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Settler Colonialism and the Failed-Settlement Narrative in the Ottawa-Huron Tract, 1850–1910

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Settler Colonialism and the Failed-Settlement Narrative in the Ottawa-Huron Tract, 1850–1910 A “Colony of Unrequited Dreams”? Settler Colonialism and the Failed-Settlement Narrative in the Ottawa-Huron Tract, 1850–1910 by Derek Murray B.A. (Honours), University of Guelph, 2007 M.A., University of Guelph, 2009 G.Cert., Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Victoria, 2014 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in the Department of History © Derek Murray, 2018 University of Victoria All rights reserved. This dissertation may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. ii Supervisory Committee A “Colony of Unrequited Dreams”? Settler Colonialism and the Failed-Settlement Narrative in the Ottawa-Huron Tract, 1850–1910 by Derek Murray B.A. (Honours), University of Guelph, 2007 M.A., University of Guelph, 2009 G.Cert., Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of Victoria, 2014 Supervisory Committee Dr. Eric W. Sager, Supervisor Department of History Dr. Lynne S. Marks, Departmental Member Department of History Dr. Peter A. Baskerville, Outside Member Department of History and Classics, University of Alberta iii Abstract In the 1850s, the government of Canada West initiated a project to colonize a vast region of the Canadian Shield known as the Ottawa-Huron Tract. Later, in his influential interpretation, Arthur Lower argued the myth of the inexorable forward movement of the settlement frontier was here shattered by a reality of lakes, rocks, and forest inherently unsuitable for farming. This refrain continues to be repeated by proponents of what I call the failed-settlement narrative. A contrasting narrative emphasizes the perseverance of settlers and their descendants. This dissertation was born of an interest in the tension between these competing narratives. On the one hand, the failed-settlement narrative ignores the fact many people succeeded in farming on the Shield. On the other hand, the romanticized image of the pioneer is disconnected from the larger historical contexts which shaped the settlement process and informed those notions of success and failure by which we judge the actions of people in the past. If the colonization project was an unmitigated failure, how do we account for the persistence of settlers and their descendants? If the landscape and soils of the Shield were unsuited to cultivation, why did people continue to cultivate the land for decades after the settlement project was condemned? What follows is an exploration of these questions, focusing on the township of Brudenell, Ontario as a site of Canadian colonial experimentation. Failure and desertion were certainly important parts of the settlement experience in the Ottawa-Huron Tract, but these themes have been overemphasized by historians. Early on, many settlers realized the variability of the landscape in places like Brudenell and found small parcels of land which they turned to a variety of purposes. Settlers took advantage of government policies that made landowning a realistic goal even for those of iv modest means and diverse backgrounds. By embracing new and emerging forms of local authority settlers were also able to tune the structures of the colonial state to further their own interests. They profited from the proximate shanty market for agricultural produce wherever practicable, while also pursuing economic activities oriented toward both local, regional, and national markets. Economic opportunities and the accessibility of land in Brudenell allowed cultural groups to develop spatially-distinct communities, which expanded to fill much of the available land in the township. This revision of the failed- settlement narrative stands out in the historiography of the Ottawa-Huron Tract, but dovetails with histories of settlement in other agriculturally-marginal regions of nineteenth-century Canada. v Table of Contents Supervisory Committee.................................................................................................. ii Abstract........................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents............................................................................................................ v List of Tables.................................................................................................................. vi List of Maps.................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures................................................................................................................. x Acknowledgments........................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction: A “Colony of Unrequited Dreams”?....................................... 1 Chapter 2: Assessing the Prospects of Colonization: Perspectives on Landscape and Settlement in the Ottawa-Huron Tract to 1880............................................................... 21 Chapter 3: “No Longer a Serious Obstacle”: Construction and Settlement of the Ottawa and Opeongo Colonization Road, 1851–1871................................................... 74 Chapter 4: “Equitable Claims and Future Considerations”: Colonial Authority and the Local State in Brudenell, 1860–1900........................................................................ 125 Chapter 5: Only a “Harvest of Stones”? Agriculture and the Local Economy in Brudenell, 1855–1910..................................................................................................... 176 Chapter 6: Did Ethnicity Matter? Ethnicity, Religion, and Settlement Patterns in Brudenell, 1855–1910..................................................................................................... 245 Conclusion: “A Unique Historical Resource”: History and Heritage in the Ottawa- Huron Tract..................................................................................................................... 306 Bibliography.................................................................................................................... 315 Appendix: Notes on Census and Assessment Roll Databases........................................ 341 vi List of Tables Table 2.1 Classification of Lots on the Opeongo Road in Brudenell based on Inspections by P. L. S. William Bell............................................................ 68 Table 2.2 Classes and Prices of Land in Renfrew County Townships, after Smallfield, 1881........................................................................................... 71 Table 3.1 Allocations on Major Colonization Roads in the Ottawa-Huron Tract, 1855–1866.................................................................................................... 97 Table 3.2 Free Grants Located on the Opeongo Road in 1858, by Month.................. 105 Table 3.3 Free Grants Claimed on the Opeongo Road, to 31 December 1859............ 106 Table 3.4 Percentage of Lots Claimed on the Opeongo Road, Divided by Range...... 108 Table 3.5 Age, Birthplace, Religion, and Origin of Occupants, On-Road and Off- Road Locations in Brudenell, 1871.............................................................. 112 Table 3.6 Mean Real Property Values ($), On-Road and Off-Road Locations, 1864–1899.................................................................................................... 114 Table 3.7 Standard Deviation in Real Property Values ($), On-Road and Off-Road, 1864–1899.................................................................................................... 114 Table 3.8 Comparison of Distributions of Recorded Acreage Occupied in Brudenell by On-Road and Off-Road Locations, 1861 and 1874................................ 118 Table 3.9 Value of Personal Property in Brudenell, 1864–1886................................. 118 Table 3.10 Comparison of Distributions of Recorded Acreage Occupied, Brudenell and Central Ontario, 1861 and 1871............................................................ 121 Table 4.1 Taxes Imposed as a Percentage of Total Assessed Property, 1863–64 and 1886–1900.................................................................................................... 138 Table 4.2 Property Assessments on Brudenell Lot 13, Concession 15, 1863–1911.... 149 Table 5.1 Estimated Stock of Principal Supplies for One Season in Two Shanties, 1889.............................................................................................................. 185 Table 5.2 Agricultural Statistics on Three Depot Farms in Brudenell, 1861............... 192 Table 5.3 Estimated Adult Male Equivalent Consumption of Major Food Items....... 193 vii Table 5.4 Shanty Demand for Principal Products and Value to the Local Economy, 1861.............................................................................................................. 194 Table 5.5 Age-Sex Ratios and Equivalent Adult Male Food Consumption in Brudenell, 1861............................................................................................ 199 Table 5.6 Estimated Marketable Surpluses of Settler Farms in Brudenell, 1861........ 200 Table 5.7 Occupations in Brudenell Ranked by Frequency, 1871............................... 202 Table 5.8 Industrial Production in Brudenell, 1871..................................................... 208 Table 5.9 School Attendance by Age and Sex in Brudenell, 1871.............................
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