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The Romantic Settlement of Lord Selkirk's THOMAS, 5TH EARL OF SELKIRK The Founder of Red River Colony, 1812. copy ot painting' by Raeburn, obtained by author from St Mary's Isle, Lord Selkirk’s The Romantic Settlement OF Lord Selkirk’s Colonies [The Pioneers of Manitoba] DR. GEORGE BRYCE Of Winnipeg President of the Royal Society of Canada, etc., etc. CLARK BROS. & CO., Limited WINNIPEG, MAN. Copyrighted Canada, 1909, by The Musson Book Company, Limited, Toronto.” CONTENTS Page. Chapter 1. Patriarch’s Story 9 An Extinct Pace. The Gay Frenchman. The Earlier Peoples. The Montreal Merchants and Men. The Dusky Eiders of the Plain. The Stately Hudson’s Bay Company. Chapter 2. A Scottish Duel 33 Chapter 3. Across the Stormy Sea 44 Chapter 4. A Winter of Discontent 58 Chapter 5. First Foot on Eed Eiver Banks 69 Chapter 6. Three Desperate Years 80 Chapter 7. Fight and Flight 95 Chapter 8. No Surrender 107 Chapter 9. Seven Oaks Massacre 117 Chapter 10. Afterclaps 133 Chapter 11. The Silver Chief Arrives 142 Chapter 12. Soldiers and Swiss 152 Chapter 13. English Lion and Canadian Bear Lie Down Together 161 Chapter 14. Satrap Eule 170 Chapter 15. And the Flood Came 178 Chapter 16. The Jolly Governor 185 Chapter 17. The Oligarchy 194 Chapter 18. An Ogre of Justice 202 Chapter 19. A Half-Breed Patriot 210 Chapter 20,. Sayer and Liberty 216 Chapter 21. Off to the Buffalo 224 Chapter 22. What the Stargazers Saw 232 Chapter 23. Apples of Gold 239 Chapter 24. Pictures of Silver 256 Chapter 25. Eden Invaded 276 Chapter 26. Eiel’s Eising 284 Chapter 27. Lord Strathcona’s Hand 291 Chapter 28. Wolseley’s Welcome 300 Chapter 29. Manitoba in the Making 307 Chapter 30. The Selkirk Centennial 315 Appendix 320 PREFACE The present work tells tlie romantic story of the Settlement of Lord Selkirk’s Colonists in Manitoba, and is appropriate and timely in view of the Centennial celebration of this event which will be held in Winnipeg in 1912. The author was the first, in his earlier books, to take a stand for justice to be done to Lord Selkirk as a Colonizer, and he has had the plea- sure of seeing the current of all reliable history turned in Lord Selkirk’s favor. Dr. Doughty, the popular Archivist at Ot- tawa, has put at the author’s disposal a large amount of Lord Selkirk’s correspondence late- ly received by him, so that many new, interest- ing facts about the Settlers’ coming are now published for the first time. If we are to celebrate the Selkirk Centennial intelligently, it is essential to know the facts of the trials, oppressions and heartless persecu- tions through which the Settlers’ passed, to learn what shameful treatment Lord Selkirk received from his enemies, and to trace the rise from misery to comfort of the people of the Colony. The story is chiefly confined to Bed Eiver Set- tlement as it existed—a nnique community, which in 1870 became the present Province of Manitoba. It is a sympathetic study of what one writer has called—“Britain’s One Utopia.” The Romantic Settlement OF. Lord Selkirk’s Colonists Lord Selkirk’s Colonists CHAPTER I. THE EAKLIEE PEOPLE. A PATEIARCH’S STORY. This is the City of Winnipeg. Its growth has been wonderful. It is the highwater mark of Canadian enterprise. Its chief thorough- fare, with asphalt pavement, as it runs south- ward and approaches the Assiniboine River, has a broad street diverging at right angles from it to the West. This is Broadway, a most commodious avenue with four boulevards neatly kept, and four lines of fine young Elm trees. It represents to us “Unter den Linden” of Berlin, the German Capital. The wide business thoroughfare Main Street, where it reaches the Assiniboine River, looks out upon a stream, so called from the wild As- siniboine tribe whose northern limit it was, and whose name implies the “Sioux” of the Stony Lake. The Assiniboine River is as large as the 10 Lord Selkirk’s Colonists. Tiber at Eome, and the color of tbe water justi- fies its being compared with the “Yellow Tiber. ’ ’ The Assiniboine falls into the Eed Eiver, a larger stream, also with tawny-colored water. The point of union of these two rivers was long ago called by the French voyageurs “Les ’ ‘ Fourches, ^ which we have translated into ‘ The Forks. One morning nearly forty years ago, the writer wandered eastward toward Eed Eiver, from Main Street, down what is now called Lombard Street. Here not far from the bank of the Eed Eiver, stood a wooden house, then of the better class, but now left far behind by the brick and stone and steel structures of modern Winnipeg. The house still stands a stained and battered memorial of a past generation. But on this October morning, of an Indian summer day, the air was so soft, that it seemed to smell woo- ingly here, and through the gentle haze, was to be seen sitting on his verandah, the patri- arch of the village, who was as well the genius of the place. The old man had a fine gray head with the locks very thin, and with his form, not tall but broad and comfortable to look upon, he oc- cupied an easy chair. The writer was then quite a young man fresh The Earlier People. 11 from College, and with a simple introduction, after the easy manner of Western Canada, pro- ceeded to hear the story of old Andrew Mc- Dermott, the patriarch of Winnipeg. “Yes,” said Mr. McDermott, “I was among those of the first year of Lord Selkirk’s immi- grants. We landed from the Old Country, at York Factory, on Hudson Bay. The first immi- grants reached the banks of the Red River in the year 1812. ‘ ‘ I am a native of Ireland and embarked with Owen Keveny—a bright Hibernian—a clever writer, and speaker, who, poor fellow, was killed by the rival Fur Company, and whose murderer, De Reinhard, was tried at Quebec. Of course the greater number of Lord Selkirk’s settlers were Scotchmen, but I have always lived with them, known them, and find that they trust me rather more than they at times trust each other. I have been their merchant, contractor, treaty- maker, business manager, counsellor, adviser, and confidential friend.” “But,” said the writer, “as having come to cast in my lot with the people of the Red River, I should be glad to hear from you about the early times, and especially of the earlier people of this region, who lived their lives, and came and went, before the arrival of Lord Sel- kirk’s settlers in 1812.” Thus the story-telling began, and patriarch and questioner made out MOUND builders’ ORNAMENTS, ETC. A. Ornamental gorget of turtle’s plast- E. String of beads of birds’ leg bones. ron. Note cross X. B. Gorget of sea-shell (1879). F. One of three polished stones used C. Gorget of buffalo bone. for gaming. D. Breast or arm ornament of very G. Columella of large sea couch (trop- hard bone. ical, used as sinker for fishing. The Earlier People. 13 from one source and another the whole story of the predecessors of the Selkirk Colonists. AN EXTINCT KACE. ‘ ‘ Long before the coming of the settler, there lived a race who have now entirely disappeared. Not very far from the Assiniboine River, where Main Street crosses it, is now to be seen,” said the narrator, “Fort Garry—a fine castellated structure with stone walls and substantial bas- tions. A little north of this you may have no- ticed a round mound, forty feet across. We opened this mound on one occasion, and found it to contain a number of human skeletons and articles of various kinds. The remains are those of a people whom we call “The Mound Builders,” who ages ago lived here. Their mounds stood on high places on the river bank and were used for observation. The enemy approaching could from these mounds easily be seen. They are also found in good agricul- tural districts, showing that the race were agri- culturists, and where the fishing is good on the river or lake these mounds occur. The Mound Builders are the first people of whom we have traces here about. The Indians say that these Mound Builders are not their ancestors, but are the “Very Ancient Men.” It is thought that the last of them passed away some four hun- dred years ago, just before the coming of the — 14 Lord Selkirk’s Colonists. white man. At that time a fierce whirlwind of conquest passed over North America, which was seen in the destruction of the Hurons, who lived in Ontario and Quebec. Some of their im- plements found were copper, probably brought from Lake Superior, but stone axes, hammers, and chisels, were commonly used by them. A horn spear, with barbs, and a fine shell sinker, shows that they lived on fish. Strings of beads and fine pearl ornaments are readily found. But the most notable thing about these people is that they were far ahead of the Indians, in that they made pottery, with brightly designed patterns, which showed some taste. Very likely these Mound Builders were peaceful people, who, driven out of Mexico many centuries ago, came up the Mississippi, and from its branches passing into Bed Eiver, settled all along its banks. We know but little of this vanished race. They have left only a few features of their work behind them. Their name and fame are lost forever.
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