Jasper Alberta Index
Alberta Basic History
1807
Francois Berland Sr, Metis, b-1807 son Jean Baptiste Berland and Susanne McLeod Nepissing; married Therese Callihoo L'Iroquois, b-1820, died 1978 St. Albert, (Alberta) daughter Louis Kwarakwentha Callihoo L;Iroquois, born October 17, 1782 and Marie Sekanaise tribe Katis Montagnaus Nation.
Reshor (Isaac) Daignault (Daigneault), Metis b-1807, Fort Edmonton, N.W. (Alberta), son Richard Daigneault and Josephite Fortier; married 1832/38 Fort Carlton, (Saskatchewan), Julia Larence, Metis, b-1820/21 on the plains of the N.W., living Fort Edmonton 1891, daughter Bazil Larence, born 1789/95, Quebec and Agathe Micher L'Iroquoise, b-1812/25, Slave Lake. Richard is noted as 2nd marriage before 1817, Lisette Bernard, this is an obvious error.
Susanne Decoine, Metis, b-1807, Lesser Slave Lake, (Alberta), daughter Francois Decoine and Kee-na-kwa-na Cheewannok; 1st married 1827 Fort Carlton (Saskatchewan), So-so-wa-pas Cardinal; 2nd marriage 1824 Lac La Biche des Metis (Alberta), a man named Moise.
Jean Baptiste Gladu, b-1807, N.W.T. son Francois Gladu, born December 25, 1763 and Josephite Chartrand, b-1773; married October 8, 1845, Upper Fort des Prairies (Fort Edmonton, Alberta), Sophie Collin, Metis, b-1815, Fitzhugh Place aka Jasper's House, (Alberta), daughter, Richard Collin Sr., Metis and Genevieve Bruyere, Metis.
Some suggest Jacques Raphael (Jacko) Finlay, Metis (1768-1828) with his large family, returned to Rocky Mountain House, aka Poste de la Montagne de Roches, (Alberta) after his trip to the Columbia River system.
(I)-David Thompson (1770-1857), of North West Company, had made friends with the Piegan Indians who showed him the Howse Pass that has been in use for the past 10 years by the Metis.
(I)-David Thompson (1770-1857), North West Company, built Fort Kootenay, Windermere Lake, B.C. and criticized Jacques Raphael (Jacko) Finlay, Metis (1768-1828) because the canoes he built the previous year were destroyed by animals. This animosity is likely because Finley had explored the territory Thompson was planning to cover. Finlay quit the Northwest Company as a result of this conflict.
Pembina is derived from the Ojibwa word Anepeminan, meaning summer berry- a kind of cranberry.
Fort Edmonton (Alberta) is reported destroyed by the Blood Indians and the area is abandoned until 1819.
Fitzhugh Place aka Jasper's House, (Alberta) birth, Marie Comtois, Metis died December 1875 Fort MacLeod (Alberta) daughter Siour Comtois and Josephte Fagnant, Metis who married Peter Skene Ogden born 1794 Quebec died September 27, 1854 Oregon. Peter had a 2nd marriage about 1816, Julie (Julia Flathead & Princess Julia) Rivet (Salishan Spokane) (1800-1886) daughter Therese Tete Platte (Salishan Spokane).
Legasse and Leblanc with the Kootenay Indians crossed the Howse Pass in trade.
January: At Fort Edmonton (Alberta) Isaac Daignault (Daigneault) is born the son of Richard Daignault (Daigneault) and a Cree woman. (I)-James Bird, born 1773, is commandant at Edmonton House and noted the half-breeds can feast with pleasure on horse, dog or any substance. He can even support a deprivation of all food for a greater length of time and with less concern than any other man on the face of the earth. Some claim that Fort Augustus and Fort Edmonton, located down river from present Edmonton, were destroyed by the Indians in 1807/08. This is interesting given that the fort was in use in 1810-1811 and there was no record of it being rebuilt? Maybe they are referring to Fort Augustus or the XY Fort?
January 6: At Pembina, Marie-Anne Gaboury, originally from Maskinonge near Trois-Rivers, Quebec, married to free trader, Jean Baptiste Lagimodiere, gave birth to her second baby , born shortly after riding a horse in a buffalo hunt, while the first born rode in a saddle bag. Within three days she was back riding to Fort Edmonton (Alberta).
March 24: Jacques Raphael (Jacko) Finlay, Metis (1768-1828) returned with his woman and two children from the mountains to meet David Thompson March 24, 1807.
October 20: Devil or Spirit Lake (Lac Ste Anne, Alberta), birth, Jean Baptiste Letendre aka Mooshwan, Metis, son Ferguson Letendre and A-tee-ka-po; married 1845, Devil Lake (Lac Ste Anne, Alberta) Madelaine Gladu, Metis born September 22, 1830, Devil Lake (Lac Ste Anne, Alberta), daughter Charles Gladu, b-1810 and Therese Gray, b-1813, Lesser Slave Lake (Alberta), living Lac Ste Anne 1901.
December 4: Sturgeon Lake (Alberta), birth George Harmon, Metis, died March 18, 1813 Shelburne, Vermont, son Daniel Williams Harmon born February 19, 1778 Bennington, Vermont died April 1843 Sault au Recollets, Quebec and Lizzette Laval (Duval) Metis born 1790 Rocky Mountain House, aka Poste de la Montagne de Roches, died February 12, 1861 Sault au Recollet, Quebec.
1808
Jack Harding, a Texan Rancher, claimed to have kept a stopping place near Eggie's, on the Athabasca Trail, and squatted near Bernard in 1808 but moved over to the Twin Lakes at Clairmount and later to Pouce Coupe. Most of this source, the Grand Prairie Herald-historical Issue deals with the early 1900's so this could be a typo error and might be 1908?
The North West Company built Fort Augustus (later Fort Edmonton), James Hughes was commandant.
Michel Patenaude, Metis, b-1808, Fort Edmonton (Fort Augustus?), (Alberta), died 1875 South Saskatchewan River, son Michel Patenaude, b-1784, Red River des Metis, died July 20, 1863 Red River and Francoise Gros Ventre; married 1st Rosalie Berger, Metis, b-1815, Fort Edmonton or Fort Augustus?) (Alberta), daughter Jacques Berger and Cecile Dumont, Metis, b-1800; 2nd marriage, 1843, Fort Edmonton (Alberta) Josep[hte Bourassa, b-1810 daughter Michel Francois Bourassa and Marguerite Beaulieu.
The Hudson Bay Company would later in 1819 build Fort Edmonton and John Rowand (1787-1854) was in charge.
The XY Company built a Fort on or near the final Fort Edmonton location and is therefore the first Fort located at Edmonton city, the commandant of the fort is unknown. XY would merge with the N.W.C..
Jean Baptiste Lagimodiere, a bigamist, born December 26, 1778, died September 7, 1855 and illegitimate wife Marie Anne Gaboury, born August 15, 1780 Quebec, died December 14, 1875, departed Pembina in August for Fort Meadows (later called Fort Strong Edmonton and Fort Edmonton). Jean was also married to Josephte Indian with three small children whom he abandoned. They traveled with the families of Chalifoux, Belgrade and Paouin. The reason for their move was that Jean Baptiste Lagimodiere had three baby girls by Indian women and she threatened to poison Marry Anne. Marie Gaboury Lagimodiere is claimed to be the first French Metis Woman recorded at Fort Augustus Edmonton, Alberta. She is from the Pembina post and is married to free trader, Jean Baptist. They lived in the Edmonton area for four years, eventually returning to Red River. Their daughter Julie, who is born in Alberta, would become the mother of Louis Riel. Many later arrivals to Edmonton would claim to be first.
Fort Edmonton (Fort Augustus?), birth Michel Patenaude Jr., Metis died 1875 on South Saskatchewan River, son Michel Patenaude Sr. b-1784 and Francoise Gros-Venture, he married Rosalie Berger b-1815 Fort Edmonton daughter of Berger and Cicile Dumont.
Jacques Raphael (Jacko) Finlay, Metis (1768-1828) guided Joseph Howse through the Finlay Pass and Howse named the pass after himself. This is interesting given he knew that Finlay and others had used the pass in years past and Thompson had used it last year but still he had the cheek to name it after himself. Others suggest this took place in 1809.
Miquam (Jacques) or (Jacob) Finlay b-1808 Rocky Mountains, aka Poste de la Montagne de Roches, son Jacques Raphael (Jacko) Finlay, Metis (1768-1828) and Indian woman. This is more likely one of the 4 adopted Lussier children. Nine other children born in Spokane, Washington are attributed to Jacques Raphael (Jacko) Finlay, Metis (1768-1828) and Indian woman. Some of these are likely associated with a different wife, his brother Xavier Finlay (1779-1859) or some of his sons or adopted sons.
June: Simon Fraser (1776-1862) on the banks on the Fraser River encountered Indians who were exceeding well dressed in leather and were on horseback. These horses are called wild mustangs (cayuse) and are descended from mustangs introduced by the Spanish, and still run wild in the area today.
August: Fort Meadows (on site of future Fort Edmonton), birth, Jean Baptiste Lagimodiere, (1778-1855) and Marie Anne Gaboury (1780-1875).