THE ROMANTIC SETTLEMENT OF LORD SELKIRK'S COLONISTS
by DR. GEORGE BRYCE
THE ROMANTIC SETTLEMENT OF LORD SELKIRK'S COLONISTS
(The Pioneers of Manitoba)
by
DR. GEORGE BRYCE
Of Winnipeg
President of the Royal Society of Canada, etc., etc.
CONTENTS
Page.
Chapter 1. Patriarch's Story 9
An Extinct Race.
The Gay Frenchman.
The Earlier Peoples.
The Montreal Merchants and Men.
The Dusky Riders 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 Red River 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 Rule 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. Riel's Rising 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 the 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
pleasure of seeing the current of all reliable history turned in Lord
Selkirk's favor.
Dr. Doughty, the popular Archivist at Ottawa, has put at the author's
disposal a large amount of Lord Selkirk's correspondence lately received
by him, so that many new, interesting 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
persecutions 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 Red River Settlement as it existed--a
unique 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 EARLIER PEOPLE.
A PATRIARCH'S STORY.
This is the City of Winnipeg. Its growth has been wonderful. It is the
highwater mark of Canadian enterprise. Its chief thoroughfare, with
asphalt pavement, as it runs southward 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
Assiniboine tribe whose northern limit it was, and whose name implies
the "Sioux" of the Stony Lake. The Assiniboine River is as large as the
Tiber at Rome, and the color of the water justifies its being compared
with the "Yellow Tiber."
The Assiniboine falls into the Red River, 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
Red River, from Main Street, down what is now called Lombard Street.
Here not far from the bank of the Red River, 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 wooingly here, and through the
gentle haze, was to be seen sitting on his verandah, the patriarch 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 occupied an
easy chair.
The writer was then quite a young man fresh from College, and with a
simple introduction, after the easy manner of Western Canada, proceeded
to hear the story of old Andrew McDermott, the patriarch of Winnipeg.
"Yes," said Mr. McDermott, "I was among those of the first year of Lord
Selkirk's immigrants. We landed from the Old Country, at York Factory,
on Hudson Bay. The first immigrants 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
Selkirk's settlers in 1812." Thus the story-telling began, and patriarch
and questioner made out from one source and another the whole story of
the predecessors of the Selkirk Colonists.
[Illustration: MOUND BUILDERS' ORNAMENTS, ETC.
A. Ornamental gorget of turtle's plastron.
B. Gorget of sea-shell (1879).
C. Gorget of buffalo bone.
D. Breast or arm ornament of very hard bone.
E. String of beads of birds' leg bones. Note cross X.
F. One of three polished stones used for gaming.
G. Columella of large sea couch (tropical, used as sinker for fishing).]
AN EXTINCT RACE.
"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
bastions. A little north of this you may have noticed 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 agricultural
districts, showing that the race were agriculturists, 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 hundred years ago, just before the coming of the 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 implements 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 Red River, 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.
"And is this all? an earthen pot,
A broken spear, a copper pin
Earth's grandest prizes counted in--
A burial mound?--the common lot."
THE GAY FRENCHMAN.
Then the conversation turned upon the early Frenchmen, who came to the
West during the days of French Canada, before Wolfe took Quebec. "Oh! I
have no doubt they would make a great ado," said the old patriarch,
"when they came here. The French, you know, are so fond of pageants. But
beyond a few rumors among the old Indians far up the Assiniboine River
of their remembrance of the crosses and of the priests, or black robes,
as they call them, I have never heard anything; these early explorers
themselves left few traces. When they retired from the country, after
Canada was taken by Wolfe, the Indians burnt their forts and tried to
destroy every vestige of them. You know the Indian is a cunning
diplomatist. He very soon sees which is the stronger side and takes it.
When the King is dead he is ready to shout, Long live the new King. I
have heard that down on the point, on the south side of the Forks of the
two rivers, the Frenchmen built a fort, but there wasn't a stick or a
stone of it left when the Selkirk Colonists came in 1812. But perhaps
you know that part of the story better than I do," ventured the old
patriarch. That is the Story of the French Explorers.
"Oh! Yes," replied the writer, "you know the world of men and things
about you; I know the world of books and journals and letters."
"Let us hear of that," said the patriarch eagerly.
[Illustration: MOUND BUILDERS' REMAINS
A. Native Copper Drill.
B. Soapstone Conjurer's tube.
C. Flint Skinning Implement.
D. Horn Fish Spear.
E. Native Copper Cutting Knife.
F. Cup found in Rainy River Mound by the Author, 1884.]
Well, you know the French Explorers were very venturesome. They went,
sometimes to their sorrow, among the wildest tribes of Indians.
A French Captain, named Verandrye, who was born in Lower Canada, came up
the great lakes to trade for furs of the beaver, mink, and musk-rat.
When he reached the shore of Lake Superior, west of where Fort William
now stands, an old Indian guide, gave him a birch bark map, which showed
all the streams and water courses from Lake Superior to Lake of the
Woods, and on to Lake Winnipeg. This was when the "well-beloved" Louis
XV. was King of France, and George II. King of England. It was heroic of
Verandrye to face the danger, but he was a soldier who had been twice
wounded in battle in Europe, and had the French love of glory. By
carrying his canoes over the portages, and running the rapids when
possible, he came to the head of Rainy River, went back again with his
furs, and after several such journeys, came down the Winnipeg River from
Lake of the Woods, to Lake Winnipeg, and after a while made a dash
across the stormy Lake Winnipeg and came to the Red River. The places
were all unknown, the Indians had never seen a white man in their
country, and the French Captain, with his officers, his men and a
priest, found their way to the Forks of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.
This was nearly three-quarters of a century before the first Selkirk
Colonists reached Red River. The French Captain saw only a few Indian
teepees at the Forks, and ascended the Assiniboine. It was a very dry
year, and the water in the Assiniboine was so low that it was with
difficulty
