Founded in 1812 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, the colony grew through times of extreme hardship into a multiracial society. It was the site of the Red River Resistance before reluctantly joining Canada as the province of Manitoba.
Why did the Selkirk Settlers come to Manitoba?
Most of the Selkirk Settler families came from the north of Scotland, from Kildonan valley of Sutherlandshire. They were tenant farmers there, who were being displaced by their landlord, the Countess of Sutherland, in favour of sheep farming.
When did Selkirk Settlers arrive?
29 August 1812
In 1811, the HBC granted Selkirk some 300,000 km 2 of the land it had claimed in the Winnipeg Basin, which he called Assiniboia. Under Miles MacDonell, Selkirk’s choice as governor, an advance party was sent from Scotland to Hudson Bay in July 1811 and finally arrived on the Red River on 29 August 1812.
Who administered the Red River settlement?
The colony was founded in 1811–12 by Thomas Douglas, 5th earl of Selkirk, a Scottish philanthropist, who obtained from the Hudson’s Bay Company a grant of 116,000 square miles (300,000 square km) in the Red and Assiniboine river valleys.
Who was Selkirk grant?
Lord Selkirk was a Scottish nobleman who wished to settle displaced Highlanders, among others, on the fertile lands surrounding the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. The Red River Settlement – the first European agricultural colony in Western Canada – was established the following year.
What brought the original settlers to Winnipeg?
The arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway opened the door to mass immigration and settlement of Winnipeg and the Canadian Prairies.
How did Chief Peguis help the Selkirk Settlers?
A friend and benefactor of the Selkirk Settlers, Chief Pequis supported the Hudson’s Bay Company in its bitter rivalry with the North West Company. In 1817 he signed a treaty with Lord Selkirk ceding lands along the Red and Assiniboine rivers for settlement.
Where did the Selkirk Settlers come from?
However, not all of the people recruited by Lord Selkirk were from the Highlands of Scotland. Lord Selkirk’s Settlers also included immigrants from Ireland and Switzerland, and decommissioned members of the De Meurons from Germany.
Who created the Selkirk Settlement?
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk
The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement), also known as Assinboia, was a colonization project set up in 1811 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, on 300,000 square kilometres (120,000 sq mi) of land in British North America.
Who established the Selkirk colony in 1812?
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk
Founded in 1812 by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, the colony grew through times of extreme hardship into a multiracial society. It was the site of the Red River Resistance before reluctantly joining Canada as the province of Manitoba.
Who were the first settlers in Manitoba?
The first people to come were people from Ontario where there was an agricultural recession. Many of these people were originally from Ireland. In 1874 the first Russian Mennonite people settled on the East Reserve located on the eastern banks of the Red River southeast of Winnipeg.
Who was the prime minister during the Red River Rebellion?
Minister John A. Macdonald
The Red River Resistance, led by a young Métis named Louis Riel, presented an early test to the leadership of Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald. Riel’s uprising, which began in the fall of 1869, was triggered by the sale of the vast prairie territory to the Canadian government earlier that year.
What was the name of the group of Red River settlers that attempted to overthrow the provisional government that the Métis had set up?
The Red River Rebellion (French: Rébellion de la rivière Rouge), also known as the Red River Resistance, Red River uprising, or First Riel Rebellion, was the sequence of events that led up to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Colony, in the
Why is Selkirk important?
Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk FRS FRSE (20 June 1771 – 8 April 1820) was a Scottish peer. He was noteworthy as a Scottish philanthropist who sponsored immigrant settlements in Canada at the Red River Colony.
What did the Selkirk treaty say?
tract of land shall not be molested in the possession of the lands which they have already cultivated and improved, till His Majesty’s pleasure shall be known. In witness whereof the Chiefs aforesaid have set their marks, at the Forks of Red River on the day aforesaid. (Signed) SELKIRK.
What is Lord Selkirk remembered for?
Lord Selkirk, Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk, was a Scottish colonizer in Canada. He was a noteworthy philanthropist who sponsored settlements of the immigrants at the Red River Colony.
Why is Winnipeg called the 4?
Winnipeg has four rivers in it. These rivers are the Red River, the Assiniboine River, the La Salle River, and the Seine River.
What does Winnipeg mean in Cree?
dirty water
Winnipeg: This name, from the Cree “win-nipi”, can be freely translated as “dirty water” or “murky water”, to describe the lake and river.
What was Manitoba originally called?
In the spring of 1870, delegates from this council were sent to Ottawa to negotiate the transfer of Red River to the Government of Canada. The List of Rights they carried to the meeting stated that the new province would be called Assiniboia, a name given to the area by Lord Selkirk.
What is Chief Peguis famous for?
A skilled hunter and diplomat, Chief Peguis worked to protect the rights and interests of the Anishinaabeg of Red River. He was born near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, but soon left the Great Lakes for Red Lake, Minnesota, before going to Red River and then north to Netley Creek, near Lake Winnipeg.
Why is Chief Peguis a hero?
Although a prominent leader of his own people, Peguis became famous for his role in aiding the Selkirk settlers. Upon their arrival at Red River in 1812, he defended them, showed them how to subsist from the country, and later assisted the survivors after the Seven Oaks Incident.