Margaret L. Clarke, Editor #29, Evanson Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba
On our way back to Manitoba after spending summer in central Alberta, we found our way to an official Canadian Historic Site on the lower Qu'Appelle river. From my research, I knew that a number of fur trade posts were in that area. Among the possible candidates for the official site were Fort Ellice (Hudson's Bay Company, 1831 - 1862), Beaver Creek Post (Hudson's Bay Company, 1806 - 1821), and Fort Qu'Appelle (North West Company, pre 1821). At the time, I was not familiar with Fort Esperance, although it appears on the map "Trading Posts, 1774-1821" by D. Wayne Moodie, Victor P. Lytwyn and Barry Kaye, (Plate 62 in the Historical Atlas of Canada), which hangs on my office wall.
I first became familiar with the area through reading Cuthbert Grant of Grantown by Margaret McLeod. In it, she tells the story of Cuthbert Grant leading the Métis against John Richards McKay and the Hudson's Bay post on the Qu'Appelle River, the autumn before heading downstream against the Red River Settlement in an encounter part of which became known as the "Battle of Seven Oaks".
To reach the site, we turned north off Highway One at Moosomin onto Saskatchewan Highway #8 to Rocanville. There, we turned east on an improved two lane road, following the signs to the historic site. We turned off onto a narrow dirt road within sight of the SpyHill coal mine and followed the winding trail to a site on the bluff of the Qu'Appelle River. Fort Espérance National Historic Site is the site of the second Fort Espérance occupied by the North West Company from 1816 to 1819. The site of the earlier Fort Esperance is just down the river bank, in what is now a hayfield. Evidence of cellars and old trails are visible and as the site pamphlet says "a depression around the remains indicates where the stockade once stood."
The pamphlet also indicates that the site of the encounter between Cuthbert Grant and John Richards McKay and their companies was on the north side of the river, some miles upstream. Also listed was the XY Company fort (1801-1805) just a mile downstream and the North West Company post on Qu'Appelle lake (1810-1814). It does not indicate the location of Fort Ellice.
We decided to continue our exploration of the Qu"Appelle valley. We drove back out to the two lane road and took it across the river to the north side, then took a farm road east along the river, in the valley. After a mile or two, we spotted a sign which directed us to St. Joseph's Roman Catholic cemetery. We turned off and took a narrow sandy road up the riverback to the gravel lane that lead in to the cemetery. We found it well fenced and protected, and obviously in recent use.
Among the families who had used the cemetery were the Pritchards and the Desjarlais.
We saw the graves of an Ed Pritchard, Jr, died 1933; an Elizabeth Pritchard, 1913-1929; an Elie J. Martel, died 1939; a Laura Brazeau, died 1935. Some of the earlier graves we saw were a Pritchard family group: Edouard, 1862-1948; his wife Marie, 1865-1946; and a James Joseph, 1896-1959. A John B. Desjarlais born in the USA, 1874-1942 had a very interesting stone. It appears very rough and looks as if it has been retraced. Two of the most recent interrments were: Robert Hayden, 1945-1992, and Mitten, Donald F., 1928-1992.
By that time, it was getting late and we decided to continue our trip and save the rest of the valley for another time. We drove back out to the improved road and continued north. We eventually found our way past a cairn on Highway 8 commemorating Fort Ellice and then went across into Manitoba to take Highway 4 back to Highway One. On our way, we went through the lovely little town of St. Lazare, and wondered whether Fort Ellice had been near there. We stopped at a tourist information booth soon after rejoining Highway One for a break, and there inquired about Fort Ellice. The clerk there asssured me that I was correct. St. Lazare was the location of the Fort Ellice site. She also gave me the names of some people in the community who would be happy to show us the site. Unfortunately, time was too short to follow up then. We hope to continue this exploration next summer.
Notes in Dr. Jennifer Brown's files on native and mixed blood families include a story of Donald McKay, born at Gordon Bush, Scotland, in 1753, who died at Barney's River, Nova Scotia in 1833. The note says that "At Albany, May 4, 1793, when John McNab was Chief there, Donald McKay and a Cree wife who had two sons, Donald Jr. and William. Indians killed the wife and burned the house. Donald was left for dead." The boys may not have been present, as they survived. Donald Jr. settled in Nova Scotia. William became part of the greater Red River community, and lived for a time with a daughter and her inlaws at Berens River. The story of the Indian attack came from a descendant of Donald Jr., who lived in Rhode Island.
This is the same Donald McKay who left the employment of the North West Company in 1790 and joined the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1793/94, he was sent inland to establish Brandon House for that company, in opposition to the North West Company at Fort Souris.
Report on Northern Great Plains History Conference at BrandonThe recent Northern Great Plains History Conference at Brandon from September 27-30, 1995, featured two sessions of particular interest to those exploring "Metis", "Mixed-Blood", "Mixed-Descent" families.
The session titled "Cross-Cultural Frontiers: Métis Images, Identities, Communities" included three presentations. Paul C. Thistle from the Sam Waller Museum in The Pas, Manitoba, presented a paper titled "The Twatt Band of Mixed Descent: Ethnic Category to Functional Ethnic Group, 1780-1840." In it, he discussed the route to ethnic identity followed by a mixed descent family which began its history as members of a Cree band.
Thomas D. Bacig from the University of Minnesota at Duluth, presented "Halfbreeds, Settlers and Rebels: Newspaper Images of the Red River Métis in 1869." In his exposition of the early newspaper evidence in the United States of the Red River Rebellion, he presented evidence of news which appeared in papers in St. Paul and New York almost before the events occurred and of a transformation of the identities of the actors from "hostile Indians" (New York Times, 11/11/1869) to "members of an insurrectionary force who "aspire to an independent autonomy." (St. Paul Daily Press, 11/11/1869) to "a company of Red River Cavalry" (Special Correspondence of the St. Paul Press, Pembina, Dakota Territory, Nov. 4, 1869).
David H. Dinwoodie from the Salish Kootenai College presented a paper titled "Crossing Borders: Metis Movements on Montana's Flathead Frontier." In his presentation, he discussed the metissage of a Flathead community or the taking of Flathead identity by a Metis group which intermarried with the residents of the Flathead reservation. He mused over the permeability of identity.
The second session of interest to Metis family enthusiasts was titled Documenting Sitting Bull's Necklace. It featured three papers which told the story of Sitting Bull's contacts with mixed bloods in Canada through the agency of a family story of a bearclaw neckpiece which, as the story said, he gave to a young mixed blood couple before their marriage. Margaret L. Clarke of the University of Manitoba presented "Sitting Bull's Wedding Gift: The McKays' Relations with the Dakota." David McCrady of the University of Manitoba presented "Living with Strangers: Diplomatic Aspects of the Lakota Migration to Canada." Ruth Swan presented "Sitting Bull's Bear Claw Necklace as Museum Artifact: Sheriff Colin Inkster as Collector and Red River Historian."
Whitehorse, Yukon, June 1-4, 1996.
"Yukon - land of legendary storytellers - will host the 1996 Ruperts Land Colloquium in Whitehorse. In recognition of this unique opportunity to meet North of 60, the conference will explore oral traditions and their context in northern communities, past, present and future. As well, the program will include topics relating to Ruperts Land history, cultures and peoples, encompassing the full range of mythology, pre-contact, fur trade, exploration, travel, transportation, mining, political and other themes.
The Coordinating Committee invites proposals for papers and presentations (with slides, film, sound recordings, or other media), and suggestions for organizing sessions. We anticipate that a number of First Nations will make presentations as well as researchers and community heritage groups."
For more information contact:
Linda Johnson
Ruperts Land Colloquium Coordinator
Yukon Archives, Box 2703,
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 2C6.
OR FAX: 403-667-4253
or email dchishol@gov.yk.ca
In Les Bourgeois de la Compagne du Nord-Ouest by L. R. Masson, in the list of those employed by the North West Company in 1804 appeared a Hugh Heney who is listed as commis, or clerk, one of the eight in the Upper Red River district. He appeared later in the HBC as clerk in Brandon House in 1809/10. He was placed in charge after John McKay's death, on July 5, 1810 and his behaviour appeared central to the mutiny that took place there the winter of 1810/11.
Mr. Heney first appeared in the Brandon House Journal of 1805/06, when John McKay outfitted him for a trip to trade with the Mandans. At that point, he did not appear to be an employee. However, a line at the end of the journal indicates he has joined the Company. It reads: "NB the most of this Journal is copied by Mr. Heney who is now here." He does not appear in the next year, but on September 5, 1807, there is a very interesting comment concerning him. It states:
Sept. 5th Saturday. stopped a little while with Heney at the Forks, this place is swarming with free men, all wanting to engage in our service. [These are apparently former employees of the XY Company which amalgamated with the N.W. Company in 1804/05.] I would have nothing to do with them, I have enough of their witchcraft already. I sent them all to their Country man Haney. he may settle with them as he pleases. Camped at first plain.
He appears to have been posted at the Forks that year.
The journal for 1810/11 has a note at the top of the first page, which reads: "Journal kept at Brandon Hs by Mr. J. McKay until his death. next by Wm. Yorston, then by Mr. Heney & after 24th Feby by the Mutineers."
That spring was the beginning of a very trying time for the people at Brandon House. Mary Favel McKay died in childbirth March 19, 1810, and her husband John's death left eight children orphaned. They included Charles, a toddler not yet two and Mary, only four months old. There is an untold story behind the survival of those babies. A descendant of Charles remembered a family legend that John Richards, the eldest son at 18, and just returned inland after schooling in Great Britain and a year of apprenticeship on the Bay, raised those babies. A letter from Hugh Heney to Thomas Norn, February 24, 1811 says of John Richards: "Young McKay will Employ Writing, Keeping the Books in Order and Regularity." This shows that J.R. was there and employed as Clerk.
His first child was born in 1816 indicating that his relationship with his future wife, Harriet Ballenden, dated from 1815. If he met her during his time at the Bay, it is possible, if not very probable, that she went with him inland, and was foster-mother to his brother and sister. It seems more likely to this writer that some of the native wives of HBC men lent him a hand. This may have deepened the animosity of the community against the inexperienced man who replaced John McKay. Among Heney's transgressions, he apparently tryed to take Isabella, John McKay's fourteen-year-old orphaned daughter. She was taken under the protection of Joseph Beioley, the clerk, who later became Chief Factor while serving in the posts on the east side of the Bay, and became his wife.