These new settlers were not all Germans, but had among them a number of
Swiss and Piedmontese. The regiments had been employed by Britain in the
war of 1812-15, and were disbanded in Montreal at its close. Lord
Selkirk engaged four officers and one hundred men to go to Red River.
The men were promised certain wages, as well as land grants at Red
River. In the autumn of 1816 the party arrived at Fort William, which
they seized and the camping place on the Kaministiquia River is still
called Point De Meuron. Employed during the winter in opening out for a
distance a military road, the party under command of Capt. D'Orsonnens
in early spring pushed on by the way of the western shore of the Lake of
the Woods, surprised the Northwesters, and retook Fort Douglas from
them. Lord Selkirk arrived at the Red River in the last week of June,
1817. In accordance with his agreement he settled all the De Meurons who
wished to remain, along the banks of the little river, the Seine, which
empties into the Red River opposite Point Douglas. This stream has among
the old settlers always been known as German Creek in consequence. Being
mostly Roman Catholics they were the first settlers among whom the
priests Provencher and Dumoulin took up their abode on their arrival in
1818. From the nationality of the De Meurons the first Roman Catholic
parish formed in the country was called St. Boniface, from Winifred, or
Boniface, the German apostle and patron saint. The first Roman Catholic
parish is now the town of St. Boniface, and is the residence of the
Roman Catholic Archbishop of the country.
Some severe things have been said of the character of the De Meuron
settlers. They have been charged with turbulence, insobriety, and with
having had predatory inclinations towards their neighbours' cattle. They
almost all left the country after the disastrous year of 1826, for the
United States. No doubt like all bodies of men they had good and bad
among them, but the fact of their having been disbanded mercenaries
would not incline us to expect a very high morality of them.
THE SWISS.
In the same year (1820) in which Lord Selkirk went to France, to find,
in the little town of Pau, his death and burial place, a former officer
of a disbanded regiment--Col. May--a native of the Swiss capital of
Berne, went as an agent of Lord Selkirk to Switzerland. He had been in
Canada, but not at Red River, and accordingly his representations among
the Swiss Cantons were too much of the kind circulated by Government
emigration agents still. He succeeded in inducing a considerable number
of Swiss families to seek the Red River settlement. Crossing the ocean
by Hudson's Bay Company ships, they arrived at York Factory in August,
1821, and were borne in York boats to their destination.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account