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PREFACE
The outstanding fact
impressed upon the author at every turn, in connection with the
monumental task of collecting information for the following work, is
that of the crying need in Saskatchewan of the services of a Provincial
archivist. Week by week Old Timers are passing away, and with them is
being lost information of incalculable historical value which no future
expenditure, no matter how lavish, can possibly make good. Not only is
there no provision yet made tu reduce to permanent form the unwritten
reminiscences of those whose courage, enterprise and endurance laid the
foundation of Saskatchewan's greatness; no systematic effort is being
made even to collect, and preserve the actual documents now available.
Many such papers have already been mislaid or destroyed through
accidents or through ignorance of their value. For example, an account
of the rebellion of 18S5, written by an Indian in Cree syllabic
characters, has passed from hand to hand, apparently to become a
children's plaything, at last, and but a short time ago, to be
destroyed. Other valuable Ricl papers were burned by someone engaged in
"tidying up" an old desk. Three or four thousand dollars per annum would
suffice to make an invaluable beginning in the creation of a Department
of Archives, and it is not to be believed that public opinion would not
heartily endorse the necessary expenditure. The activity of some of the
Western American States should arouse healthy emulation in this
connection.
The author is conscious
that in this, the first History of Saskatchewan, many matters have been
given a relative prominence that some readers will think undue, and that
other topics have been ignored or given but passing notice, which
perhaps should have been treated of at length. The problem of selection
is one of the most perplexing that has confronted the writer, and in so
far as his decision is faulty, he can offer but the poor extenuation of
mingled good intentions and inexperience.
The work has grown 011
the author's hands to a bulk far exceeding that originally projected,
and it has proved necessary to eliminate whole Chapter
s for which materials had been gathered, and seriously to curtail many
others. This elimination has occasioned the author the greater regret in
that scores of obliging helpers have aided in collecting the materials
he has at length felt compelled to reject. He hopes that these kind
friends will accept his apologies, and not interpret the omission of
their contributions as a failure to appreciate their value.
To liis hundreds of
correspondents and other helpers, the writer desires to express his deep
gratitude. He hopes that they may feel rewarded for their cooperation by
a sense of valuable public service ungrudgingly performed. Special
mention must be made of help rendered by ex-Lieutenant-Governors Laird,
Dewdney, Mackintosh and Forget, and with their names must be coupled
that of His Honor, Lieutenant-Governor Brown. The most generous
assistance has also been afforded by many other distinguished public
men, prominent among them being Chief Justice Haultain, Commissioner
Perry, Colonel Steele, Lieutenant-Governor Bulyea, Bishop Pinkhain,
Bishop Matthieu, Hon. Hillyard Mitchell and Rev. Dr. John MacLean.
Most intimately
associated with the task of launching the present History have been the
members of what may be called an informal Advisory Board, including Hon.
James H. Ross, Arch. J. McDonald, M.L.A., lion. Thos. McKay, John.A.
Reid, Fsq., William Trant, Esq., Sheriff L. B. Murphy, J. H. C.
Willougbby, Esq., and Dr. J. M. Shaw. The importance of the aid rendered
by several of these gentlemen it would be hard to exaggerate.
Acknowledgment is
gratefully made of many services received at the •hands of Mr. John
Hawkes, of the Saskatchewan Legislative Library, and Assistant Librarian
Munro, who have spent many toilsome hours in unearthing historical data:
and at the Parliamentary Library, Ottawa, the Ontario Legislative
Library, the Public Reference Library, Toronto, the Manitoba Legislative
Library, the Regina Public Library, and in other kindred institutions
every aid and facility was placed at the author's disposal.
Space forbids any
detailed list of the many others whose aid has rendered the writer's
task a possible one; and it does not seem necessary to load these pages
with the names of the hundreds of books to which he is more or less
indebted. Many of the most important of these will be named when
material borrowed therefrom is used. To one writer in particular,
however, it has not always been practicable to express the author's
indebtedness; this is Dr. Castell Hopkins, whose Annual Rcz'iczv has
provided the ground-work of more than one Chapter
.
Acknowledgments are
made to those authors and publishers by whose permission use has been
made of a considerable number of the most valuable illustrations to be
found in the succeeding pages. Such thanks are due to Mr. Lawrence
Burpee, author of Scarch for the Western Sea, and to his publishers, the
Alston Rivers Company, for permission to use portraits of Harmon and
Henry, and pictures of Fort Saskatchewan and an Indian Encampment ; to
Dr. Bryce, author of The Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Company,
for permission to reproduce portraits of D'Iberville, Simpson and
Selkirk; to Mr. Deckles Willson and Messrs. Copp, Clark & Co. for
permission to borrow from his The Great Company the portraits of Prince
Rupert and Radisson and a picture of a trader in an Indian camp; to Mr.
Belden fur permission to borrow from the beautiful pages of Picturesque
Canada pictures of Trappers on the March. A Prairie Caravan, Scene at a
Portage, and Rapids Near the Mouth of the Saskatchewan; and to Mr. R. G.
MacBeth and Messrs. Briggs and Company for the use of pictures of the
Northwest Assembly of 1886 and the Interior of Fort Pitt, and of
portraits of Archibald, Morris, Otter, Strange, Middleton, Williams and
Crowfoot. Some other pictures have been used that have appeared
elsewhere before, but which have been reproduced here from the same
originals; others again either did not seem to be copyrighted or for the
copyright of them the author was unable to find the owners. Xo one's
rights have been consciously violated, and if any person find his
rightful authority in this connection ignored the writer hopes that his
profound apologies will be accepted.
A word as to accuracy:
To secure it no labor or expense has been avoided. However, it has been
said with truth that the only way to avoid misstatement is to maintain
silence, and, unfortunately, this policy is not available to the
historian. Consequently it cannot but be that errors will be found in
the succeeding pages. These the author hopes will be reported to him to
be rectified in possible future editions.
As Appendices to this
History of Saskatchewan a large number of interesting and valuable
biographical sketches have been prepared. In the preparation of these,
however, the author of the History itself has had no share, and for this
portion of the work he therefore disclaims both responsibility and
credit. He knows, however, that the publishers have left 110 stone
unturned to render these sketches trustworthy.
The writer has
habitually endeavored to eliminate any undue personal element from his
work, even to the extent, he fears, of rendering his account of the
political history of the first decade of the present century a mere
colorless chronicle. At all times he has earnestly endeavored to be
fair. If his personal point of view, in cases in which he has revealed
it, prove obnoxious to bigots and extremists of every party and sect, he
will feel that he has succeeded; for the approval he covets is that of
those who in religion and politics obey the ancient injunction to
respect and study moderation in all things.
Norman Fergus Black.
April 30, 1913, Regina, Sask.
PREFACE TO SECOND
EDITION
The original
subscription edition of the author's History of Saskatchewan and the Old
North-West was necessarily somewhat expensive; otherwise it could never
have been published. With a view to reducing the expense of the second
edition, the appendices, consisting of biographical sketches of
prominent citizens of Saskatchewan of the present and past, have been
omitted and certain changes have been introduced in connection with the
binding. The main body of ibis popular edition is, however, identical
with that of the history as it first appeared, being printed from the
same plates.
In one connection the author owes to both the reader and himself a word
of explanation and good-humored expostulation. The printers and
publishers have upon the whole performed their duties most creditably,
and it would be unreasonable to look for complete immunity from
typographical blunders in the first plates of a book of over 250,000
words. Such slips would have been fewer, however, had not circumstances
precluded the author from personal superintendence of the progress of
his manuscript through its final stages in the hands of copyist and
printer. In a few cases a word is inexplicably omitted or intruded, and
in other passages, familiar but irrelevant words have been substituted
for those intended by the author; as. "fired" for "prayed" (p. 365. 1.
12), "tribute" for "tribune" (p. 366. 1. 23), "Duck Lake" for "Frog
Lake" (p. 349, I.12). In most or all cases the charity and ingenuity of
the reader would lead him to recognize how the passage was intended to
stand. Except in two instances probably no error occurs that could
really prove misleading as to important matters of fact: on ]). 245 "the
rising of i860 and 1879" should, of course, read "the rising of 1869
and'1870"; and in transcribing the manuscript for p. 268 the copyist has
read 300 as 3c. in the passage treating of the number of Halfbreeds and
Indians present at Duck Lake. Further errata of carrigenda seem uncalled
for, as doubtless such lapses on the part of printer or copyist are more
exasperating to the author than perplexing to the reader. lf genuine
historical errors the author himself has doubtless been guilty, and he
will welcome their being brought to his attention: but if he be held
accountable for manifest nonsense, and syntactical or orthographical
blunders, he will reply with a disclaimer framed upon that addressed by
Macbeth to the accusing ghost of Banquo!
N. F. B.
Regina. 2067 Retallack
St.,
November 1, 1913
CONTENTS
Chapter I
Purpose and Plan of the Following Work
Chapter II
The Founding of British Interests in North Western America
Chapter III
Early Explorations and International Rivalry For Control of the West
Chapter IV
The Rival Fur Companies and Further Explorations in the West—1759-1821
Chapter V
Life and Customs of Prairie Traders and Hunters
Chapter VI
Saskatchewan Indians: Origin. Tribes and Modes of Life
Chapter VII
Indian Religion and Folklore
Chapter VIII
The First Settlement Colony in the Canadian West
Chapter IX
The Forgotten Commonwealth of "Manitoba," and Other Provisional
Governments
Chapter X
The Surrender of the North West Territories by the Hudson's Day Company
Chapter XI
A Lesson Lost: The Troubles of 1870
Chapter XII
The First Settlements in Saskatchewan; Preliminary Outline of the Period
1870-1876
Chapter XIII
Political History of the Territories, 1870-1876
Chapter XIV
Unrest of Canadian Indians and Incursion of the Sioux
Chapter XV
Laird's Administration and Councils, 1876-1881
Chapter XVI
The Surrender of Saskatchewan by the Indians
Chapter XVII
The Building of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Chapter XVIII
Dewdney's Administration and Councils, 1881-1888
Chapter XIX
Discontent in the West and Premonitions of Rebellion
Chapter XX
The Outbreak of the Rebellion: Battle of Duck Lake
Chapter XXI
Frog Lake Massacre
Chapter XXII
Middleton's Plans: the Advance to the Seat of Insurrection
Chapter XXIII
The Battle of Fish Creek
Chapter XXIV
The Battle of Cut Knife Creek
Chapter XXV
The Capture of Batoche
Chapter XXVI
Middleton's Advance via Prince Albert to Battleford, and the Surrender
of Poundmaker
Chapter XXVII
The Work of the Alberta Field Force, and the Close of the Campaign
Chapter XXVIII
Racial Aspects of the Rebellion of 1885
Chapter XXIX
Religious Aspects of the Rebellion of 1885
Chapter XXX
Life, Character and Fate of Riel
Chapter XXXI
Miscellaneous Rebellion Anecdotes
Chapter XXXII
Royal's Administration: Political History, 1888-1893
Chapter XXXIII
Royal's Administration: Social and Industrial Development
Chapter XXXIV
Mackintosh's Administration: Political History, 1893-1898
Chapter XXXV
Mackintosh's Administration: Social and Industrial Development
Chapter XXXVI
Cameron's Administration
Chapter XXXVII
Forget's Administration: Political History, 1898-1905
Chapter XXXVIII
Forget's Administration: Social and Industrial Progress
Chapter XXXIX
The Agitation for Provincial Status
Chapter XL
The New Provincial Constitution
Chapter XLI
Forget's Administration: Political History, 1905-1910
Chapter XLII
Forget's Administration: Social and Industrial Development
Chapter XLIII
Colonization Companies and Analogous Enterprises: Anglo-Saxon
Immigration
Chapter XLIV
Continental Immigration : North Western Europe
Chapter XLV
Immigration from South Eastern Europe
Chapter XLVI
The Catholic Church in Saskatchewan
Chapter XLVII
The Methodist Church in Saskatchewan
Chapter XLVIII
The English Church in Saskatchewan
Chapter XLIX
The Presbyterian Church in Saskatchewan
Chapter L
The Educational System of Saskatchewan
Chapter LI
The Royal North West Mounted Police
Chapter LII
Fraternal Societies in Saskatchewan
North-West Territory
Together with a preliminary and general report on the Assiniboine and
Saskatchewan exploring expedition made under instructions from the
provincial secretary of Canada by Henry Youle Hind, M. A., Professor of
chemistry and geology in the university OF Trinity College, Toronto, in
charge of the expedition (1859) (pdf)
The Great North-West
And the Great Lake Region of North America by Paul Fountain (1904) (pdf) |
