of obtaining a Presbyterian minister having
rred from the Church in Scotland to the
Presbyterian Church in Canada, and all negotiations
having been satisfactorily completed, as also a manse
built, the Rev. John Black came to the colony in 1851,
and held divine service in the manse, until a stone
church was erected and opened on the 5th of January,
1 854, which, in the words of the old mason, who, after
completing his work, gazed with loving eyes on the
v pile before him, " There," said he, " keep pouther
and ill hannfl aff her, an' she'll staun for a hunner years
an' lnair."
On the arrival of Mr. Black, 300 of the Scotch popu-
lation, most of whom were the descendants of Sel-
kirk's settlers, separated themselves from the Church
of St. John's, then under the pastoral care of Bishop
Anderson. In 1853, this congregation erected another
church, fourteen miles farther down the river, called
Little Britain, in which Mr. Black officiated every two
weeks on Sunday afternoons, until 1862, when the
Rev. James Nesbitt arrived to assist Mr. Black. In
1866, Mr. Nesbitt went to found a mission at Prince
Albert, on the North Saskatchewan, the duties of
566 history of man nor, A.
which he continued to discharge till his death, in 1874,
and was 1 in hifl at Little Britain by
. aider liatheson
In 1866, a church was (milt at Beadingly ; in 18G8
Mr. Ifatheson returned to I Sanada, and the Rev. William
Fletcher was appointed to tl In this same
was built in the village ol Winni-
peg, afterwards known as Knox Church, in which Dr.
Black preached In L871, tl Prof. Brycewaa
sent by the General Assembly to open what is now
known as Manitoba ami to assume for the
time being the pastorate of Knox Church, which was
detached from Kildonan in LS72.
In ls72, the Rev. Prof. Hart was also sent out, as
the representative of the church of Scotland, to assist
Mr. Bryce in the work of the college, which was
established at Kildonan in 1871. In 1874, the Rev.
.Taints Robertson was ordained the first regular pastor
of Knox Church and congregation, a charge which he
held until 1 SM , when he was appointed Superintendent
of Missions in the North- West The new church,
erected during his pastorate, was disposed of during
the boom. In 1874 also, Manitoba College was re-
moved from Kildonan to Winnipeg, the buildings of
which, becoming too small for the accommodation
required, were disposed of in the beginning of the boom
in 1881, and the present handsome stone and brick
structure erected, the corner-stone of which was laid
in August of 1882 by Lord Lome, on the occasion of
his visit to Winnipeg and the North-West.
In August of 1882, the Rev. D. M. Gordon, of
Ottawa, succeeded to the charge of the congregation,
history OF MANITOBA. 567
and continued in the same for five years, during which
the present hands me edifice on Portage Avenue
lied The congregation becoming very large,
about thirty enerj mbera determined bo hive off
and form a second con in, to be called St.
Andr boated in the northern part of the city.
So friendly was the Spirit of the parent church to that
of its offspring, that they determined to move from
bra! location to s site near Manitoba Coll
so as to better divide the city into two parishes, and
cause >10,000 towards the erection of
a new church, increasing it to S25,000 on realizing
more than they expected from the sale of the old
edifice. In 1888, the General Assembly called the
Dr. King from I St. James' square
Church, Toronto, and appointed him to the Principal-
ship of Manitoba < Soll<
The ti. ees of St. Aii were held in the
old court-house, where the Ryan and Clement bl<
now stand, on Main Street ; subsequently they removed
to their present place of worship, in Selkirk Hall.
The first pastor was the Rev. C. B. Pitblado, who
was appointed to the charge in October, 1881, and
wh<» continued in the same till March, 1888, when the
lent pastor, the Rev. Joseph Hogg, of Moncton,
N. B., succeeded him. In 1885, another hiving-off took
place in St. Andrew's, known as the North Presby-
■ n Church, the first pastor of which was the Rev.
D. P>. Whimster, who was appointed in 1885, and
during whose pastorate the present handsome brick
church was erected. He was succeeded by the present
pastor, the Rev. John Hogg, of Toronto. In 1887,
568
MANITOBA.
Augustine Church was erected on the south side of the
diboine, and the Rev. A. B. Baird, who was also
attached to the college staff, appointed in charge as
missionary.
In 1888, the Rev. F. B. Duval, of Toledo, Ohio,
succeeded Mr. Gordon in charge of Knox Church,
when.' he still remains. Manitoba College has steadily
poshed its way to the front as an educational institu-
and steads to-day in the front rank. In 1877,
an Act was passed in the Legislature, combining the
is colleges, St. John's, Manitoba and St. Boniface,
in one University organization, with equal representa-
tion in the University Council, so that the latter is
made up of bishops, Presbyterian elders, priests and
presbyters blended together. It is to the credit of
Manitoba that educational problems, considered inso-
luble in other countries and even in other provinces
of the union, have been quickly and peacefully solved.
These colleges give the instruction in their own halls.
At the annual examinations the students appear in
the distinctive costume of their alma maters.
The following tabulated statistics will show the
growth of Presbyterianism in these later days in the
Prairie Province : —
1871.
1882.
1884.
1888.
1889.
Congregations and Mission
Stations
9
189
189
6
2
129
2,027
1,355
18
3
251
3,893
3,728
52
13
433
5,839
6,906
109
26
473
Families
6,797
7,677
Communicants
Churches
123
Manses
26
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 569
BAPTISTS.
Baptist missions date their inception in Manitoba
from the advent of the Rev. Alex. McDonald in
Winnipeg in 1875 (now of Grafton, Dakota). Mr.
McDonald found a young cause, which he worked up
successfully. At this time there was no corporate
belonging to the denomination to take hold of
mission work, and the Home Mission Board of Ontario
could not act constitutionally out of their own domain.
Under Mr. McDonald's pastorate, the present edifice
t Church, Winnipeg, as it is now known, in dis-
tinction from that on I Street) was erected.
In L #79, a college wasopened at Rapid City, under the
management of P r Crawford and G. B. Davis.
In 1 880 a station was also opened at Portage la Prairie,
with the Etev. W. Turner (now of Dakota) in char
this mission has materially grown and prospered under
successive pastors, the present being the Rev. J. C.
McDonald. In I>SS2, Mr. Alex. McDonald was succeeded
in.hi of the First Church by Mr. Cameron,
who was eminently successful and deservedly popular.
In 1888, the Rapid City college, owing to lack of endow-
ment, was resolved into an academy, which continued
till 1889, when a desire being expressed, on the part of
the body, fox a denominational college, situated in
the city of Brandon, Professor McKee, to remove all
obstacles out of the way, closed down the academy.
Owing to lack of means, this has not as yet been
accomplished, hut provision has been made, by the
Educational Board of the Church, to provide instruction
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
for the Btudenta in Winnip t, ,n. The pro-
gress of the missions has of late years been very
rapid. There are now twenty-three organized churches,
Convention held on August 1st, 1890, no
less than twefityH ighi young meo proffered themselves
as stttdenta for the ministry. Following are the names
end churches: —
Mini bership.
3
73.
'35
1
1
Brandon
Boissevain
Calgary
Cheslev
Rev. W. H. Jenkins.
A. B. Reekie, Student.
George Cross
James Bracken
ThomM Mulligan ....
H. H. Hall
83
19
20
10
23
44
17
37
23
6
90
57
70
28
30
381
36
24
50
4
3
8
23
19
1
"l
45
19
12
3
"2
133
23
23
18
23
: son
67
Morden
James Bracken
D. D. .McArthur
D. H. McGillivray ..
A. T. Robinson
J. C. McDonald
F. W. Auvache
D. D. McArthur ....
J. Keay
36
Manitou
Oak Lake
Portage la Prairie
Pilot Mound j
Rapid City j
Shoal Lake j
Strathclair
Winnipeg, 1st Church . .
" Fonseca St. .
Whitewater
38
.23
7
135
76
82
J. H. Doolittle
D. H. McGillivray ..
H. C. Sweet
D. H. McGillivray. . .
Alex. Grant
W. F. Irvine
H. C. Sweet
31
30
381
38
24
9981 190
1188
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 571
During the year ending August, 1890, the amount
required for pastors1 salaries was $9,084.58; $7,007.08
>, tlif Missionary Board
grani >f $2,077.50. Five new chun
been organized during the year, viz., Carman,
irnduffand Rose Mound Of
ntributed to foreign mis-
irinc the was contributed by
Manitoba alone.
WB8LETAN missions.
Thefil m fields in the Hudson T>av territory, or
Ruj»- ied by Methodist missionaries were
those of Norway House, Moms,- Factory, Edmonton
H,,i; aie, and Pic River and it is said that
from 1 840 to 1854 the English V n Missionary
tided no less than 814. OOO in sustaining
H.i . Mission
Edmonton H< I'Ied by :
Robarl F. Etondle bom 1840 to L849
1 860 1853
Bern ... 1854 1
Thomas Wool»ey 1855 1
1860 1867
1868 1860
1870 1873
Ojdobo 1 1 « » i s K .
,.rr Brooking from 1854 to 1856
1857 1865
John . . . 1866 1868
:>7-2 HIstmiiv OF M LNITOBiu
Norway House.
I from 18-40 to 1841
Jiu : Jaoobi . . 1842
JamM Evans indWa. Mason 1842 1845
William Mason L846 1853
Thomas Hurll.ut L8M 1856
I: 1857 1859
George McDoucjall 1860 1863
Charles StringMluw 1864 1867
Egert..n K. V«.un- 1868 1872
John ft Button 1873 1878
l.v i a 1'i.riK.
William Mason from 1840 to 1842
Peter Jacobs 1843 1850
Vacant 1850 1853
Allan Salt 1854 1857
Vacant 1858 1859
James Ashquabe 1860 1861
Winnipeg, Red River.
George Young from 1868 to 1873
Nelson River.
John Semmens from 1873
High Bluff.
Matthew Robinson from 1869 to 1871
Michael Fawcet 1872 1873
Headinoly and Boyne Settlement.
Allan Bowerman from 1872 to 1873
I cannot, in the compass of this sketch, mention the
numberless mission fields which have been opened up
of late years in Manitoba and the North-West
Territories, nor the names of the workers engaged
BISID&Y OF MANITOBA. 573
therein. Many of those above-mentioned have become
famous, in one way or other. We have, for instance,
. fames Evans an<l his 00-WOrker, Il-nry Bird Stein-
hauer.a pure-blooded [ndian,whoinvented and perfected
the Cree syllabic characters, now used in printing
booka in the [ndian language. It is only necessary to
mention the name of ( leorge Ifcl tougall, whose devoted
lit'.' amongst the Indians in the far West, and his
leath, have made his name a household word
Qghont Canada; as also his Bcarcely lees devoted
son, .John IfcDougall. Nor would it he just to pass by
the name of John Etyerson, whose missionary tour
in 1854 through the Hudson Hay, in connection with
the transfer of the management of the missions from
the London Missionary Committee to the Canadian
aid to have coat aim his Life, The
exposun- and fatigue which he suffered from his Long
journey of 1 .VM) miles in a Hudson Hay trailing yacht,
and 1.1 00 with bark canoe, 80 told upon his physical
powers, that he had to seek retirement for the
remainder of his lit'.'. The name of Dr. Young will
occupy a prominent position in Manitoba history,
in connection with the death of Scott, and the fact
that to him belongs the honor of niacins the Methodist
Church on a good looting in the North-West.
In the Manitoba and North-West work was
organized into a separate Conference, with Rev. Dr.
George Young as its first President. Rev. Dr. Stafford,
now of Toronto, wa oond President, followed
the next year by Superintendent Woodsworth,* of
Brandon. Rev. A. Langford, of Grace Church, was
574 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
elected to the presidency in issti, and in IS 87, Prof.
Stewart, of Wesley College. Since ife organisation, in
1883, and more especially since the Union of 1884,
when all the bodies of Methodists throughout the
iniOD w.r-unit.d. this Church has made wonder-
ful | in this new OOUntry. The number of
ehing stations has inereaeed from fifty-four in
1884, to 181 in 1890. About 200 preaching appoint-
ment Jso been added The membership of the
Church ha- inereaeed abon* 7,000 since iss4. At the
recent Conference held in Brandon, in dune, it was
found that it had now a membership of about 10,000,
and that more than *100,000 was raised last year to
cany 00 it- work. It has church property throughout
the country in the shape of churches, parsonages, etc.;
valued at nearly $300,000. It also supports a college
for the training of young ministers.
congre<;ati<>nalist.
The first Congregational church was organized in
the city of Winnipeg in 1879, by the Rev. William
Ewing, B.A., who remained for about two years, when
he returned to the United States, where he now occu-
pies the position of Superintendent of Sabbath -schools
for North Dakota. He was succeeded by Rev. G. B.
Silcox, under whose pastorate the present handsome
church was erected. Mr. Silcox made a name for
himself, not yet forgotten, of being the most eloquent
preacher west of the great lakes in Canadian territory.
Early in 1888 he left Manitoba for California, and was
succeeded by the Rev. Hugh Pedley, who is deservedly
HISTORY 01 MANITOBA. 575
popular. A second church has been organized in
Winnipeg this year, with the Rev. J. K. Dnswortb, of
Pari-, Ontario, as pastor. In the winter of L888 the
ida Congregational Missionary Society sent the
Rev. A. W. Qerrie, B.A., to found a station west of
Winnipeg. After looking around for some time, Mr,
ided to begin work at Portage la Prairie.
In February of that year a chnrch was organised, and
work has Bteadily progressed under his care and
ministry. Encouraged by this success, the society in
*t out t: II. 0. ttasson, U) found and
build op a i • Brandon. At both these last
new churches have been e ind the work
i- pi Favorably. In addition to these the
uized a cause in the berminai city of
Vancouver, with the Rev. James Pedley as pa
where a large and handsome church edifice has also
Christian CHURCH, OB DISCIPLES OF CHRIST.
The Christian Church, or Disciples of Christ, first
niaed :it Portage la Prairie. For several years a few
mem mposed principally from the families of
the Lissons, ( tanners, etc, and under the leadership of
Elder Itc met from house to house. In 1881,
- ,i call to Kid-)- Andrew Scott, who preached
for about a year in the old Orange Hall, situated at
the west end, till the present church was erected in
1882. Mr. Scott left in 1888 for Ontario, where he
presided, first at Walk erton, then at Suspension Bridge,
New York, then at Mount Stirling, Illinois, and is now
576 HISTORY 01 MANITOBA.
at East Saginaw, Michigan. For three years the little
along without a pastor. In the summer
of 188b', J. C. Whitelaw cam.- from RCeaford, Ontario,
who remained till the fall, when he returned home,
where he died of consumption in February of 1887.
[u April c the present pastor, Elder A. H.
Finch, who bed been preaching at Owen Sound, ac-
cepted a call to Portage la Prairie The membership at
this time was only twenty-nine. The cause has pros-
I under Mr. Pinch's care, the church being now well
i. with a membership roll of eighty, while several
have originated from it, amongst which is
Hinnedof an in the spring of 1889, with F. H.
Lemon, of Des Moines, Iowa, as Presiding Elder, who
remained one year, at the end of which a new church
WSS erected and dedicated. Another mission station
is that of Poplar Hill, at the confluence of the Little
Saskatchewan and Assiniboine rivers. Geo. A. Camp-
bell was stationed here for a year, but desirous of
completing his studies at Drake University, he was
succeeded by George O. Black, of Bethany, West Vir-
ginia. Carman, another mission in Southern Mani-
toba, also began in 1889 ; presided over at present by
Elder Roberts, with a membership of twenty- three.
Beaulieu, North Dakota, is also an offshoot of this
cause, with a membership of thirty, all of them Cana-
dians, visited by brethren from Manitoba.
history OF MANITOBA. 577
ODDFELLOWSHIP.
On the first day of AiiL,ru-t, 1883, a meeting was
, for tii" purpose of consider-
ropriety of applying to the Sovereign Grand
I < > I ». I', for ;i charter \'<>v a lodge, to
known as the Grand I Manitoba The following
1 Manitoba.. Vv ; • C. 1 >. Andrews.
8 V up... Winaipeg . • ,Wm, Boater.
i.i. I
i.i. 11. Dohertj
... Km.-: - .n. . . . K T. < hwn.
W. .1. May.
0 i Brandon J. D. Bowl
7 .M i mi. ■:. :. R II. B B
In accordance with dj passed, a petition was
n I Iran I I f% in the
of Providencej Rhode [sland, on September 17,
L883, for s charter for the above, which was granted,
and a meeting called to inaugnrafc the same in the city
of Winnipeg, on the 24th October, l.s.s.S. •'. P. foung,
of Portage la Prairie, was commissioned Instituting
Officer, the other offices being filled from Past Grands
present, in the following order : 1). G. M., Geo. M.
Francis, Friendship I No. 58, Strathroy, Ont;
G. W., John Darn sway City, No. 4, Emerson ;
.-, James ( >. ( Jonklin, Minnehaha, No. 7, Winni-
I Sonductor, Etobt Pierce, I [armony Lodge, No. 1 1 5,
Brantf ord ; Guardian, John Dodimead, Portage Lodge,
".. Portage la Prairie. The other Past Grands pres-
HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
enton thi Win. Hunter, North Star, No.
2, Winnipeg; J. W. Anderson, Brandon City; Harry
Jamieson and Alex. Pratt, Minnehaha ; Win. Miller,
Paris, < >nt. ; James IfeGhee,
Virginiua Lodge. Wheeling. West Virginia, The
following officers were elected : C. D. Anderson, Grand
tar; J. P. You ity Grand Master; L. T.Owen,
ad Warden; J.D Conklin, Grand Secretary; VV. J.
Wat md Treasnrer. Thus was organized the
Manitoba. To-day there are nineteen
subordinate lodges, with one Bebekab Degree Lodge
(Olive Branch), which meets in Winnipeg. From the
ri of June 30th, 1889, the membership at that date
was l.-v
A mount of benefits paid $1,709 55
Amount paid for burying the dead 450 00
Widows' benefits 342 50
Spegial relief 201 25
$2,703 30
The assets of the Lodges (General Fund). $28,884 18
Widows' and Orphans' Fund 7,168 48
Contingent Fund 137 15
Nursing 66 00
$36,255 81
FREEMASONRY.
Freemasonry dates its inception as an order in
Rupert's Land, to the year 1864. Individual members
of the fraternity had come and gone from the time
of the earliest settlement, but a sufficient number had
not domiciled in and around Winnipeg and Fort Garry
MANITOBA.
579
to justify an effort in establishing a lodge. Winnipeg
was then a mere hamlet, about a mile from the fort.
The officers stationed at the American Fort lVm-
about sixty miles distant southward, had formed
al()1; me of them occasionally visited
Winnipeg, and during such intercourse encouraged the
Winnipeg brethren in their design to formalod
and recommended their petition to the M. W. (Jrand
in.l Lodge of Minnesota. This terri-
,f Minnesota, the then Grand
Bro, A T. Q Pierson, considered tl River
nt to I-' within his masonic jurisdiction, and
grantnl the prayei of the petitioners by issuing a
dispensation authorising Bro. John Schulte as W. M.,
A , ; i S. W., and William Ink
.!. \\\. t«. institul i;"i Kiv,r s('ttle"
,. and there to initiate, pass and
leording to ancient custom The
iation was dated St. Paul, Minnesota, the
2(Hh of Ms ;""1 «wu signed by the Grand
named,
ae delay occurred in the transmission of the
paper, and in fitting up and furnishing a hall in which
. This hall was in the second story of what
Lb now s dry goods bouse, at the corner of Main
and Post Office Streets, and fche first meeting of the
as held on the 8th of November, 1864, with the
following named others: Bro. John Schultz, W. M. ;
Bro. A. G. B. Bannatyne, 8. W. ; Bro. William Inkster,
J. W.; Bro. J. El Bheal, Treasurer; Bro. William
Caldwell, S v; Bro. W. B. Hall, S. Dr; Bro.
Charles Curtis, J. D. ; Bro. R. Morgan, Tyler.
•i:Y OF MANITOBA.
Several petitions for initiation were received at this
and subsequent meetings ; the lodge flourished amaz-
y. and made many ur<><>d masons. I may mention
Hector McKenaie, John and Thomas Bonn, Dr. J. C.
Bird and Archdeaeoo Hnnter, aa a few of the worthy
masons made in the old Northern Light Lodge.
was held by the same principal officers for
The dispensation was extend.-. 1 and
election of officers permitted, which took place on
the 23rd mber, 1867, resulting as follows:
^ Br. !;. Bannatyne, W. M. ; Bra Thomas Bunn,
> : Bro. John Bonn, J. W. ; Bra E. S. Barber,
Treasurer; Bio. Hector McKenzie, Secretary ; Bro. C.
D. ; Bro. Charles ( mtU J, J) ; Bro. E. H. G.
G. Hay, Tyler.
During the year 1868 the masonic horizon in Red
River became cloudy. The prospective change in the
proprietorship of the territory, with other causes, had
dispersed the members of the lodge ; the Grand Lodge
of -Minnesota seemed to doubt the propriety of main-
taining jurisdiction in Red River, and finally cancelled
the dispensation. After the transfer of the country to
the Dominion, came the troubles of the rebellion of
1869-70, which eventually necessitated the main-
tenance of an armed force to restore and maintain
peace and order. Amongst the military were many
members of the fraternity, who, true to the traditions
of their ancient privileges, arranged for the establish-
ment of lodges where they could practise the mystic
art, and promulgate the principles thereof in the new
Province.
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 581
The first petition sent to the Grand Lodge of Canada
was i'<>r | d tu form the Winnipeg Lodge, with
brother the Rev. Robert S. hm \v. m ; Bro.
man J. Dingman, S. W., and Bra W. N. Kennedy,
J.W.
The dispensation was dulj ad, an emerg
Id on the 10th December, L870, bat
owing to Bro. Dingman having retained to the I
Bro. W. N. K.-nr. B. W . : Bro. Matthew
J, \V. : Bro. James B. liorioe, Treasurer, and
Henry T. Champion, S alar meeting
\iw\, at which several applications
and petitions Wei 1, and on the 27th, St. John
the Evanj day, the brethren dined together.
the name of the lodge was
changed by permission from the ( Irand Lodge,and called
Prince Ruper; The meetings were held in the
la n.»w a hardware store on the
corner of Main Street and IWtage Avenue.
At the end ar from it- first regular meeting it
was properly constituted Dumber 240, Grand Etegi
of Canada, and its register contained fifty-five members.
With the receipt of the dispensation for this lodge,
similar documents were received for the institution of
two other lodges in the Province, viz: Manitoban
Lodge, at Lower Fort Garry, with Bro. George Black
a«W, ML, Thomas Bonn, 8. W., and I. Pi ton, J. W.,
and International Lod North Pembina, with Bro.
1 ■'. T. Bradley as W. M. The name of Manitoban
Lodge has hem changed to Lisgar, but the old lodge
still remains healthy and prosperous in the town of
HISToKY OF MAMTnllA.
Selkirk. Th« authority to form a lodge at Pembina
was not acted upon; Bro. Bradley found unexpected
difficulties in the formation of a lodge on an inter-
nal basis, and the dispensation was allowed to
Lapse
The influx of population to the Province, and the
rapid increase in the then prospective city of Winni-
peg, ted tlak advisability of forming another
tition was sent to the Grand
Master of the Grand Lodge of Canada for authority to
institute An indmark Lodge, with Bro. Jam-
Henderson as W, M. Bra Wm. V. Luxton, S. W., and
Bro. Walter Ryman, J. W. !Thc petition was granted,
they received a dispensation, and held their first meet-
in- at Winnipeg in December, L871 This lodge
also found abundance of good material for the erection
of their masonic edifice, and occupied a position in
this Province second only to Prince Rupert Lodge. In
due course they were chartered nutnber 288, G. R. C.
The three lodges were fully established and in good
working order, and continued to flourish under the
paternal care of the mother Grand Lodge. But child-
ren arriving at mature age generally desire to set up
for themselves ; so did these three lodges conclude to
cast off the fostering mantle of the Grand Lodge of
Canada, and, on the 12th of May, 1875, declared them-
selves the Grand Lodge of Manitoba, with the follow-
ing named officers :
Bros. Rev. W. C. Clark, G. M. ; W. N. Kennedy,
D. G. M. ; James Henderson, G. S. W. ; S. L. Bedson,
G. J. W. ; Rev. J. D. O'Meara, G. Chap. ; John Ken-
BISTORT 01 KANITOBA. 583
nedy, Treasmvr ; W. T. Champion, Registrar : John W.
Bell, Secretary; Gilbert Ifclficken, Senior Deacon; W. .).
Piton, .Junior Deacon ; John J, Johnston, Sword Bearer ;
G. h : Director of Ceremonies ; Simon Doffin,
Pursuivant, and John Norquay, Thba B. Parr. W, F,
Luxton, C. D. Richai 5 rards, and T. II. Barton,
Tyler.
The three Lodges forming the Grand Lodge w
numbered: Prince Rupert, No. I ; Lisgar, No. 2 ; An-
cient Landmark
Shortly after the organisation of the Grand Lodge,
a dispensation was granted to St. John's Lodge, Win-
nipeg, with .1. \V. Hani- as W. M.. A. licNee, S. W..
and Stewart McDonald, J. W., dated duly 6th, 1<S7"> :
also to Hiram Lodge, Kildonan, with J. H. Bell as
W. || . ! \\ Mat) I lin Ink
.1. W.. dai th October, L875.
I may here remark that from the firs! establishment
of freemasonry on the Red River of the North, the
more educated class of the native-born inhabitants
showed great interest in the institution, and many of
them at once b tembers. This Hiram Lodge
composed principally of these brethren, as shown
in the address of our mucl med Past Grand
Master, Brother W. N. Kennedy, delivered to Grand
Lodge the 14th of Junr, L876, at which time warrants
were i-svied to the two lodges last Darned and num-
bered 4 and 5 respectively, Q. R M. On the 29th
July immediately preceding, Emerson Lodge was
formed, U. D., with Br P. Bradley as W. M.,
I> a Dick, S W., O. Bachelor, J. W., and a warrant
m..
l2.= °S?
[«.^Jl,?W?;VS
i~acr ^ ui
■ U.>-lu.(x
9 c Jd
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 585
ed to them at the next communication of- Grand
ype, held in June, ls77. and numbered 6, G. R. M.
• the ML W. Grand
Master of tlit- Grand Lodge of M .. Bro, James
C. Breden, evinced Mich truly masonic Liberality, and
freely gave Hereon Lodge to
ive petitions fron upon persona
in Mint, ar to the Province of ftfani-
mmunication of Grand Lodge was
m June, 1878) at which a seri< 119 division occurred
ng from th" question of the ritual, older
Canadian preferred to continue the metho
which they were accustomed. The more recei
f « >rm t he American met ho 1. and
to make it the ritual of the Grand Lodge
rhe Canadian workers demurred and
red their connection with this body. During this
• two separate bodies had each calling
I the Grand Lodge of Manitoba. The Canadian
body had gi warrants to three new lodges,
namely. Kin »n Lodge, at the town of Morris,
with Bro< W. II. IVinidc as W. M., Robert M. iklejohn,
s. W., Solomon Johns, J W.t number 8, G. R. M.; Oak-
land Lodije, at the Boyne Settlement, with Bros. Rev.
\V. M., William Livingston, 8. \\\,
Louis Etenaud, J. W.. Dumber !>, G. R. M.; and North-
ern Light Lodge, in Winnipeg, with Bros. Gilbert Mo-
Mkken as W. M., Alex. ( foristie, S. W., J. K. McDon-
nell, .1. \V., number LO, r,. EL M.
Subsequently to the split referred to, various efforts
were made to effect a compromise of the differences,
586 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
which proved futile, until at length the Canadian body
appointed Past Grand Master Bro. George Black as
arbitrator on their part, and the other body appointed
Grand Master Rev. Bro, s. P. Ilatheson, on their part,
and to these two distinguished brethren arc duo the
best tbanka of the craft They prepared their award,
the terms and conditions of settlement ;
icial common f both bodies was called to
meet <>n the 1 9 th of June, L 879, to take the award into
consideration ; the terms and conditions therein set
forth were adopted by both parties, and they merged
into one. At the communication of Grand Lodge in
June, 1870, the annual communication was changed
to the second Wednesday in February. At the next
communication, which was held on the 11th and 12th
of February. 1880, the terms of compromise between
the two lodges were confirmed by the Grand Lodge,
and a committee appointed to revise the constitution,
lodges being permitted to use either of the two rituals
as they desired On the 30th July, 1879, a lodge was
instituted at Gladstone, with Alexander Nichol, W. M.,
Archibald McDonald, S. W., C. P. Brown, J. W., as
also another at Stonewall, with Angus Fraser as
W. M.,R. Mitchell, S. W., and William Mann, J. W., on
the 15th April, 1880. The last Grand Lodge report
shows forty-four subordinate lodges, with a member-
ship of 2,000.
BE3T0R1 OF MAM'l'< 587
HISTORY OF ORANGEISM IN MANITOBA.
Th< was instituted in Manitoba by a few
of tin- officers and men of the 6rst Ontario Rifles,
under Colonel mow Lord) Wolseley, who commanded
expedition in I s7o. The warrant
: in the knapsack by ex-Aid C
through the Dawson ronte, and was num-
i inpj to the large influx of the military
and are who accompanied them, it was
found impossible to procure a room in which to open
the lod
A little schooner named the J< ssu MoKi >> ru u, which
* had lived from the lake, lay at anchor in the
niboine River. In tin- cal>in of this l»o«t, on the
night of Monday, September L9th, L870, the officers of
• lod<re west of Owen Sound were
appointed and installed A small table had been taken
previously from the room inside the fort in whieh
Louie Kiel slept, and on this table was laid the first
warrant. Around it sat the following persons, who
formed the quomm in the order- named ;
St- 'wait Mulvey, lodge 839, Bagersville, Ont,
.!. K. Cooper, lodge L36, Toronto.
R.J. Binton, lodge 872, Oakville.
EL B. aibertson, lodge 272, Oakville.
W. I). Derry, lodge 1 L, EHngston.
W. Fargay, lodge L02, Roslin.
YV. MeKee, lodge 81 1, I'icton.
Robert Eolland, lodge nil, Ifillbrid
\V. Hiekey. lode,
;»SS HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
Of the nine gentlemen seated around that table
eighteen years ago, the writer can only trace two who
are now in Manitoba. Some of the other seven are
; since dead, and perhaps others Mattered far and
wide. The stand apon which the warrant was placed
w in the poa of a gentleman in Winnipeg.
Stewart Mulvey was appointed the first master, and
he held the office for some ten Inside two
m the lodge increase 1 largely in numbers, until
early in 18W it contained upward of 260 members,
and was reckoned the largest lodge in the Dominion.
The first lodge room that could be procured was a little
log building which stands north of Bnclid Street. This
building was a lonely house out on the prairie, and
was rented from Mr. W. G. Fonseca at $30 per month.
When the Fenians invaded Manitoba, in 1871, Mr.
Mulvey called a meeting of the lately discharged
soldiers of the First Ontario and Second Quebec Rifles
who belonged to the lodge, and in two hours 120 well
drilled men were enrolled. They were sworn in at
nine o'clock the following day, and at twelve o'clock
noon the company was fully equipped. The company
paraded at three in the afternoon, and at four the
same day, under command of Captain Mulvey, were
marching to the front to meet the insurgents. For
their promptness and loyalty this company received
the special thanks of Lieutenant-Governor Archibald
in his proclamation after O'Donohue was taken
prisoner.
The first Orange celebration took place on the 12th
of July, 1871, at Armstrong's Point. The people
HISTORY OF man inn; a. 589
came from all points of the Province to see the Orange-
men walk. The procession numbered about three
hundred members. At twelve o'clock on that day the
thermometer stood 100° in the shade. From the evil
reports which had been circulated about the order, the
• eh population were led to believe that the society
my, and they could not be induced
pproach the procession, but contented themselves
with watching it from every corner of the wo<
In lemic hi the .shape of a virulent
kind of typhoid fever visited Winnipeg, and from its
attack very few male resiuents escaped There was
n«» hospital in thl nor any place wherein to take
care of the sick, most of whom were entire strati,
So the 0 v threw open their lodge room as
an hospital. They gathered up all the sick people who
bad no homes or l hut w< away in
stables. s}1(,].- )U)1i outhouses, and. irrespective of creed,
or class, or nationality, they were brought to the'
Orange Hall, and two men. members of the lodge, v
appointed each night and day to wait upon the siek.
In this way the lodge spent fifteen hundred dollars of
its funds upon the sick of Winnipeg. This benevolence
on the part of the order made it popular with all
classes of the people in Manitoba to such an extent
that when the order sought for incorporation the bill
supported by all classes in the Legislature, Catholic
as weil as Piot. staid. Imleed, the leaders of the
order in Manitoba have so conducted matters that the
old prejudices against the association are entirely
unknown in Manitoba. To Stewart Mulvev,of Winni-
:<7
590 HISTnUY Of MANITOBA.
must to a great extent, be attributed this desirable
state of affaire, for in all his speeches and addresses to
the Orai he oever let slip an opportunity to
promote good reeling and Friendship between the order
and all other classes in the community, until to-day
Win, a model city so far as toleration of all
bub rod living in harmony is concerned.
il Grand Lodge was formed on March 21, 1872,
when If r. Stewart hfnlvey,oi Winnipeg, was appointed
firal Grand Master, which position he held until
roary, ls^:». when he was succeeded by John Nib-
lock, who held the position fortwo years Mr. Niblock
resigned on being appointed Divisional Superintendent
of The Canadian Pacific Railway at Port Arthur, and
was succeeded by Isaiah Ifawhinney, ex-M.P.P. for
Burnside. Mr. Mawhinney took charge of the Bill of
Incorporation, and although it passed almost unani-
mously, Lieutenant-Governor Cauchon refused his
assent to it. This action aroused the indignation of
the Orange body throughout the Province, and a
special meeting of the Grand Lodge was called, at
which strong resolutions were passed ; and as the
elections were approaching, preparations were made for
work at the polls. The body, however, received strong
assurances from the Government that the bill would
be re-enacted at the next session, which had the effect
of calming down the members. A bill was conse-
quently prepared by Mr. J. W. H. Wilson, barrister,
and was introduced by Mr. Mawhinney, M.P.P., and
carried through the House with flying colors, and
received the Royal assent of Lieutenant-Governor
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 591
Alkins, who had in the meantime succeeded Governor
Cauchon. Mr. Mawhinney was succeeded by Mr. J.
M. Robinson, IIP.P, for Woodlands; and that gentle-
man was sueoeeded in turn by Major Ifulvey.
Major - Grand Master of the ( kange
Grand Lodge of Maui- ne of the oldest resid( ots
in the Province, and his nana- is a household word in
v home He was born in the conn ty of Sligo, [reland
On the invH t the lal Dr. rlyerson he
ida when twenty-one The
nadian educationalist was in the old Country
visiting the various Beats of learning. While in Ire-
land he inspected one of the leading normal schools,
and iking his departure he was struck with
the young men— Stewart Riulvey.
oung friend from the class-room, the ques-
was put to him, how he would like to come to
Canada. It took the high-spirited young fellow ji
few minutes to decide on an affirmative answer, so that
i further course of training he crossed the
tttlC, Dr. Ryerson offered him a lucrative |
tion in the Department of Education in Ontario, hut
he declined, and taught school in Haldimand county
for fourteen j Presidentof the Teachers'
'iation of that county for some seven years. After
filling numerous positions of responsibility in the East
he joined the Red River; expedition in L870, and came
to Manitoba. When the troops were disbanded in
I Mr. Mulvey was asked to take charge of the
Liberal newspaper, an organ started in Winnipeg to
advocate the rights of the new settlers in this country.
592 HISloKY OF MANITOBA.
At the organization of the [nland Revenue department
isked to take the position of Collector of
\u\iU nue, which he accepted, and organized the
department here, his jurisdiction extending from Lake
to the Rocky Mountains. This position Mr.
Kolvey held until n he resigned to run for
Boose of Commons for the electoral division of
- rk. Mr. Ifolveyhaa been Grand Master of the
Orail action for over twelve years. In Winnipeg
he has served on the School Board for eighteen years;
i»een an alderman in the City Council for nearly
ten yean; has been one of the first directors of the
Winnipeg General Hospital, on which board he served
nine yea"rs. He is now Major of the 95th Battalion.
He has been a volunteer officer for over twenty-five
years.
Next in importance to the foregoing is the Portage
Lodge, 1351, being the oldest in the Province. The
charter member was Francis Ogletree. It is dated
April 1st, 1872. The lodge room is not large, but is
nicely painted inside, has a splendid new carpet,
expensive new chairs for the master and deputy mas-
ter, as well as for the members, and the officers' desks
are of the latest designs; in fact, everything inside is
new, neat, clean ; and, what is not to be overlooked,
paid for. At this date the members number seventy-
five. Its former members have scattered nearly all
over the Province, the North-West Territories, and
quite a few to British Columbia.
It is supposed that the first resident Orangemen in
this Province were William Kitson and P. Connor
HISTORY OP MANITOBA. 593
(now deceas. settling here in June, 1867, and
bringing their Oran with them from
Ontario. Mr. Kitaon [a still a member of this lodge;
Mr. Connor was up to his decease. In the immediate
neighborhood are many members of the order, hut
not in active membership. It has furnished two
ILP.P/s, Isaiah Mawhinney and J, M. Robinson; one
member of the Upper Boose in the early days of this
Province, viz.. Hon. Francis I rovincial
grand i: grand provincial lecturers, and one
M. W. deputy -rand lecturer of British America, viz.,
Bro. Win. nfcCulloeh. Prom this lodge haveorigim
eight county, four district, and sixty-eight private
lodgea At the inc.. tin- of the Grand Lodge held in
Winnipeg, March 5th, 1890, the following were repre-
sent-
PAST COUNTY M.\ si i
H W. A. Chambre, Winnipeg; I). Philips, Morris;
w- v -<• la Prairie; I), p Gardiner,
Eden; W. McCulloch, Portage la Prairie; Edward
'.Portage la Prairie; W. Mawhinney, Portage la
Prairie; R. B. Hetherington, Douglas.
K. W. BRAND OFFKI
Stewart Mulvev E q., 0. M., Winnipeg; Jas. Mor-
row, Esq., D. G. M., Winnipeg ; Geo. Maxwell, Esq.,
J. D. G. M, Winnipeg; Rev F. If. Finn, G. Chap.,
Chater; Frank I). Stewart, Esq., G. Treasurer, Car-
man; W. J. Kernaghan, Esq., G. 8., Winnipeg; A. G.
Hamilton, Esq., U. J), of I omin, N. W. T.; Jos.
Andrews, Esq., G. L., Chumah ; J. F. White, Esq.,
594 HISTOKV OF MANITOBA.
D. G. Chap., Carman; Henry Wood, Esq., D. G. Chap.,
id Watson, Esq., D. G. Chap., Crystal
city: John Dil worth, Esq., 1). G. Chap., High Bluff;
Wm. Gono . D. G. S., Winnipeg.
BLAND OFTICl
,1 M. Robinson, Esq., P. G. Master, Portage la Prairie ;
Isaiah Ifawhinney, Esq., P.O. M . Holland; 1). H. Wat-
ion, Esq P G. Lect., Virden.
COl'MV MASTERS.
W. .1. Marshall, Winnipeg; D. M. Ure, Morris; Geo.
Black, Minnedosa; Geo. Huston, Marney ; Jos. Quinn,
Brandon ; J. T. Cooper, Boissevain ; S. Rothwell,
Treheme.
POLITICAL HISTORY.
Manitoba's political institutions, although but of
recent date, have, perhaps, seen as many changes dur-
ing their brief existence as those of the older Pro-
vinces have in half a century. Why Manitoba was not
an out-and-out Tory Province at its inception is easily
explained by the cursory treatment its people received
at the hands of Sir John Macdonald's Government.
First, they had petitioned and prayed for a crown
colony, then afterwards for annexation to old Canada,
and, while at times their hopes seemed on the point of
realization, immediately they would be dashed again
into nothingness ; and, although we always had a firm
friend in McDougall, it was not until the exigencies of
the Eastern Provinces demanded it (being almost at a
deadlock over the North Shore Railway) that Rupert's
-TORY OF MAN! loi: A. 595
Land became the balance in the political scale. Mc-
Dougall and his friends wore for a south line, while
Sir < I E.( 'artier and Sir John Mardonald favored
the north shore, and McDougall only agreed to sup-
port the latter on condition of Canada immediately
acquiring the North-West, and to this we owe our
, connection with the Dominion of Canada. And
although as a reward for the pari taken by him,
ICcDongall had the pleasure of being appointed drat
Lieutena: nor, unfortunately lie was never
allowed to en1 >ry.
IV untry being acquired there were
no politics, not even interest taken by most of the
in the government of the colony. In fact, I
might say, to the credit of our rulers, that we could
have found little fault had we tried ; and although at
that date we were, perhaps, a little primitive, we were,
I believe, the happiest people in the world ; and though
living under an autocratic rule, the Hudson Bay Com-
pany dealt honorably with the people of old Assini-
boia. Immediately the territory was about being
tran to Canada, agitators sprung up almost like
mushrooma Amongst these were our present Lieu-
tenant-Governor, William Dace, William Hallett, J.
Stewart, J. Bruce, and others. And while these and
many others took the side of Canada, others were
opposed to the wholesale manner in which we were
handed over; and, with the breaking out of the rebel-
lion, in 18(i0, we were fairly launched into Govern-
ment and anti-< lovcrnment.
On the advent of troops, and, shortly afterwards, of
o96 HISTORY OF MAMTORA.
our Lieutenant -< lovernor, A. (J. Archibald, things once
more assumed a natural state. From our new ruler
we expected nine}), perhaps more than we had a right
to; but, after the privations and losses to which we
had been subject p the least, very pro-
voking to find rebels and their sympathisers first
favorites with our new Governor. No doubt he had
his instructions before leaving Ottawa, and had he
been a man of more adroitness, could have made him-
and his associate much more acceptable to Mani-
tobans. His partiality for Rielites and his shabby
treatment of royalists at once sealed his doom, and he
soon found public opinion so strong against him that
he had to retire. Whether the faults were all charge-
able to him, or his Ottawa superiors, makes little
difference. No doubt, some of his advisers were not
of his own choosing, nor was his position the easiest
to fill ; and it seemed to be his study to make his
public acts obnoxious to the majority of the people.
He gave place to Governor Morris, a man of much
keener observation, and who knew enough to sail with
popular opinion. In March, 1871, Manitoba's first
legislators met in a building owned by A. G. B. Banna-
tyne, and could those old walls now speak of the scenes
that took place within them, some of my readers would
be at least amused.
The first Parliament was composed of twenty-four
members : twelve English and twelve French ; and in
passing let me say, to their credit, they would compare
favorably with many in other like institutions. Among
these were found some very recent arrivals. The
HISTORY Of M\MT<>H\. 597
Lsb population, having paid more attention to
educational matters than the French, chose, with one
btlers, while the lack of learning was
a drawback to the Ifetia Bishop Tache took time by
the forelock, however, and had a lection from
the Province of Quebec, and yet the English Lost
nothing by their choice, as can readily n by the
constant bey have mad.', and are daily making,
ahead of r
Among the importations we find EL J. Clark, our
d, a man of more than ordinary
ability, whose oratorical powers equalled anything
Manitoba has y«-t had Unfortunately he was only
mortal, and his failii n exiled him from the
political arena M. A. Qirard, Provincial Treasurer,
and confidential friend of Archibald, Kiel, and his
Grace Archbishop Tache*, was a man of another stamp.
and while wedded to everything French, his desire waa
to be fair to all, and Manitoba has cause to be grateful
to (now) Senator (iirard.
Alfred Boyd, Minister of Public Works, a man of
good ability, yet DO speaker, was well supported by the
English, hut had his election depended upon addressing
a public meeting,he never would have sat in the Legis-
lature. The people had, however, full confidence in
him, and knew he would not yield a point until satis-
fied that he was in the right. Although only retaining
office for one year, his sterling worth was appreciated
by old time)
Thomas Howard, Provincial Treasurer, was one of
those who do hut little good or little harm, and it
508 HI.MnKY el' MANITOBA.
seemed necessary to find such men comfortable situa-
tions at the public expense.
Joseph Royal, the first Speaker, was a man of refined
taste; his demeanor was quiet bat tirm, and his
genial disposition soon made him a favorite. His
impartiality in the chair also made him a friend with
all the members, and did much for the decorum of the
House.
In thifi Legislators a fine old native gentleman, by
name Pascal Breland, most not be forgotten. By
nt a French half-breed, and a truly noble descend-
ant of those mix- , he was ever fond of the
ad held a leading position among his country-
men, and daring the rebellion of 1869 and 1870 was
one who, by his moderation and advice, endeared him-
self to all who came in contact with him. As a trader
on the plains he was very successful, and whoever
sought his hospitality fondly recollects his generous
open-heartedness. On many occasions have both
Dominion and Local Governments sought him out for
advice, and it can be truly said of him that he ever
remained a true friend to both the old and new settlers,
while his influence with the Indian race was without
question greater than that of any other man in the
whole North-West.
Joseph Lemay was Manitoba's heavy-weight, and
full of sarcasm, while Dr. Bird was its most esthetic
member. Tom Bunn, who was Riel's secretary, was
one of the most obstreperous ; while Schmidt and Klyne
equalled any of our modern teetotallers for old rye ;
and in our Sergeant-at-Arms, De Plainville, we had an
example of perfect etiquette.
HISTORY Of MAN ITOP. A. 599
Her M;i loyal Opposition was but seven in
number, none of whom bad Been anything of parlia-
mentary duty, v-'t Manitoba's history will always bear
ility an<l devotion to their fair
ince; and this little band, while still further
many Lasting advantages to
the I og Qualities will long be
red.
The leader, Mr. E. EL G Q. Haj an Englishman by
birth, of fair education and a Huei was ably
tided by John Torquay, a native Province,
and these, in their efforts for rnment, were
aided by th< ads, Sutherland, Spence, Bourke,
Bird and Taylor, all of whom were natives and
ived theii tion in the country. In passing, I
1 [ay, Norouay and Ts
were at times memo rnment.
It i i that party would have
littl< i In the country, yet
it is quite evident that pai Ings very soon devel-
oped, and arc as Btrong with those who haw been shut
out from the world as with those who are its every-day
tee.
The first speech from the throne had scarcely been
delivered by bis Honor (governor Archibald, before
objection to its adoption was taken by Mr. Hay, on
the ground that no mention had been made by the
Government of doing j;. i the relatives of the
murdered man Scott. Again in this session Mr. Hay
moved, seconded by Sir. Norquay, a resolution praying
the Government to take such action as would bring
600 HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
urderers to trial. The Government dared not
directly oppose the motion, but brought in an amend-
ment virtually killing it. Mr. Nonpiay, for some
unknown reason, withdrew hia support and voted for
amendment In less than a year the reason was
mt He left hi^ friends in the Opposition and
joined one of the most corrupt governments that
Manitoba ever had The Opposition felt this loss very
keenly, as the position had been pressed upon Mr.
Hay and declined The politics of the Opposition at
this time were as thoroughly Liberal as those of the
rnm.-nt were Tory. The loss of John Taylor
during the first session was a severe one, and the
illy manner in which the Government acted with
respect to him and Dr. Schultz will ever remain a
stain upon them. The great political fight of this
session was over the Incorporation Bills of the English
and Roman Catholic Churches. The Roman Catholic
Bill provided that that body could hold any lands it
thought proper to own, while the English Church
Bill was introduced with a limit clause of 5,000 acres.
This latter clause was expunged by the Government
after its introduction and without consulting the
House. As the Government had no desire to limit the
Roman Catholics, it dared not for shame's sake limit
the other. However, the Opposition through Messrs.
Hay and Norquay took the matter in hand, and moved
a limit clause of 5,000 acres. The debate continued
for five daj-s. The Government found that while they
had the support of many of the English members on
general matters, they could not force them in a matter
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 601
of this kind. The v delayed from day to day,
in the ho would gain over those who were
supporting the Opposition. Finding, however, their
hardei than they antic: they, for a con-
>ve an amendment to the
amendment for 5,500 acres. This, with Mr. Norquay
his leader that he would Bupport the latter,
and hi. followers w i to accept
Shortly afterwards, John Nonjuay became Minister
. and I)r. Bird, Speaker of the Boose,
was naturally a long one, and all its
ibers zealous. The Government invited amend-
ments to their measures, which were cheerfully fur-
nished, and committees, after spending a month on a
Queen's Bench and a School Act, were ruthlessly
wakened up al tse oi tip p. to tmd that
9 done tins as a blind, and pa
their own hills over tip' heads of those who desired so
much different The Opposition were worsted and
their ideas of public schools huried not. however, for-
ever, as the session for 1890 has shown. I must not
forget to mention that the School Bill of the Opposition,
introduce. 1 by John Sutherland, of Kildonan, com-
monly known as the "war horse.' was very complete,
and had been prepared by those who, at the time,
appeared to be well versed in such matters and whose
ideas coincided with those of the Opposition, and had
that bill become law denominational schools in Mani-
toba would have been unknown. Dr. Bryce deserved
much credit for his untiring energy in assisting the
Opposition in their labors. The Government of the
hist<»i;y or KAXIIOBA.
day, however, brought in their bill in blank on the
last day bat one of the session, and when it was
brought before the Boose for it- second reading there
was I ut i oe written copy. An incident of this session
was • i petitions, one from D. Schultz vs.
DonaUl A. Smith, and J. Cunningham us. J. Taylor.
The committee, I four Government and
two Opposition members reral days. The evi-
dence all went to show thai Dr. Sehulta should have
had instead of D. A. Smith, and that Taylor
was i to hia In the latter case the Attorney-
General brought in a report declaring Cunningham
elected. This we& entirely of his own accord, as the
cminittee as a body never took a vote on the ques-
tion. The Opposition then presented a minority report
but the house decided that Taylor must go. Cunning-
ham was duly introduced, and on the adjournment
was initiated as a jolly good fellow. The other petition
was never reported on, as the Government found it
more convenient to delay from one cause or another,
and finally declared that the first session being over,
it could not be taken up at the next. I do not men-
tion this in the way of detriment to D. A. Smith, who
acted from the first independently, and later, fully in
opposition to the foul Government of which he was
supposed to be a firm supporter.
By this action of the House, the Opposition was
much more weakened than might at first appear.
However, public opinion began to be in their favor,
and what appeared to the Government as a mole-hill
soon became a mountain. During the recess this had
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 603
grown bo much that the Government decided to still
farther weaken it, and took John Norquay into the
Cabinet. When fche nexl d met, her Majesl
loyal Opposition was only five in number, yet shoulder
iOnlder they fought as bravely as if they had been
hundred, and while numerically small the Govern-
ment learned their true strength and moderated their
policy. Public opinion against the
thai those autocrats -at In their
nth drawn revolvers, not daring at certain
times to go out on t: tpecially after night-
fall. On - laker, Dr. Bird, was tarred
and feathered, and had not the Attorney-General been
warned, he would no doubt have suffered a worse fate.
On one or tw ions the Parliament baildings were
besieged by the exasperated i It required all
influence of the < Opposition to keep pe
In those early days membei ether had a good
,,1,1 t: ive speech or other irregularities
were Dot as closly criticised as in more recent years.
In the summer of L878, the French, finding it impos-
sible to control either the threatened Fenian invasion
or bulldoze the Bouse, began to tack, and ex ]
I of di8gU8t with their leaders soon became preva-
lent However, nothing occurred until 1874, and this
may, at least, be considered one of the most eventful
in our history. The Government, at that early
date, had initiated the Ottawa pilgrimage for better
terms So outrageous bad the expense been, and so
little accomplished, that this failure, with many others,
hi to tell against the Government. Another cause
604 BI8TOBY OF MANITOBA.
was the gross indecency of the Attorney-General, in
both public and private life. Such a man could not
long be expected to remain in office, even though
placed there under the influence of Sir George E.
Cartier.
TheGoven which he waaa member allowed
him, outside of his salary, t w vnty-tive dollars for each
indictment ; and bo anacrnpaloua was he that in some
cases as many m tu parate indictments were
drawn against one criminal, and at one term of the
Court of Queen's Bench he drew about $1,600 from
this source alone. The French, at last, tired of such
a leader, decided to throw him overboard. Overtures
were made to the Opposition, and here we find their
true merit, to which Manitobans will be ever indebted.
It must be borne in mind that the first House had
twelve French and twelve English members, and when
a question affecting nationality was up, there might at
any time be a deadlock, but such did not take place.
The Opposition were now quite willing to join hands
with the French, provided that there should be a
redistribution of seats on a basis of fourteen English
to ten French. Many out of the House claimed that
sixteen might be the basis. Mr. Hay and his friends
were only anxious for a majority, knowing that all else
would shortly follow. This the French would not con-
cede, and the Government, finding themselves cor-
nered, were willing to do anything to retain power.
The Opposition agreed not to oppose the address, pro-
vided the Government would so arrange the reply that
a bill for this purpose should be introduced and passed
HISTORY OF M \\IT«)|:\. (JOo
at that session, which was finally accomplished. So
distrustful were the Opposition that they insisted on
the members pledging on the floor of the House that
such a bill would be passed This bill, although crude,
and by many outside of the House declared to be
unconstitutional, was the basis of representation by
population in Manitoba.
An adjournment of some months took place for the
purpose of again going to Ottawa, and when the
Government del* _ turned in duly, it was found
that the French had accepted the change and had
formed a coalition with the Opposition Mr. I lav,
through was unable to take an active part in
the bnsinesfl of the Legislature, and simply moved a
direct vote of want of confidence, which wiped out the
moat corrupt Government the Province has had.
After about a week's delay a Coalition Government,
composed of M. A. Girard, K. !!.<;. <;. Hay, .1. Dubuc,
l; A Davieand Franou I >-l.tree, accepted office. This
Government found an empty treasury, and what was
still worse, a deficit of $26,000, which, in those days,
was a very serious matter, considering that the total
revenue did not exceed $75,000. The Mackenzie
Government, however, advanced the amount, and from
that date a better system of financing has been pur-
sued by the successive Governments. During the
adjournment the Parliament buildings were burned,
and although no direct evidence could be produced,
it was generally supposed to be the work of an incen-
diary ; one strange feature was the fact that the
Attorney-General, Mr. Clark, was in the building
(506 msmm 01 kanitobjl
when the tire was discovered and in escaping had
kO »ve hil gold watch and some Govern-
ment ( »tt;iwa expense receipts, while s sum of between
tiv end nx thousand dollars of Gtowament money
was left ID his draw.-r.
The winter of 1874-76 WSJ the ('lose of the tirst
Parliament, the English member* of which desired to
go to the country. With a still more liberal policy than
that already bangarated ; khe French, however,
tether change until after the elections.
The English, after being in office fol six months, felt
that there was no need for tiv ministers. Mr. Hay
proposed to limit the number to three ; also that after
the election a new School Bill should be introduced,
doing away with the denominational system, and
making all schools receiving Government support
public "schools, with a Minister of Education and an
Advisory Board of twelve, chosen from the different
denominations ; and that all teach. m psss their exam-
inations before one board, and that whatever religious
teaching should be deemed necessary should emanate
from this board. Messrs. Girard and Dubuc, after
consulting with their friends, refused to concede this,
on the ground that the matter was premature. Messrs.
Hay, Ogletree and Davis, after three days' counsel,
decided to resign. The latter, however, after seeing
the resignation of his friends in the Lieutenant-
Governor's hands, declined to follow. Mr. Hay, how-
ever, had the satisfaction of seeing a part of his policy
adopted by Mr. Davis. Previous to Mr. Hay's resigna-
tion, the Lieutenant-Governor, in an interview, desired
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 607
to know who would be his colleagues in the event of
his being called upon to form a Government. The
names of In md Cornish were mentioned, the
last being bo objectionable to bis Honor that he
decided to ask Davis, who took as colleagues Joseph
Royal and Colin Inkster, and shortly afterwards went
be country.
Manitoba also had an Upper House, of which,
though it was Looked upon as of little use, the
ted by prominent men from
among the settlers, the president of whom was •
n Catholic, Who was well known as a
,,ian "** good ability and a thorough Manitoba^
Donald Gunn was one of the old Scotch settlers from
St. Andrew's, who, though active and painstaking,
r had much influence in the country, and
easily beaten at the first election by Alfred Boyd
The Government, however, thought he deserved better,
and appointed him to the Council
Dr. ODonnelJ was, no doubt, not only the most
yretic of its members, but was a man of broad ideas,
and i d occasions did good service to Winnipeg,
and the Province felt thankful that he was there.
C<*lin Inkster, a man of but few words and kind
manner, Boon won the good-will of all, and perhaps
had more influence than any of its members. Francis
tree, of Portage la Prairie, represented the Ontario
and though unassuming in manner, always
held the attention of his auditors. While it was known
that he was a Conservative in Dominion politics, he
always made it a point not to know party in local
608 history 01 MANITOBA.
matters, and so liberal was he in this respect, that
when the Girard Government was formed, he at once
Pted a portfolio, an«l heartily joined in measures
proposed by the English members ; and when it became
necessary to either forsake principle or not retain
office, he* stood by his principles and resigned During
the second Parliament the Upper Bonae was abolished
Mr. Ogletree was appointed stipendiary magistrate,
which office he retained till 1889. He has also been for
IB efficient Indian agent. The remainder
of the Council were simply voting machines. This
honorable body only lived six years.it being found
in practice that the Province had no need of a double
system.
* After the elections, Mr. Davis found that his
truculent policy had elicited a strong English opposi-
tion, and he was forced to accept a compromise.
The Ministry was increased to four, by taking Mr.
Norqnay into the Government. This change took with
it the Free Press and its editor, who had been elected
for Rockwood, as an out-and-out opponent of R A.
Davis, but who, much to the disappointment of his
friends, "jumped the fence." F. Cornish, the member
for Poplar Point, a barrister recently from London,
Ontario, was, without doubt, the cleverest man in the
Parliament, the power of whose sarcasm was often felt
by the Government. C. P. Brown, at that time a
Liberal, came fast to the front. Much was expected
from him, and for a few years he remained firm, but
like his recreant leader, he lacked tirmness,and although
member of a Coalition Government, soon drifted into
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 609
the Tory ranks, in his own words, a "Conservative of
the Tilley stripe." He remained a member of the
Government for many yean, yet carried no weight
outside his own constituency. It may be added,
however, that no constituency fared BO well from the
t. Daring this administration D. M.
Walker, afterwards Attorney-General, now Judge,
tved the appointment of Legal Adviser to the
Crown, a man who will be kindly remembered by old
-•11 as new aetUera Kenneth ICeKenzie, a farmer
from Hat Creek, found friends, and did good service
the agricultural interests of tie- Province; while
Mr. Dick, from Springfield, looked after its religious
■in (iunn, the member for North St.
Andrew's, could neither give nor take a joke, and was
ted by Prank Cornish. On one occasion,
while acting as chairman in Committee of the Whole,
Mr. Cornish, instead of addressing the chair, spoke of
Mr. Gunn, at which remark he called Cornish to
order. Mr. Cornish immediately apologized to the
House, and personally to Mr. Qnnn, regretting his
mistake, as he should have addressed him as the "son
of a ffun."
Speaker J. Dubuc, who had during the first Parlia-
ment made many friends, filled his position with
t to himself and honor to the House. Some years
later he was appointed a. Judge of the Court of Queen's
Bench, and his decisions have given general satis-
faction.
On the abolition of the Council, Colin Inkster
accepted the position of High Sheriff of the Province,
a position which he has satisfactorily held ever since.
610 BBTOB1 Of MANITOBA.
A. V. M.utin, now member for Morris, gave the
Government considerable trouble, and while at that
time they regarded him as nomewhat of a crank, yet
they feared him, for his tongue was ever a free lance,
making both friend and foe feel the keenness of his
r. marks. Again in 1886, he had the honor of a seat
in the Legislature, and Mr. Norquay found in him no
mean opponent. In fact, the present Government
would have had to trait for office for some years but
lir. A. F. Martin's inHut-nce outside the House. At
the elections of 1888, he was elected as a supporter of
the Greenway Government, but has since withdrawn
hia support ; and no one in the present Parliament is
louder in denouncing Greenway and Company than is
the member for Morris.
In 1878, R. A. Davis retired from the Government,
and John Norquay became Premier, the elections
resulting in sustaining him by a small majority.
In the House we find several new faces — Thomas
Scott, S. C. Biggs, T. Lusted, John Taylor, and J. W.
Sif ton. In T. Scott, a prominent Conservative, well and
popularly known from his military career in the
Province, the Government soon found a staunch
opponent. S. C. Biggs, a barrister elected for Spring-
field, with lots of verbosity, soon secured a portfolio,
and on the retirement of Mr. Royal, became Minister
of Public Works, while John Taylor was taken in as
Minister of Agriculture. Public feeling grew so strong
that the Government had to pass a redistribution
measure, and although both Biggs and Taylor were
elected upon appealing to their constituents, they never
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 611
I in the Hon? Government, fearing
defe.v icept the Opposition's suggestion,
to prorogue the House ai ippeal to the country.
Previous to the election of 1879, Mr. Norquay again
changed the and took in Mr. Qirard. J.
W - member of the arm of Sifton, Ward &
1 Clement, was chosen Speaker,
the Government at the time fearing his opposition.
Later tin tted their choice; and ever afterwards
rul to elect its speakers from
men having parliamentary experience. At this election
Kir Norquay plac ry liberal policy before the
was almost unanimously supported. Thia
Parliament, however, had many changes, and the
■rnment were well pleased when they saw the
rotor's back at the close of each
Ion.
Ottawa during tie found ■ strong
Mt from Manitoba supplicating for more shekels,
the Dominion not only increased our subsidy, but
also acknowledged our claim to a right in the public
lands, and allowed us $40,000, which was in a few
years increased to $1 00, 000 per annum, in lieu thereof,
which, up to the present, has been considered by many
Ear from a just recompense, and often the late John
Norquay found it very bard to steer his ship of state,
'•count of this land question. He, bowever, took
the ground that, entering ( confederation as we did, we
were differently situated from the other provinces
which first formed the Dominion of Canada; and while
he may not have satisfied all, he certainly deserved
612 HISTORY DF MAMlMi; \
credit for the many concessions which the Ottawa
eminent conceded to bim daring his term of
office. Doril Parliament municipal institutions
were made compulsory.
The Speak.r, Mr. Alexander Ifelfieken, although
choice of the elected members, was not exactly
what the Government desired He, however, filled the
chair impartially, and members nmember him with
the kindest of feelings.
Here ire find Thomas Greenway, a supporter of a
Conservative Government, who.although claiming to be
a Liberal, yet could not be induced to go with them until
Norquay took Lariviere into his Cabinet, and E. H. G.
G. Hay was willing to give place to him in the Opposi-
tion. Mr. Winram, the present Speaker, also entered
tins Parliament. His keen wit, terse and sarcastic
remarks, soon made him feared by the weak and flattered
by the strong. He has ever been noted for his good
judgment, and it has been humorously said of him
that he found the brains for his friend Greenway.
Alexander Sutherland, a rising young member, was
truly the first Government whip the Province had,
and a jolly good fellow he was. He afterwards became
Attorney-General ; but death spares none, and it was
with feelings of sincere regret that the members of the
House and his many friends consigned his remains to
the keeping of Mother Earth. Dr. Cowan, the repre-
sentative for Portage la Prairie, then the most advanced
portion of the country outside the city of Winnipeg,
was a painstaking member and an indefatigable
worker in committee. Never prominent as a speaker,
HISTORY OK MAMIOI'.A 613
yet his few remarks always carried weight with the
members This Parliament had the pleasure of seeing
the boundaii tided, with considerable additions
to the revenue. A lively time also took place over the
agreement being mad-- with the Canadian Pacific Rail-
way, and many objections were taken to the proposed
arrangements then being entered into. Though not
wishing to be ambiguous, it' newspaper reports are
the Opposition certainly found the brains in tins
ie Government gofl tin- credit This
Parliament, although having four sessions, was
lived aft \ini,r to the Ottawa policy
of disallowance. The elections oi* 1882, as usual, found
many new r.-pre- itably A. 0. Killam, now
judge, and undoubtedly the most accomplished member
then in opposition, and while both parties were glad
to see him devoted to the bench, it is questionable
whether he would have accepted the position hut for
unsavory company in which he found himself.
ph Martin, the present Attorney-General, first
took his seat in Parliament after two elections, be
having been forced to resign, owing to an election
petition by his opponent, W. R. Black ; and had the
latter only had nerve enough to have pushed the
prosecution, he would no doubt have disqualified him.
He soon became a thorn in the Government's side,
and had his manner been less overhearing would have
had more influence than he has had up to the present
tine-, for it is noted that, with the exception of one
Other, his own vote is the only one he can command in
a division. On the death of Alexander Sutherland,
614 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
ex- Judge Miller became Attorney-General. Elected
for the division of La Yerandrye by bogus votes,
from a constituency which was mostly in the disputed
tory, and which was afterwards decided by the
Privy Council as belonging to Ontario, Mr. Miller soon
made himself as unpopular as a legislator as he had
popular as a judge. On tin- death of James
Miller and the elevation of A. C. Killain to the bench,
Mr. Hamiltoi ted for the position of Attorney-
ral, representing South Winnipeg. Bis inception
WM ft jubilant one. and much was expected from him.
His manipulation of that office was a disappointment
to his friends ; so much so that in the election contest
of 1886 he had to seek a new constituency. The only
popular Attorney-General that Mr. Norqoay had was
Mr. (now Judge) Walker, of Brandon, a man whose
name is ever favorably mentioned in connection with
Manitoba politics. At this time the Dominion Govern-
ment brought in a measure to satisfy Manitoba,
considerably increasing her subsidy, and the Hon.
John Norquay was tendered a magnificent banquet by
the citizens of Winnipeg, for his success at Ottawa in
getting for the Province what was considered, for the
time being at least, a fair subsidy. Yet how short-
lived the triumph, for following close upon this the
feeling with regard to disallowance became very
strong, and Mr. Norquay, with all his ability as a
leader, had all he could do to keep his political ship
off the rocks of demolition. The election of 1886 con-
siderably reduced the Government majority, and the
ever-increasing discontent occasioned by the disallow-
I UK LATE HON. JOHN NORQUAV.
616 HIST<>KY Of MANITOBA.
ance of the Red River Valley Railroad charter, forced
Mr. Nonjuay to resign. His successor, Dr. Harrison,
proved to be quit*- incapable to meet the exigencies of
situation, and hifl ministry was of hut a few weeks.
So utter was the defeat that not one of them again
sat in the Legislature, and so keenly did Dr. Wilson
and Mr Hamilton reel the position that they immedi-
ately left the country for the United States.
In the elect i«»n of 1886, South Winnipeg returned W.
F. Lnxton, who was quite an acquisition to the Opposi-
tion, and while not always doing all that could be
desired, Mr. Lnxton, with all his faults, has been and
is to-day one of Manitoba's best friends. His constant
care of all matters pertaining to education, and his
desire, through the Free Press, to advance the interests
of the Province, are sutricient to make atonement for
any short-comings he may appear to have with his
party. Alex. Murray, Speaker of the House from
1882 to 1886, is a native of the Province, and was,
without doubt, the best parliamentarian Manitoba has
had. His only opponent in the House was the mem-
ber for Portage la Prairie, who, doubtless, to-day
regrets the coarse, ungentlemanly manner in which
he assailed the Speaker. His successor in 1886 was
David Glass, a barrister, who certainly obtained the
Speakership through the Norquay administration,
owing to their tottering position. He was not a dan-
gerous man, either as a debater or as a diplomatist,
and his political status had preceded him. Mr.
Glass made a tolerably fair Speaker ; his rulings, how-
ever, on one or two occasions were hotly contested by
the members.
HISTORY OF MAMIOI'.A. (> 1 7
The Hon. William Winram, the present Speaker
of the House, came to Manitoba in 1*7*. Be entered
Parliament in 1S79, as a supporter of the Norquay
ernment, and soon became known as the wit of
that Parliament Be la without doubt, the best friend
the present Premier could wish to have. Be is a plain-
speaking Englishman ly ever taking part in
any of the del I alike by friend and foe.
I the Boose, he is certainly not the
Manitoba has had, but undoubtedly the best that
could be obtained from the preseni representatives; his
Is would have preferred seeing him in the Minis-
try but he, knowing the unruly elements which Mr.
Green way has to deal with, deemed it prudent to take
a quieter position, and therebj thened his party,
setting an example worthy of being imitated by some
of his friends In an election campaign he ii an
ient worker, and to his foresight and good judg-
ment the present Government are indebted for many
On the resignation of the Harrison ministry, in
January, 1888, Mr. Greenway was called upon to form
a government, which, with the exception of the Attor-
ney-General, he easily filled. This position was first
offered to Mr. Isaac Campbell, and there is no doubt,
that could he have been induced to accept it, he would
have proven not only an efficient Minister, but would
have been a strength to the Ministry; his profession,
however, compelled him to decline, and the position
was filled by the member for Portage la Prairie. With
the advent of this ad ministration, quite a change for the
618 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
better immediately took place; the Dominion Govern-
ment shortly after conceded to the Province the
right to construct competing railways, and the financial
position was wry much improved from that of pre-
cedn Tin- Government at once Moated a loan
of one and a half millions at a premium, to meet cur-
rent an«l contemplated expenditure, and whatever
shortcomings may be laid to their charge, that of extra-
vagance cannot be one of them. It is a fact patent to
all that more buMiu^s lias been done by the present
Government than by their predecessors, at a saving to
the country of close on $100,000 per annum. Besides
this they have provided a Home for Incurables at
Portage la Prairie, an Institution for the Deaf and
Dumb in the city of Winnipeg, and a Reformatory
for Boys at Brandon, also a competing railway, at con-
siderable cost to the country ; and, while they have not
killed, nor done what they might for the Hudson Bay
Railway, they have nevertheless kept the matter alive.
They have abolished the French language, and denomi-
national schools, and while it may be possible that
these matters may yet have to be dealt with by the
courts, the fact remains that Manitoba will not again
be placed under the old yoke. The country, whether
Conservative or Liberal, is not made up of that class of
men who take back-water.
The Government's policy is keenly watched, and,
although the Opposition is weak, more is to be feared
from their own ranks. Though but a couple of years in
office, the leaders have had hard work to keep their
friends in line ; in fact, so outspoken have several of
BISTORT OF MANITOBA. 619
tlifin been that the Government have had to make
radic n their policy to keep their support
Mr. Jones, the late Provincial Treasurer, found it
ince, owing to business
ections. II; bain McMillan, a man
lunch respected by all c lias heen long and
favorably known in the milling business. He occupied
■, the House from L8T9 till L882, and was always
found on tb< I lopes were entejr-
id by many thai he would purge the present
ernmenl of its unruly members, but such ss yet
not been the ease. Whatever may be said of his
aptain McMillan personally is above
ion.
Mr. Smart, the Mini Public Works, is a man
i but with little or no mind of his
OWn, an I av, " like a chip
ir as ofliciousnes.H is con-
eerned, he has sufficient for the whole Ministry. The
position of Provincial Secretary was oiled by Mr.
Prendergast, and it was not until hifl resignation of
the office that the country found that he was one of
the ablest debaters of the House. ( ta Ids resignation
Mr. McLean received the appointment, and, though a
man of few words, be is looked upon as firm and
thoroughly impartial, and carries as much weight in
the Province as any of his colleagues R. P. Roblin,
member for Dufferin, is a fluent speaker, and, while
ted as a Liberal, acts quite independently, and the
Government have found in him a critic who, with eyes
thoroughly opened, watches closdy their every action.
HIST«>!'Y Of M \MK»r..\.
He is at present the most urgent advocate in the
House for the early completion of the Hudson Bay
Railway, and. being one of Manitoba's largest grain
buyers, realizes what the future benefit of such a road
wmild be to the Province. A. C. Campbell, the mem-
ber for South Winnipeg, is also a Liberal, yet on many
tions finds it advisable to act independent of his
leader. It is generally considered that in the event of
a break-up of the Greenway administration, Mr.
Campbell would be Pram
Mr fisher, member for Russell, who made himself
so prominent in unearthing the coal steal in connec-
tion with the deceased Hon. John Norquay, is a
barrister of fair ability, and the present Government
owe him much, yet, if report speaks truly, would
willingly consign him to oblivion ; but Mr. Fisher is
not so easily disposed of. Mr. Wood is one of the
youngest members of the House, yet very shrewd, and
the Government find in him a firm opponent, who,
with experience, will yet rise in the Legislature. Mr.
Gillies, member for Minnedosa, a Conservative, by no
means lacking in nerve and ability, helps materi-
ally to keep the the Government in reason. Mr.
Marion, also in the Opposition, is a native of Manitoba,
and, while not an orator, is much respected by both
sides of the House. Mr. Sifton, of Brandon, may be
looked upon as the would-be successor of Joseph
Martin ; and while Manitoba may have had men for
Attorney-Generals of medium ability, Mr. Sifton may
rest assured that his name will not swell that number.
Manitobans begin to understand that gift of speech,
HISTORY OF MANITOBA, 621
though in many cases desirable, is not all that is
necessary for the make-up of a prominent position.
Thomas Nonjuay. brother of the late John Xorquay,
elected for Kildonan, is a native of the country, fairly
educated, and while not | og the oratorical and
netizing powers of his late brother, is nevertheless
a fair speaker, and with experience will make an
efficient member. One thing must ever be borne in
mind witli respect to the English and French natives,
that they iiown a kindly feeling lor the
n* w-comer, and have never displayed any jealousy in
the disposition of public matters in the country ; in
fact, they have been neglectful of their own into
In Finlay Toung, the Government whip, we have a
gentleman who sees nothing but Thomas Greenway,
SS has been humorously remarked, "once when he is
and twice when he is wrong." K. Conklin,
Clerk of the House, was member for Winnipeg from
1882 to 1886, and is well qualified to till the position.
Thomas Spence, previously referred to in our pages
in connection with the Republic of Manitoba, is better
known as Clerk of the Legislative Council, and after-
wards of the Assembly, up to 1888, and as author of a
couple of pamphlets on emigration, which were of
good -M-rvice at the time. John McDougall, Sergeant
at-Arms, rills the position admirably, and though not
much spoken of through the press, is nevertheless a
very important person in the legislative halls, and with
the members is very popular. The other members are
loch as usually help to make up the numbers in such
institutions, and while not much, practically, don't do
HISTmKY OF MAMTor.A.
much harm. Both the Opposition and the Government
feel the loaa of the late John Norquay, who, with all
raa without a compeer in the Legislature,
and who will long be remembered by all classes as the
known and moat abased politician Manitoba ever
had. Bis fcroe value only became apparent when he
was no more, and his name will ever remain a house-
hold word in the Province.
There was still another political institution, in the
early days, of which as yet we have said nothing,
kno;vn j vth-Weri Council; whose existence,
much to • ret ol many right-thinking men, was
of short duration. This institution had its head-quar-
ters at Winnipeg. The reason of its abolishment, no
doubt, may have been its heavy expense, and the fact
that its views were not always in accord with those at
Ottawa ; but it was composed of master minds, who
knew what was really required in the North-West
much better than the authorities at the capital. Look-
ing back at what they did and attempted to do, the
writer is of opinion that, had they remained in office,
the Dominion would have known no rebellion in 1885,
and have been spared the expenditure of millions of
dollars and the loss of many precious lives. This
Council was composed of the following : M. A. Girard,
D. A. Smith, H. J. Clark, Patrice Breland, Alfred
Boyd, Dr. Schultz, Joseph Dubuc, A. G. B. Bannatyne,
W. Fraser, Robert Hamilton, W. J. Christie and W.
Tait,
Our Dominion members, while not so many in num-
ber, have been noted for their ability, and have always
HISTORY OF MANITOBA 623
taken a leading part in the Dominion House. First is
I>r. Schultz,our present Lieutenant-Governor, who was
first elected for Liagar as a supporter o! the Mackenzie
administration, bat who shortly afterwards supported
John, and ha remained his firm friend.
was in delicate health, and
it vrat not till after his appointment to the Senate, in
iss^, that he proved of much service to the country,
Be was, however, always a firm friend to Manitoha;
and, while it is almost impossible to occupy Buch posi-
tions as he baa filled without having foes, yet, on the
whole, he has satisfied his friendfl and many of Ins
opponenta 1> A. Smith was first elected for Selkirk,
in 1^71 independent Conservative supported
Sir .John until the Royal Commission on the Pacific
la! of 1S74, when he said on the floor of the
ise that he could not conscientiously do so any
longer. His withdrawal, no doubt, forced Sir John to
am, During the Mackenzie regime he gave them
his undivided support. He was prominent in many
business enterprises, and, as is often the case, worked
contrary to what might be desired. At the elections
of L878 he was opposed by the Hon. Alexander Morris,
who ran him very close, and who was afterwards the
1 unseating him in 1879. His wealth and
knowledge of the North- West did more than that of
any other man in the Dominion towards securing, at
that early date, the Canadian Pacific Railway to Can-
ada At the present time he represents East Montreal.
Aliens McKay and Dr. Lynch, though both claiming
eat for Marquette, soon passed into political obli-
624 BISTORT Of Manitoba.
vion ; the first as an Indian agent, the latter in his
professional duti
Proven- - had many changes, owing to the
desire to have Louis Kiel as its representative, which,
bad as Ottawa may be, it could not acquiesce in. At
one time Sir George I Carder was its member; at
another, A. G. B. Bannatyne ; at another, Joseph Royal,
and lastly, the well-known A. A. C. Lariviere, who
must always fed uncomfortable under the wing of
Sir John, who is reported on one occasion to have said
that, "/That man Lariviere is the greatest liar I ever
knew." This adopted child of Manitoba can always
care for himself. At the elections of 1874, Joseph
Ryan opposed Mr. Cunningham, of the Manitoban
newspaper, and,\vhile defeated at the polls by unscru-
pulous men and in a most unfair manner, he contested
the seat, and, on the death of Cunningham, was
declared by the judge duly entitled to the seat. At
this time Mr. Ryan was a Reformer, but like others
soon became a#warm supporter of Sir John, and is, to
some extent, justified in doing so, owing to the rail-
way policy of the Mackenzie administration. When
the Province provided for County Court Judges, Mr.
Ryan received the'appointment for Marquette, and, to
his credit be it said, that partiality is not one of his
faults. A more painstaking judge it would be hard to
find, and those who have the pleasure of his acquaint-
ance hope he may be long spared to fill the position.
A. W. Ross, the present member for Lisgar, soon found
it advisable to support Sir John also. (Oh, what a
magnetism must be about the old man !). Poor, bleed-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 625
ing Manitoba expected different from this son of hers.
He might have been her pride and glory, but fate — Oh,
fickle jade! — decided otherwi
Robert Watson, the present member for^Marquette,
first elected in 1882, is a Liberal, and the only one
Manitoba has had who so far has stood by his country.
Mr. Watson is a millwright by profession, of a practi-
cal turn of mind, and while not having the many
advantages in early years which other representatives
i, his remarks are generally well and forcibly
put. His faithful adherence to Manitoba's interests, in
the face of all opposition, has won him the confidence
of all classes, and Liberals and Conservatives alike
have a kindly greeting for him.
Hugh Sutherland was elected for Selkirk in L882,
and outside of Manitoba, is probably the best-known
we have, owing to his p Sorts in pushing
interests of the Hudson Bay Railway; and every
true Manitoban wishes him Buecec
Lieutenant-Governor Cauchon, who previous to com-
ing to Manitoba was, in the language of the Toronto
, " rank and smelled to heaven," in a great measure
redeemed himself, and although penurious, expended
large suuh on agriculture, etc.; while in J. 0.
Aikins, the Province had, during his term of office,
alwa od example from its gubernatorial chief.
In the Senate we have the Honorable J. Sutherland,
a resident of Kildonan, of whom but little was known
previous to his being appointed, but who has on many
occasions stood by the Province ; while M. A. Girard is
ell known that it is not necessary to do more here
G26 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
than to say we hope he may be long spared as one of
Manitoba's shining Lighta Major Boulton, the last
appointed from this Province, ifl an able man; and if
his tongue and pen can gain for Manitoba all that he
desires, we can truly say that the last may be the best
of all.
The folio* tch of the life of our present
Lieutenant-Governor, from the graphic pen of A. H.
Ham, may be in order here: —
"An eventful life has been that of his Honor Lieu-
tenant* I lltz. which few men living have
experienced — a life of adventure and danger, of priva-
tion and captivity, and of merited honors — a prisoner of
war. ■ bunted fugitive, a chosen representative of the
people both in the Commons and the Senate of his
country, finally rilling the highest office in the land in
which he had undergone so many strange vicissitudes.
Governor Schultz has played no insignificant part in
the history of the Prairie Province, in which he has
lived for nearly three decades. Of Danish descent, he
was born at Amherstburg, in the County of Essex,
Ontario, on New Year's day, 1840. Educated at the
public school of his native town and at Oberlin Col-
lege, Ohio, he chose the medical profession, and passed
with honors in the colleges of Kingston and Toronto.
The youthful medico intended to go to Mexico and
practise his profession, but relinquishing the design,
in 1860 set out for the then little-known Red River
settlement, which at that time had a scattered popu-
lation of about 8,000 souls. The journey by Red
River cart from St. Paul was not only toilsome but
HISTORY Of MANITOBA. 627
perilous, the Indians all along the line being fierce and
intractable. After enduring many hardships, Dr.
Schultz reached Fort Garry, and commenced practising
his | n. Shortly afterwards he entered upon
the traffic in furs — a profitable pursuit in those days —
hut which was held as a monopoly by the Hudson
Company, who viewed the Doctors operations
wit! . ••; hut despite all opposition, he
continued to carry on his business with great profit to
himself. In 1861, when the terrible Sioux massacre
ba terrified the world. Dr. Schultz was
unfortunately in St Paul, but determined to reach
home, he attempted the journey by the Crow Wing
trail. After many days and nights of cautious travel-
captured by the hostile redskins, and only
ids release by convincing them that he was
ish and not American. Pembina waa reached in
safety, and there was no difficulty in making Fort
Garry from that point. In ,1864 be started the X<>r'-
• he pioneer paper of the North- West, which he
■ntly disposed of to his fides Achate, Dr. W.
R. Bown. The fall of L*G9 brought mutterings of dis-
content and rebellion against the connection with
ida, and Dr. Schultz being looked upon as a leader
of the Loyalist party, he soon became a marked man,
and paid a heavy penalty for his fervent loyalty. It
at Ins house and trading post that the Canadians
re compelled to surrender, after
bein^ h by the insurgents for three days.
With his comrades, Dr. Schultz was marched as a
prisoner to Fort Garry, which the rebels had captured,
REMAINS OF PORTAL OF OLD FORT GARRY.
MANITOBA. 029
and being the especial object of Louis Riel's hatred,
was placed in solitary confinement under a strong
guard. Bis ever-faithful wifi red to convey him
a pen-knife and a gimlet, and on the night of 1 December
:». hf cut his buffalo robe in stiips, and making
them into a I i through a hole he had made
in the prison wall. While descending, the rope broke,
and he was pr bo the ground.
Although seriously injured, he managed to climb over
itone wall surrounding the fort, and found himself
at liberty. Reaching Kildonan, he at once organized
a force of Canadi lease their friends .still incar-
cerated in Fort Garry. A demand was made on Kiel
the prisoners, which he prompt!. d to.
however, was determined I bure SchulU,
and a strong force was sent out in quest of him. The
tor, however, had hem selected at a meetinj
Loyalists to ; bo Canada and lay the actual state
of affairs before the people there. Such a mission
involved grave perils and hardships, for all the roads
leading to Minnesota were closely guarded by Insur-
gent pickets, and certain death would have overtaken
the Doctor had he again fallen into their hands. He
led, therefore, to proceed through the trackless
forests of Lake Superior, and, accompanied by a faith-
ful half-breed named Monk man, started out on snow-
shoes in the following February. Evading Riel's
scouts, the two made their way over ice-bound lakes,
through pine forests, over snow-covered prairie and
across countless swamps — guided only by the unerring
instinct of the Metis friend. After seventy-four days
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
of weary travel — daring which Monk man's woodcraft
1 them often from starvation — the travellers,
gannt with hunger, irorn with fatigue, their clothes in
tatter -v their eyee blinded with the glare of the glitter-
ing March sun — reached Duluth, then an embryotic
village, and proceeded to Canada, when the Doctor
became the hero of the boor. His mission was buc-
:"ul. and 1 ianadian and British soldiers were ordered
to the scene of the troubles. Returning^ to Manitoba,
Sehultl was elected to the House of Commons for
far, and continued to represent that constituency
until 1888, when he was called to the Senate, in which
chamber he was the means of bringing to the world's
notice the dormant resources of the Great Mackenzie
Basin, and revealed to Canada its possession of a mine
of wealth of which it little dreamed. In recognition
of his great services to the North-West, the Senator
was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Manitoba,
and from the expressions of the press it is learned
that no more popular appointment could have been
made."
CHAPTER XXI.
In Memoriam Sketches : AndoCMB, BairiftOtt, Bird, I.hu-k. Hrydges,
. ( '..nclusiun : Manitoba,
its Si/.-. ;ind with Brief Topographies] Description.
IN BflEMOR] \M.
R4 David . /'./>.. the first Bishop
Of Rupeii'fl I, and, from 1849 to 1864, born in London,
iruary LOth, hi!-, educated at Edinburgh
Academy and Exeter College, Oxford On resigning
his bishopric in l<s(54 he was appointed Vicar of Clif-
ton, and in L866 Chancellor of St. Paul's Cathedral,
London. His return to England was regretted by
id the pleasure of his acquaintance. He
it Clifton Parsonage, Berkshire, Kngland
Major A n(ler8on, O.M.Q., I! A'., chief astronomer
under Major Cameron, for defining 1)00 miles of the
American frontier, from the Lake of the Woods to the
terminal point on the summit of the Rockies, which
was marked by stone cairns, or earth mounds, at
intervals of three miles, and by iron pillars at intervals
of one mile along the southern boundary of Manitoba
for L35 miles. For his services in this connection he
was honored with the title of C. M. G. in 1877. He
died in Scotland, September 11, 1881.
George Barriston, Hudson Bay factor, came to Red
r in 1820, and engaged in the company's service.
In 1824 he assisted in fitting out Sir John Franklin's
HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
party at Norway House. In 1825, he crossed the
Rockies, and established the first factory on the Fraser
River, British Columbia In L854, he also aided the
dition onder Rae, Anderson and Stewart. He
figured prominently as a naturalist, and was President
of the Montreal Historical Society, 1872. He died at
Montreal, March 14, l
Ju i [go of the Manitoba Superior
Court, born at St. Lambert, Cbambly, Que., was called
to the Manitoba bar in 1872, and on the 31st October
of the same year was appointed Puisne Judge of the
Court of Queen's Bench. He died in Winnipeg,
October 90 II
Eon. •/. Q Bird, M.D., first President of the St.
George's Society, Winnipeg, elected for St. Paul's to
the t Mature in 1870, was Speaker of the House
from February 5th, 1873, to the close of the Legisla-
ture, 1874; was re-elected for St. Paul's at the general
elections of that year ; died in England in 1876.
Rev. John Black, D.D., Kildonan, Manitoba, horn in
Dumfries, Scotland, January 8th, 1818, educated at
Delaware Academy, Delhi, N. Y., and at Knox College,
Toronto. Came to Kildonan, Red River, in 1851, and
was for many years the only Presbyterian clergyman
in the country. His memory is held in high esteem.
He died at Kildonan, February 11th, 1882.
Sedley Blanchard, Q.C., came to Manitoba from
Truro, N. S., as private secretary to Lieutenant-Gover-
nor Archibald, and Clerk of the Executive Council in
1870. In 1873, he formed a partnership with J. F.
Bain, constituting the law firm of Bain & Blanchard.
HI8TORI 01 manitmi;a.
a Bencher of the Manitoba Law Society from its
inception, and one of the principal movers in starting
the Winnipe ral BospitaL Died March 7th,
1886.
. journalist ; born at Edinburgh,
Scotland. 1 B6 L At one time a reporter for the Edin-
and contributor to several Canadian
journals, closing his literary car alitor of the
Win // Be abandoned journalism for mining
• •nt>:: unsuccessful, and died at Rat
Portage, l 388, A monument has since
been erected over hi- grave by brother jonrnalista
The //".■■ '. E, J. <'tt"<; Lieutenant-Governor of
Manitoba from 1877 to L882 j born at St. Etoch,
Quebec City, 16th December, 1818; educated at the
called to the bar in L843 ; was
ciated with Btienne Parent in the publication
of the Ccmadientol which he became latterly editor-
in-chief : elected to the Assembly for Montreal, which
he represented for twenty-eight yeara In .January
of L855, he was appointed Commissioner of Crown
Lands. He was also the originator of the North Shore
Railway, from Montreal to Quebec. After the union
the provinces, he was appointed Speaker of the
Senate, which be held until LS72, when he was elected
to represent Quebec Centre in the Commons. Owing
to his connection with the Beaufort scandal, he re-
signed his seat, but was re-elected by his old con-
stituents, though with impaired influence. He entered
the ifaekenrie Cabinet in December, 1875, where he
remained until he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor
history 01 MANITOBA.
of Manitoba. He died at Whitewood, N. W. T., on the
23rd of February, 18*
/■'. //. 0 born in London, Ont., February 1st,
1831 ; educated at the London Grammar School ;
called to tin- bar of Upper Canada in L855 ; mayor of
London from Is'il to L865 ; came to Manitoba in
ls7_ : ted to the Manitoba Assembly for
Poplar Point in ls~4 ; died in Winnipeg, November
88th, ls?^
/. ■ tenant-Colonel J. S. Dennis, C.M.G, Deputy
Minister of the Interior from 1878 to 1881 ; took an
active part in organizing the Canadian volunteer
militia force in is.').") ; the Toronto Field Battery of
Artillery in L856, of which he was placed in command ;
Brigade- Mij r to the Toronto force, 1857 ; also to the
Fifth Military District from 1861 to 1869. He com-
manded a corps during the Fenian invasion at Ridge-
way ; appointed Surveyor-General of Dominion Lands
in L871, which he retained until 1878, when he was
appointed Deputy Minister of the Interior, which he
resigned in 1881. His name will long be remembered
by Manitobans in connection with the Riel rebellion.
He died at Kingsmere, near Ottawa, July 7th, 1885.
Captain John French commanded a detachment of
scouts during the North- West rebellion ; killed at
Batoche, May 13th, 1885.
Hon. Donald Gunn, a Hudson Bay factor, who
entered the service in 1813, when he was stationed at
York Factory, Severn, and Oxford House ; left the
service in 1823,and settled in the Parish of St. Andrew's,
Red River. He was for many years one of the judges
HISTORY Of maniioi'.a.
of the Court of Petty Sessions under Hudson Bay
jurisdiction, and for a portion of the time. President.
Be was a member of the first Legislative Council of
Manitoba, and a Red River historian ; died at St.
80th, 1878
J A'. Tebister, M.A., I.L.IL, horn at Cumberland
House, on the Saskatchewan. June L8th, L822 ; for
man] -tor in tin- Hudson Bay Berviee. He
through his Contributions to the press of Canada
and England, tie- first to attract attention to Rupert's
Land Mr. I wenl to reside in England, where
h.- was for many years Master of the Stationers' School,
and Dean of the College of Preceptors, He died there
on May :2sth [883, leaving his entire library of some
3,000 volum ity ..1 Manitoba.
II'. .V. A'< i .en at I tor-
ton, Ont, April -27th. ls:;i> ; came to Winnipeg
with Wolseley in 1870, where he remained after the
disbandmeni of the force. In 1872, he was appointed
istrar of Deeds for the city and county. In 1878,
he was elected to the Executive Council of the North-
Territoriea In ls~5 and 1 87G, appointed chief
te of the city. He organized the Winnipeg
Field Battery, of which he was for several years Lieu-
tenant-Colonel. In L888, he assumed command of the
Winnipeg 00th Rifles ; was one of the promoters of
the Manitoba and North- Western Railway, as also
President of the Manitoba and Hudson Bay Rail-
and an energetic member of the masonic fra-
ternity. On the call for Canadian voyageurs to Egypt,
Colonel Kennedy hastened to join his old general (Sir
636 B18T0RY OF KANITOBJ
Garnet Wolseley), and while at Dongola, contracted
the malady which ultimately took him away. He
died at Highgate Hospital, London ; his remains were
accorded the honor of a military funeral. Het Majesty,
in a letter to tl • i, gave expression to her
regret ; and i rk of her appreciation, bestowed a
pension of £50 a year on the widow, and an allow-
ance of £1 - per annum on each of the children. A
handsome floral wreath was also placed on the coffin
from the Duke of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales.
Vyr, otl: nown as Pierre Gautier
was born at Three Rivers, Quebec, and was
in early life a soldier, and fought in the war between
England and France, when the Duke of Marlborough
was British general, receiving in the battle of Mal-
plaquet nine wounds, of which he recovered. He
returned to Canada, and married a Canadian lady, in
1712. His four sons by this marriage all joined him in
his travels in the North-West. Verandrye hoped to dis-
cover a north-west passage, and communicated his belief
to Father Conor, a priest, who persuaded Beauharnois,
Governor of New France, to let Verandrye have fifty
men and a missionary, to explore this then unknown
country. In 1731, he crossed Rainy Lake, and built
Fort Peter, near where Fort Francis now stands.
In 1732, he erected on the western shore of the Lake
of the Woods Fort St. Charles. In 1733, he paddled
down Winnipeg River into Lake Winnipeg, built a
fort near the junction of the Assiniboine and Red
Rivers, from which Fort Rouge takes its name, then
westward, where he constructed Fort de la Reine,
EISIOBT OF mam POBA. 637
Dear where the town of Portage la Prairie now stands,
then westward still to the Rockies. Tn 1749, he
ascended the Saskatchewan to the forks, where he
erected Fort Dauphin, and was about to resume his
journey, still westward, when death stepped in. He
had reached his I ily station. Ee died in the
country of which he is regarded as being the discoverer,
o white man is known to have preceded him
'/<</ Mackeand, horn in Glasgow,
L849, son of .Mr. Mackeand, of the firm of Cochrane,
5a, wholesale dry goods, Glasgow,
bland; in 1859, came to Hamilton, Ontario, where
he worked his way from office-boy to book-keeper
and confidential clerk in the employ of Senator
Turner, of that city. In LSb'l), he joined the L3th
Battalion, Hamilton, as a private, reaching by pro-
motion the rank of lieutenant. In 1879, he was
n with a son of Senator Turner, to proceed
to Winnipeg, and open a branch establishment, in
connection with the firm of James Turner & Co.
Shortly after arriving in the latter city, he was
appointed lieutenant of the Winnipeg Infantry, and
on the retirement of Captain Carruthers, a few
months later, was selected for the vacant position. On
the organization of the 90th, the infantry became "A"
Co., under Major Forrest, and Capt. Mackeand became
major of the battalion. Colonel Kennedy being absent
in Egypt on the breaking out of the North-West
rebellion, Major Mackeand assumed command, coming
out of the campaign with honor to himself and his
corps, receiving the Imperial war medal. On the
40
HISTORY Of MANITOBA.
death of Colonel Kennedy, he was commissioned colonel
of the battalion. Be died I3tti February, 1886; his
remains were accorded • public funeral with military
honors, and were interred near the graves of the 90th
in St. John's Cemetery.
aes A. MUler, Attorney-General of Manitoba,
born at Gait, Ontario, 1839. After graduating with
honor at Trinity College, Toronto, he was called to the
bar in 1863 at Si Catharines . appointed Puisne Judge
of the Superior Court of Manitoba in 1880; resigned
this position in L 882, to become Attorney-General hi
Provincial Government, at that time representing
Rat Portage. He retired from the Government in
1884 to take the position of Registrar-General of the
Torrens system of registration. Died from the effects
of an accident, at the Mackenzie Hotel, November 1st.,
1886.
Andrew McDermotU said to be one of the last settlers
of the Red River colony in 1812, was born in Ros-
common, Ireland, in 1779 ; was for many years in the
service of the Hudson Bay Company, but retiring,
went into business on his own account. His first
venture was with a chest of tea, which he carried on
his back through the country sewed up in a calfskin.
At his death he was said to be worth $25,000.
Justice McKeagney, Puisne Judge of .the Manitoba
Superior Court from 1872, was born in the county of
Tyrone, Ireland, though of Scottish descent. His family
emigrated to Nova Scotia when he was about seven
years of age. He was called to the bar of that Pro-
vince in 1838,as also elected to Parliament for Richmond;
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 639
sat for Inverness, Nova Scotia, from 1843 to 1847 ;
for Sydney, from L848 bo 1 s"> 1 , when he was defeated ;
be * successful in L855 ; he retained his
till 1859, when he was appointed Chief Inspector of
Mines and Minerals, which he held till istil. He was
Judge of Probate for Gape Breton, L848 to 1867, as
also Surrogate in the Court of Vice-Admiralty, and
Lieutenant-Colonel in the 2nd Regiment of Cape
Breton liilitia; a member of the Government of Nova
0; in 1807, elected for Cape Breton for
the Dominion Parliament, retaining his scat till 1872,
when be was defeated; came to Manitoba in the same
Be died while on ■ visit to New Brunswick,
September 14th, l
Right lire. John McLean, late Bishop of Saskatche-
wan, born at Portsoy, Banffshire, Scotland ; graduated
at Ki ierdeen University, where he took
hi> d ; MA. in 1851 : was ordained deacon and
t by the Bishop of Huron in 1853; afterwards
curate fox eight years at St. Paul's Cathedral, London,
rio : Archdeacon of Assinihoia, 1.S56 ; warden and
prof esaor of divinity St. John's ( 'ol lege, rector of the
cathedral, and examining chaplain to the Bishop of
Rupert's Land; was consecrated by Archbishop Tait,
Dr. Anderson and others at Lambeth Palace, England;
died from the effects of injuries received at Edmonton,
November 7th, 1886, and was buried in the cemetery
at Prince Albert, North-West Territories.
William MoTavisk, born in Scotland, came to
Rupert's Land as clerk in the Hudson Bay
ice; became a chief trader at .York Factory in
1847, and chief factor in 1852; promoted to head-
B1ST0R1 OF MAMTnllA.
quarters at Fort Garry, with charge of the commercial
business of the company. On the retirement of Judge
Johnston, was made amor of AsBiniboia, and
on t) orge Simpson in I860, appointed
acting nor of Rupert's Land. Se was relieved
0f tl fcion by Mr Dallas from L862 to 1864,
when be was igain permanently appointed, which
office he retained through the rebellion of 1809-70.
lied in Liverpool England, while on his way to
the south o! France to recruit his health.
W, R (TDonokus, professor at St. Boniface College
when the rebellion broke out; elected a delegate to the
first convention wiled by Kiel in November, 1869.
It is stated by some that he advocated a moderate
course of action, end was opposed to the trial and
shooting of Smtt, desiring an amicable adjustment of
arlairs. < )n account of his connection with the Fenian
raid of 1871, he was not included in the amnesty
tited to Riel and Lepine, but, in the fall of 1877,
the clemency of the crown was extended to him.
lC born at St. Boniface, Manitoba, 23rd of
October, 1844. His father, Louis Riel, was also a
native, and in his time a popular leader among the
half-breeds of Red River. Louis the second, after
completing his education at the Seminary of Montreal,
returned to Red River, where he became secretary of
the Comite National des Metis, an organization
formed in the interest of the natives to resist the
establishment of Canadian authority in the Territories.
On the 8th of December, he was elected president of
the provisional government. His work in connection
with the rebellion is the subject of many of the fore-
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 641
going pages. A reward of $5,000 was offered by the
Imperial Government for bis arrest, in connection with
the shooting of Scott. In October of 1873 be was
returned by acclamation for Provencher, but was
never allowed I at He whs again
returned at the genera] election in 1874, presented
bimself at the Commons at Ol ind subscribed to
oath, but was expelled by a vote of the House on
the I'itli of April; was again returned in September,
1874 On the l">tli of October, a warrant of outlawry
Issued against him by the Court of Quern's
i. Manitoba, and he retired to tie
lovernor for the HucUon Bay
Company, was born at Loch Broom, Rosshire, Scot-
land, in \7->'2 [nearly life he entered the conn ti
a firm that did an extensive West India trade.
His energy and busin I the attention of
i Selkirk, then at the head of the Hudson Bay
ry, as also of Andrew Colville, a large stock-
holder. In February, 1820, he was appointed to
superintend tie- affairs of the company in America
union of the rival trading companies in 1 M> I was
largely due to his influence. During his regime the
most of the Arctic coast was explored, in consideration
■. liich he was knighted in 1841, In this year
he made his celebrated tonr around the world, an
unt of which he published in two volumes He
died at Lachine, near Montreal, September 7th, 1860.
Hon, Robert Smith, a Puisne Judge of the Court of
Bench, Manitoba, 1884 and 1885, was born at
Lou Br, Cumberland, England, 1837; educated
bns Foundation School, Kill burn, and Trinity
642 HISTORY OF MANITOBA.
College, Cambridge; took the degree of LL.B. at
Toronto University, and was called to the Ontario Bar
in 18G1. Died in Winnipeg l!>th January, 1885.
G. B. *s etor of Customs, born at Cobourg,
Ontario, in the year 1812; educated in that city and
Toronto, wl i veral years he conducted a large
foundry and engine WOrke; entered the customs ser-
in L854, in which he remained twenty-seven
years; was sent to Winnipeg in 1870, to organize the
in Manitoba, where he remained
collector until 1881, when lie was rapemnnnated :
was a large speculator in real estate, and builder of
Speneer block, Winnipeg.
/ /.;-, ...,,. ftf-Colond Stewart, a northern traveller
and explorer, who in company with Robert Campbell,
Esq., of Riding Mountain House, another retired officer
of the Hud y service, explored the upper
branches of the Yukon, in Alaska, and the extreme
north-west of the Dominion, was one of the expedi-
tion sent out by the Hudson Bay Company, in 1855,
in search of Sir John Franklin. Leaving the service,
he was appointed Indian agent at Edmonton by the
Dominion Government, where he died in 1881.
Alexander McBeth Sutherland, late Provincial
Secretary, born in Winnipeg December 31st, 1849 ;
completed his education at Toronto University, taking
the degree of B.A. in 1877 ; called to the bar in that
city, as also in Manitoba ; entered the Legislature in
1878; became Attorney-General for Mr. Norquay's
Government in 1882, and Provincial Secretary in the
following year. Died March 7th, 1884. His remains
were accorded a public funeral.
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 643
Very Reverend M. Tissot, 0. M. I., Vicar-General of
St. Boniface, a native of Normandy, who devoted many
mission work in the North-West Territories,
died at St. Boniface on August 14th, L885.
Hon /'. 1>. W\ I Justice of Manitoba, born
bruary L3th, L820; educated
at Overton College, Ohio, where he took the degree of
HA. in 1848; called to the bar of Upper Canada in
r, Repi Weal Brant in the Cana-
dian Assembly from 1863 to 1867, when he was
retui ■ bly, as well as for the
nions. ( >n the ] I the Act abolishing dual
representation, he chose to remain in the Ontario
latnre, where he held the portfolio of Treasurer
in the Sandfield ICacdonald Government, from L867 to
nation in 1871. He entered the House in L873
entative for West Durham, hut only remained
a short time, having accepted the position of Chief
Justice of Manitoba f rom the Mackenzie Government
in 1874, which he held up to his death on October 7th,
f Winnipeg.
Aquilla Walsh, Dominion Land Commissioner, born
at Ciiarl. sville, Ontario, May loth, 1823; Deputy
r of Norfolk, Ontario, from 1840 to 1801 ;
represented Norfolk, in the Conservative interest, in
the Canadian Assembly in L872, when he was defeated
by the present member, .John ( lharlton ; was appointed
r to superintend the construction of the
rcolonial Hail way and President of the Board.
: in Winnipeg 6tfa March, 1885, from an accident.
A. 0. 11. Bannatyne, There is no name received
i more respect throughout the great North-West
844 msr«»i:v OF M \ni tOBA.
than that of Hon. A. G. B. Bannatyne. He was
born in the Orkney Islands in 1829, and when a lad
red the service of the Rudson Bay Company, at
the"Soo.*' In L848, he was transferred to Fort Garry,
and after serving the term of his contract with the
com} • nnectioo and established a
in the little settlement on bis own account. His
bnsineea extended, and aithongh opposed by the
monopoly he managed to prosper amazingly. Although
one of the busiest men in the settlement, he found
time to take an active interest in public matters. He
was appointed a member of the Council of Assiniboia
in 1880, and continued to be one until it was abolished.
He was also one of the first members of the North-
West Council. In 1878, he was elected for Provencher
in the Dominion House of Commons. In the early
days as a justice of the peace he performed the duties
of stipendiary magistrate, and as a fur trader he
encountered all the perils and dangers and hardships
of those who for so many years carried their lives in
their hands amidst the warlike aborigines. Mr. Banna-
ty ne's name is connected with nearly every society
that has been formed in Winnipeg, and the records
show that at one time or another he occupied the
position of president of them.
C. J. Brydges, Commissioner of the Hudson Bay
Company, was born in England in 1826, and from
early youth until ten years ago was intimately identi-
fied with the great railways of the Old World and the
New. He first entered the employment of the Lewis-
ton and South- Western Railway Company, of England
and coming to Canada was appointed Managing
HISTORY OF M \MTor,.\. 8 15
Director of the Great Western Railway in 1853.
ation he held for about tenor eleven years,
when he became the General Manager of the Grand
Trunk road, a position in which lie acquired quite a
reputation as a railway man. In I Mis. he was
appoint* <l Railway Commissioner for the Intercolonial
I feneraj Superintendent of
Government Railways, in both of which his wide
reatesi benefit to the country.
In i^7s. he resigned thai position to accept one under
the Uu«U«»n I opany. lir. Brydges took a deep
interest in ail matters tending to the development, of
the country, and rendered ■_ to many by
his unceasing efforts in behalf of the Winnipeg ( teneraj
Sospitalj which will always remain a monument of
hu generosity, thoughtfulness and unceasing labora
Han, -loh n Norquay was born on May Bth, 1841.
II. • was the second son of the late John Norquay,
an influ. -ntial farmer in the Red I i i \ - aeni
Previous to his becoming absorbed in public affairs
the ex-Premier also devoted his attention to agricul-
tural pursuits He was educated at St. John's
; •my, and SI Bishop Anderson, and took a scholar-
ship in that institution in L854. In June, L862, he
married Hiss Elizabeth Setter, the second daughter of
Mr. I tter, jun., a native of the Red River
country, and sister of Sheriff Setter, of the Central
Judicial District Se was elected to the first Legisla-
of the Province in 1870, immediately after the
admission of Manitoba into Confederation \ at the
general election then held be was chosen to reprt
646 history 0F MANITOBA.
the constituency of High Bluff. From that time
until his .leath he was continuously a member of
the Legislator* He represent ed High Bluff until the
•ral election of Ls?4, when he was returned for
St Andrew's, which he afterwards continued to
represent, though by the hit-- rec instruction of con-
stituencies the b iras enlarged and the name
changed t<> Kildonan. Be was a member of the first
Local Government of Manitoba, which was formed
December 14th, L 871, holding the portfolio of Minister
of Public Works, and afterwards, in addition, that
of Minister of Agriculture. On the 8th of July,
1874, he resigned with his colleagues. He was
reappointed to the uew Government in March, 1875,
taking the portfolio of Provincial Secretary under
Hon. R. A. Davis. This office he resigned, and in May,
1876, he again became Minister of Public Works, suc-
ceeding Hon. Joseph Royal on the latter resigning
that portfolio for the Attorney-Generalship. On the
Premier of that Government, Hon. Mr. Davis, retiring
from public life in October, 1878, Hon. Mr. Norquay
was called upon to form a ministry, which, in associa-
tion with Hon. Mr. Royal, he successfuly accomplished.
He then became Premier and Provincial Treasurer.
In May, 1879, Hon. Mr. Royal, Minister of Public
Works, and Hon. Mr. Delorme, Minister of Agriculture,
resigned, owing to a difference of opinion between
liessrs. Norquay and Royal, and the Government was
utterly left with only three members. Unsuccessful
overtures were made to several French members of
the House to accept the vacant portfolios ; and Lieu-
tenant-Governor Cauchon declined to allow the filling
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 647
of the vacant offices to be deferred, holding that such
a course would be unconstitutional. Messrs. B. C.
Bigga and John Taylor were then given the positions.
The dissolved in the following October, a
redistribution bill having previously been passed : and
on December lot: d was held, Mr. B
having previously resigned. Mr-. Norquay was
returned by acclamation; and all the other members
of hi Mi:!, nt, excepi Mr. Taylor, were elected.
Mr. 9 office as Minister of Agriculture was
sqnently filled by Bon. Maxims Goulet, member
for La V. taii'lrye. He and Senator Girard, who
had also been taken into the Cabinet, were both
elected by acclamation Mr. Norquay retained the
Premiership until December, 1SS7, when he and Hon.
Mr. Larivier Land Hon. Dr. Harrison formed
binet ( )n the E the Harrison Govern-
ment and the accession of Hon. Mr. Green way to the
premiership, Mr. Norquay became the leader of
the Opposition, being ehoseo to that position by the
Conservative party. Jn L872, he was an unsuccessful
candidate for the representation of Marquette in the
Hon-- of Commons ; he did not again divert his atten-
tion away from provincial affairs for the sake of
Dominion honors. On various occasions he vi
iwa in connection with the adjustment of affairs
\ een the Dominion and the Province of Manitoba ;
be bad the pleasure of seeing his native Province
dually to a more satisfactory position in regard
ubsidy and other claims. To write in detail the
>ry of the Hon. John Norquay would be to write
the history of Manitoba. Though he did not reach an
8 |j8 BOTTOM OF MANITOBA.
advanced age, he was a witness of progress more
arkable than it has been the lot of any other
Canadian Premier to see j and he took a very promi-
nent part in making tl)t> history of his native Pro-
vince. Mr. Torquay died on the 4th of July, 1889.
rlia remains trex led b state funeral, and were
Interred at St .John's Cemetery.
Re Adam Thorn was born in Aberdeen, edu-
; at Ki' lege there, where he graduated
MA.. 1820, and emigrated to Canada in L832; estab-
lished and edited tiie Settler in L833, also the Montreal
Herald trom L886 to L838; was appointed Recorder
in 1 889, and arrive. 1 in lied River in the spring of
that year. He was esteemed a gentleman of learning
and superior ability. He died in Torrington Square,
London, February 21st, 1-S90, at the advanced age of
eighty-seven.
In closing these in memoriam sketches, I desire to
remember the names of John Inkster, Donald Murray,
Thomas Sinclair, or "Old Tom," as he was familiarly
called, also Recorder Black, and many others whose
names and lives I would desire to chronicle did time
and space permit.
I will now close with a brief description of the
country, beginning first with its size.
From Rat Portage to the summit of the Rocky
Mountains, and from the forty-ninth parallel to Great
Slave Lake, we have a tract of land 1,000 miles square,
with an acreage of 040,000,000. As this is broken up by
swamp and water and unarable land, we will deduct the
half, which will leave us 320,000,000 of acres. The great
wheat belt of Manitoba is about 225 miles long, from
BISTORT <>r MANITOBA. 649
east to west, and has an average width of about seventy -
miles, From north to sooth, This bell extends
of the western boundary of Bfanitoba into the
adjoining District of Assiniboia Its total Length may
be said to be about 350 miles, ending at Elegina on
Canadian Pacific Etailwa; ae wheat will he
raised west of II* of the Rocky
Mountains, and in the valleys of the Saskatchewan
itry, but the solid wheal tannot be said to
ad farther west in the Dominion than aboui
itnde of the western boondary of Dakota. The
wheat product of this region is enormous. It
itimated that if one-fifth of the entire area well
adapted for wheat raising should be farmed, the yield,
at twenty bushels per acre, would reach the total of
95,000,000 of bushels.
The following table will show the amount under
cultivation in Manitoba, and the yield per acre. In
L881, there wen- 2,884,387 acres occupied, :>:>(),416
of which were cultivated, and 280,264 under crop ;
the wheat crop amounted to 1,0 bushels. In
1886, the occupied acreage was 4,171,224; the culti-
vated had risen to 751,571, and that under crop to
591,994? the wheat crop amounted to 6,711,180, and
in 1887 to over 1 4,000,000 bushels. This is accounted
for as follows :
Wheat exported to Eastern Canada and
Europe 8,500,000
Converted into flour in Manitoba . . 2,600,000
Used as seed, 520,000 acres 1,100,000
In bftpdl <>f millers, shippers and farmers 1,200,000
13,400,000
HISTORY OF M WITOBA.
\' VI II.
of Exports.
Wheat
$4,675,000
Flour and BlftO
1,250,000
Flax and its Prod nets
120,000
. .
1 i<>,000
Oate and < )atineal . .
280,000
tables, Wool, Hides
..
000,000
$7,005,000
Overall tl fcch of country, spring opens from
the 1st to the 20th of April, and winter begins from
the 1st to tlic 20th November. The altitude and
latitude is such that there is a large percentage of
sunshine, with very little night during the Bummer
season. Sloping away from the height of land which
lies east, west and south of the forty-ninth parallel, we
are not nearly SO subject to cyclones and other heavy
wind storms as are the states and territories south of
08. The soil is light or heavy, according to antecedent
conditions. The natural grasses are rich and varied
in their quality, which the winds of autumn and the
dry weather characteristic of that season of the year
cure and prepare for winter fodder. John McDougall,
of Alberta, say-
"It would take one thousand railway trains, each
carrying five hundred head of stock, to move the
number of ' God's cattle ' I have seen, with the naked
eye, at one time, from the summit of a hill, on the
earth, stretching from my feet in every direction ;
interspersed among them were thousands of antelope.
"All these lived and grew fat, without the expendi-
ture of any thought or care on the part of man ; and
HISTORY OF MANITOBA. 651
when, in the order of Divine Providence, these wild
animals disappeared, havi ■ ■•[ their purpose, they
Left their immense rich | for the occupancy of
economic and civilised man.-'
To-day in Manitoba and the North-West there is
compute 000 head of domestic cattle : <_civen
twenty i r head, and ther< m in this vast
pastoral country for fifteen or sixteen millions. The
drop of the continent to the easi and north is such that
. of water powers, while
the rain-fall in the months of June and July is,
rule, large and the dew plentiful. Gold, silver, iron,
copper, lead, and vast quantities of coal, form part of
the wealth of the country. Though Manitoba and the
North-West cannot compare with either the Eastern
Pro\ British Columbia* yet the timber supply
u not to be ced Even in the more southerly
portion, a n out four hundred miles lono-
and about two hundred miles wide, the Moose,
Wood and Cypress Mountains are well wooded;
while all the rest of the country is more or less
timbered —prairie and wood land alternating with
each other. With reference to scenery, there is suffi-
fiei.nt to satisfy every variety of taste. Does the
reader desire a vast level plain, with a horizon fadino-
y in cloudless obscurity? then Manitoba, from Rat
Portage to Portage la Prairie, and from the boundary
to hake Winnipeg, will he your choice. Would you
rather see undulating small hills, hroad valleys and
-t'ul slopes? then from Portage la Prairie to Cal-
gary, and from the boundary to Fort Edmonton and
to Battleford, you can have your choice in almost
H1BTOB1 OF MANITOBA,
bewildering variety. Do you desire water, with head-
land an< 1 bay, gema of islands, and labyrinths of intri-
cate water-way a I is il music to youi ear to listen to the
rippling of currents, the tumbling of cascades, and the
roaring of rapids I then fcake from Hat Portage north to
the chores of Lake Winnipeg, on to Hudson Bay, and
westward into the Athabasca country — here you may
paddle and portagf your canoe for thousands of miles.
to stand on some grand range of hills, and
from their eminence look out on hills and valleys,
shapely, as they have fallen from natures lathe, islands
of timber and fields of prairie, so arranged that, how-
ever cultivated your taste, you would not change them
if you could ? Glistening lakelets and winding creeks,
like threads of silver, intersperse the scene, and in
season the smell of luxuriant vegetation and the aroma
of wild rose-beds is wafted to your nostrils; then come
to the nose, the eye, the ear, or to the sick, hills,
ranging from the south branch northward to the
Saskatchewan, where you will find yourself on the high-
lands of America, and in the garden of the Dominion.
Or perhaps you desire something vaster, grander,
more majestic still ; then let us take our stand upon
one of the ranges of hills running north and south
about 150 miles east of the base of the Rocky Moun-
tains. Yonder, rising range beyond range, stretching
north and south, are the grand mountains, whose
forests as they climb the steeps, and the perpendicular
rocks as they stand heavenward, darken the scene,
but above them the snow-clad fields and glaciers that
never melt glisten in the sunshine — and with this I
take leave of my readers.
<5>
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