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PRAIRIE FORUM Vol. 11, NO.1 Spring, 1986 CONTENTS ARTICLES The Red River Settlement: Lord Selkirk's Isolated Colony in the Wilderness Barry Kaye The CPR and the Promotion of Tourism in Western Canada: Edward Whymper in the Crowsnest Pass Raymond J.A. Huel 21 Forging a New Protestant Ontario on the Agricultural Frontier: Public Schools in Brandon and the Origins of the Manitoba School Question, 1881-1890 T. S. Mitchell 33 Some Aspects of Technology and Leisure in Alberta, 1914-1950 Don Wetherell 51 Alberta Social Credit Reappraised: The Radical Character of the Early Social Credit Movement AIvin Finkel 69 The Westward Shift of Manufacturing on the Prairies Neil R. Seifried 87 PRAIRIE THESES, 1984-85 101 BOOK REVI EWS FRIESEN, Gerald, The Canadian Prairies: A History by James D. Mochoruk 11 3 DICKASON, Olive Patricia, The Myth of the Savage: And the Beginnings of French Colonialism in the Americas; PETRONE, Penny (editor), First People, First Voices by Sarah Carter 115 STANLEY, George F. G. (general editor), The Collected Writings of Louis Riel/Les Ecrits Complets de Louis Riel by Frits Pannekoek 120 PAYMENT, Diane, Batoche 1870-1910 by Jean Pariseau 124 McLEAN, Don, 1885: Metis Rebellion or Government Conspiracy? by Michael J. Carley 125 GIBSON, Dale, Attorney for the Frontier by W Stewart Martin 127 DUNCAN, Helen, Kate Rice Prospector by Susan Jackel 129 HOWARD, Victor, "we Were the Salt of the Earth!": The On-to-Ottawa Trek and the Regina Riot by George Woodcock 131 KINNEAR, Mary, Daughters of Time: Women in the Western Tradition by Patricia E. Prestwich 133 ECKHARDT, Ferdinand, Music from Within by Howard Leyton-Brown 136 RASPORICH, A. W. and James FRIDERES (editors), Ethnic Art and Architecture in Canada . by Radomir Bilash 137 LYNCH, Wayne, Married to the Wind:A Study of the Prairie Grasslands by D.M. Secoy 140 SIMMIE, Lois, Pictures; SILVESTER, Reg, Fish-Hooks by Ian Adam 142 ROSS, E. Stuart, The History of Prairie Theatre: The Development of Theatre in Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 1833-1982 by David C. Jones 145 INDEX TO PRAIRIE FORUM, Vol. 1, NO.1 - Vol. 10, NO.2 147 PRAIRIE FORUM: Journal of the Canadian Plains Research Center Chief Editor: F. Pannekoek, History, Alberta Culture Associate Editors: I. Adam, English, Calgary A. Artibise, Urban Studies, Winnipeg J. Bennett, Anthropology, St. Louis, Missouri J. W. Brennan, History, Regina A. Finkel, History, Athabasca, Alberta P. Ghorayshi, Sociology, Winnipeg W. Last, Earth Sciences, Winnipeg A. Mills, Political Science, Winnipeg J. N. McCrorie, CPRC, Regina B. R. Neal, Biology, Saskatchewan K. Norrie, Economics, Alberta A. Paul, Geography, Regina D. Payment, History, Parks Canada, Winnipeg A. E. Smith, Agriculture Canada, Regina S.A. Smith, Archives, Winnipeg R. Sydie, Sociology, Alberta E.L. Syms, Archaeology, Museum of Man, Winnipeg Book Review Editor: G. W. Minifie, CPRC, Regina PRAIRIE FORUM is published twice yearly, in Spring and Fall, at an annual subscription rate of $15.00, single copies and special issues $7.50 subscribers, $10.00 non-subscribers; back issues $10.00. All subscrip tions, correspondence and contributions should be sent to The Editor, Prairie Forum, Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada S4S OA2. Subscribers will also receive the Canadian Plains Bulletin, the newsletter of the Canadian Plains Re search Center. PRAIRIE FORUM is not responsible for statements, either of fact or opinion, made by contributors. COPYRIGHT 1986 CANADIAN PLAINS RESEARCH CENTER ISSN 0317-6282 The Red River Settlement: Lord Selkirk's Isolated Colony in the Wilderness Barry Kaye Department of Geography University of Manitoba ABSTRACT. This article provides an analysis of the circumstances surrounding the decision to establish a settlement at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers in 1812. Before 1870, the settlement founded by Lord Selkirk was the largest centre of population and agriculture between the settled lands of Upper Canada and the Pacific coast. It was also the only settlement colony in Rupert's Land, the chartered lands of the Hudson's Bay Company. The article questions the traditional explanation that the decision to found a colony on the Red River arose from Lord Selkirk's reading of the writings of the fur trader Alexander Mackenzie. It also suggests that the decision to focus specifically on the Red River was made not in 1802, as is stated in most accounts of the colony, but several years later. RESUME. Cet article fournit une analyse des circonstances qui influencerent l'etablissement d'une colonie ala jonction des rivieres Assiniboine et Rouge en 1812. Avant 1870, cette colonie fondee par Lord Selkirk fut Ie plus important centre peuple et agricole entre la regiondeve lop pee du Haut-Canada et la cote Pacifique. Ce fut aussi la seule colonie habitee en Terres de Rupert, propriete de la Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson. Cet article conteste l'explication traditionnelle que la decision prise par Lord Selkirk d'etablir une colonie sur la riviere Rouge fut tine c"onsequence des ecnts du commercant de fourrures, Alexander"Mackenzie. La plupart des recits suggerent que la decision de concentrerlacolonisation sur la riviere Rouge en particulierfut prise en 1802.Toutefois, cet article demontre qu'on est arrive acette decision beaucoup plus tard. When the fur trader-historian Alexander Ross wrote that "the remote colony ofRed River may be said to be as far from England as any colony or people on the habitable globe," he was taking literary license to emphasize what were perhaps the most remarkable geo graphic features of the Red River Settlement-isolationand its relative location.' Founded in 1812 by the Scottish nobleman Thomas Doug las, fifth Earl of Selkirk, the colony was located almost at the geograph ical centre of the North American continent. It was separated on the east from the British settlement frontier in Upper Canada by one thousand miles of nearly empty Canadian Shield, and on the north from York Factory, its maritime connection to Europe, by almost as many miles of difficult and often dangerous water navigation. To the south stretched the seemingly endless and essentially unexplored grass lands of the interior Great Plains of North America which, on the borders of the colony, were controlled by the powerful and largely hostile Sioux Indians. The colony was established at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine R·ivers and, between 1812 and 1821, Selkirk placed emigrants from Europe at this location on the southern flanks of Rupert's Land, the chartered lands of the Hudson's Bay Company. Historical tradition has been that Selkirk's decision to found the Red River Settlement at this location derived from the sanguine de- 2 KAYE scriptions of the agricultural potential of the Red River valley, con tained in the writings of the fur trader Alexander Mackenzie. Closer scrutiny reveals, however, that this fundamental, and perhaps most important locational decision in the settlement history of Western Canada, derived not from Mackenzie's descriptions but from a com plex of factors that had coalesced in Selkirk's mind, and in Hudson's Bay Company affairs, about this time. An Inland Colony in British North America Prior to his association with the Hudson's Bay Company, which began in 1807, Selkirk had submitted two proposals to the British Colonial Office outlining settlement schemes in British North Amer ica. The proposal of 1802 contains his earliest ideas about North American colonization. He initially urged that a settlement expressly for Irish Catholics be established in North America and he declared himself"willing to devote his exertions to the service of his country in conducting the proposed Colony to America, if a situation can be procured possessing such natural advantages as are requisite for the success of the plan.'? He wished to see the colonists located in a situation possessed ofa "favourable" climate, fertile soil, and access to navigable waterways, so that the settlers could direct their attention to "objects ofcultivation not only useful to the Commerce ofBritain, but for which at present she depends chiefly on the territories of her habitual enemies." From the start, Selkirk clearly had in mind a colony for which a mercantile, commercial agriculture would provide the economicjustification. It was his belief, at this time, that the wilderness lands of British North America did not have, for climatic reasons, the characteristics necessary for a successful colony. As a result, Selkirk eliminated these lands from consideration in his initial proposal and instead suggested Louisiana as the best location for his prospective colony. There it would be possible to find "a situation in which every advantage would be united; in which there would be the fairest pros pects both ofthe internal prosperity ofthe Colony and ofits becoming a valuable acquisition to the Commerce of Britain." Louisiana was a curious choice, for this territory lay outside British possessions in North America. It was also vaguely defined since Louisiana at that time embraced much ofthe valleys ofthe Mississippi and the Missouri. In 1880 New Orleans and Louisiana west of the Mississippi were retroceded by Spain to France. Selkirk was aware that the British might be able to persuade the French to give up Louisiana during the ongoing negotiations (1801-02) between Britain and France preliminary to the Peace of Amiens (1802). However, the British did not press the French for the transfer and Louisiana remained in French hands until its purchase by the United States in 1803. THE RED RIVER SETTLEMENT 3 The failure ofhis first proposal caused Selkirk to draw up another one, "Observations Supplementary to a Memorial Relative to the Security of Ireland," dated 3 April 1802, which he submitted to the Colonial Office.t Again, Selkirk discussed possible locations for his proposed colony in North America.