Missionary Work Among the Ojebway IndiansWilson, Edward Francis
History
Missionary Work Among the Ojebway Indians
Wilson, Edward Francis
Indians of North America -- Missions; Ojibwa Indians
We had engaged a house for the summer, near the river, and here we
took up our residence on the 18th day of May. Early the next morning I
started off to look for land whereon to build the new Institution.
East, west, and north, high and low, land was looked at, but none
seemed sufficiently desirable to choose as a site for the new Shingwauk
Home; either it was too near the village, or too far away, or too far
from the river, or of too high a price. At length, however, the spot
was decided on. One sultry evening, almost the last day of May, my wife
and myself sauntered down the road along by the bank of the broad Ste.
Marie River, a distance of nearly a mile and a half from the village.
Here was a little open clearing, while all around was thick, tangled,
almost impenetrable bush, but in front was the beautiful sparkling
river, a mile and a half in width, and two pretty green islands just in
front of us. Cryer, the farm-man, had followed us with a spade, and we
got him to turn up the sod in several places that we might see what the
soil was like. We decided there and then to make this the site of the
Shingwauk Home. The soil indeed was somewhat stony, but the distance
from the village was just what we wanted, and the land was cheap (only
L1 an acre) and, best of all, it was close to the river, which meant
plenty of boating and fishing and swimming for the boys, and skating in
winter. We bought ninety acres, but it cost us nothing, as the
Municipal Council gave us a bonus of 500 dols. On the 3rd of June (our
wedding-day) I selected the spot on which to build, measured it and
staked it out, and assisted Cryer to chop out a clearing. The bush was
so dense that we could see nothing of the river from where we were
working; but after a few days' labour the clearing was extended to the
roadway, and we could then see where we were; we made some big fires,
and burnt up the brush-wood as fast as we cut it down. On the 24th June
the contract was signed, and excavations for the building were commenced.
The first week of June saw the arrival of Bishop Fauquier to take up
his residence at Sault Ste. Marie.
The first week of June also saw the first issue of our little
Missionary paper, at that time called the "Algoma Quarterly," but now
the "Algoma Missionary News."
CHAPTER XXV.
LAYING THE FOUNDATION STONE.
On Friday, the 31st of July, 1874, the foundation stone of the new
Shingwauk Home was laid by the Earl of Dufferin, Governor-General of
Canada.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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