Alberta History 1892-1895

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1892

Calling Lake (Alberta), marriage, Edward Cardinal, Metis, b-1872, Lac La Biche (Alberta) son Francois Cardinal, Metis, b-1831, Lac La Biche (Alberta) and Adele Angele Desjarlais, Metis, b-1820; married Josephe (or Suzette) Gladu, Metis, b-1872, Calling Lake daughter Toussaint Gladu (1843-1898) and Angelique Atonkapow Cree, b-1839.

Father Lacombe (1827-1916), the secular priest, wanted to build an orphanage and old peoples home to alleviate suffering among the Metis at St. Paul des Metis. The Oblates deemed this as insufficient . First, the able-bodied must be taught to become self-supporting and sedentary (not migratory). In other words, get the Metis to clear the land, which takes about ten years, then it will be ready for the French immigrants. During the debate, only some script millionaires and some ecclesiastical folks- as the Metis called them- opposed the creation of St. Paul des Metis. Buffalo Lake near Bashaw and St. Paul are considered by the Church to be Metis wintering sites. Buffalo lake is rejected by the Church due to the number of white settlers in the area.

Abram Pearce of Nova Scotia arrived Edmonton (Alberta) to operate a sawmill near Moranville (Morinville, Alberta)

Dr. William Saunders and sons crossed Red Fife wheat with Hard Red Calcutta wheat from India, calling it Marquis, shorting the ripening period to 104 days.

The population of Calgary is 3,876, of which 31 are Chinese men.

Fort Edmonton is incorporated into the town of Edmonton.


Fort Macleod became a town this year.

British Law is imposed on Canada and birth control and abortion are made illegal.

A few Englishmen squatted in Beaser (Alberta) about 16 miles west of Cardston. Later this year a major influx of Mormon firmed up the area.

The town of Haneyville is created as the Calgary-Edmonton railway stopped short of Fort Macleod and Jeff Davis created a stage line to transport passengers to Fort Macleod. The CPR tried to get the business men to move from Fort Macleod but they refused. Neither a cafe, store nor hotel was ever built in Haneyville. The inhabitants were mostly railway families. The railway finally backed down in 1906 and constructed a bridge to connect to Fort Macleod..

Section 43 of the Criminal Code of Canada is passed into law to protect teachers and parents from child abuse. They are given immunity for spanking or thrashing as it was called. Women and children were considered non-person and therefore property. It is noteworthy that the natives of American considered this European practice as barbaric.

Mrs John Leod McDonald thought that Atim Ozwe Sipi or Dog Rump Creek was not an appropriate name for their growing community and proposed it be called Stony Plain. The only problem was that Spruce Grove was called Stony Plain and the entire region west of Fort Edmonton was also called Stony Plain since the early 1700's. The won the battle by establishing a post office called Stony Plain..

April: Thomas Pearce of Perry Sound, Ontario led 300 settlers into south Edmonton (Strathcona, Alberta) and they eventually settled Agricola, Partridge Hills and the Good Hope District.

May 170: Lac La Biche (Alberta) birth William Boucher, Metis, son Narcisse Boucher Jr., b-1864 Athabasca District and Caroline Ladouceur, b-1862 Fort Pitt (Saskatchewan).



September 16: Calgary became a city. The Scandinavians began arriving and would occupy seven hundred and eight square kilometers of free land around Wetaskiwin. Wetaskiwin means having peace, which was coined when the Cree met the Blackfoot at this place in 1873 and agreed not to fight. Many Scandinavians would sell wheat in Edmonton for basic necessities. An ill equipped Jewish band settled east of Red Deer. Failed at farming, they disbanding into the towns, which some allege was more suited to their skills. Others suggest discrimination is the root cause of their failure. The search for oil continues in the Edmonton and Athabasca districts. Samples of petroleum tar are found along the river, but no one has discovered the spring. A local company formed to bore for oil, but their equipment is not suited to this purpose.

November 11: Strathcona (Alberta), Conrad Diethelm and Benjamin Ficker, Norwegians who had arrived yesterday from Calgary after a long trip from Crookston, Minnesota. In east Strathcona, they stumbled across the body of P.O. Skaalent who the previous evening resided in the Edmonton Hotel with a man called Ole Micklson, a Swede. Skaalent, Micklson and Sanders had breakfast together. John Longmore had noticed a man of the description of Ole Micklson fleeing the scene. Skaalent carried about $300.00 which was missing. They placed a reward of $200.00 on the head of Ole Micklson. He was spotted heading south walking the rails. He entered the store of W. Maedonnell at Bear's Hill Plain (south of Wetaskiwan) where he purchased some apples and biscuits. The wife of William Stent north of Red Deer noticed Ole Micklson walking the rails and notified her husband. Edward Plumb entered the sceine on his horse, ran Ole to ground and ordered him to throw up his hands. Ole offered him $10 and then $100,00 to let him go. Realizing he was taking the law into his own hands he lowered his shotgun. At that moment Ole raised his gun and fired but missed Plumb who fled. The locals organized a posse that included William Bell, R. Armstrong, George Smith, John Jones, Edward Plumb and Stent. Ole was running towards the farm of F.E. Wilkins when Edward Plumb's shotgun hit him in the back. Ole fell but got up and continued to run. Ole was hit a number of times before a shot fired by William Bell caught him in the head at a distance of 75 yards. Two men a Richards and Brunpton arrive to see the posse grouped around the fallen Ole.





1893

Thorictine Callihoo (f) Metis born May 30, 1893 Alberta daughter Jean Francois Callihoo, Iroquois Metis born August 29, 1855 Alberta most likely Devil Lake (Lac Ste Anne) married about 1890 Elizabeth British Metis born August 25, 1871 Alberta, living Lac Sainte Anne 1901.

Strathcona is declared the second Statute Labour District in the N.W.T.

Calgary is upgraded from a town to a city this year.

Edmonton is upgraded from a village to a town. Others suggest this happened in 1892.

As part of the exodus out of the Dakota's, Isaac Ingram d-1907 arrived in Edmonton and settled in Clearwater, Alberta.

Peace River wheat won the championship at the world fair in Chicago. The only problem was that no one knew where Peace River was. Even the newspaper men were asking," Where in hell is Peace River?

Twenty families of Moravians from Volynia in Russia homesteaded in Bruderheim, (Alberta) giving the town its name.

Father B. Desroches established the parish of St. John the Baptist in Morinville, Alberta. Father Nordann, a German speaking Oblate, greeted another contingent of German Catholics going from the U.S.A. to Morinville.

Two brothers set out from the tar paper shack town of Calgary, in the spring of 1893, and were able to track down and kill a bull buffalo near pioneer stopping house of Content (Trail Creek), Alberta. They had been paid $50.00 by a wealthy westerner to get a souvenir of an bygone era. It is noteworthy that this region was a favorite place of the buffalo in bygone years.

The tumbstone of '12 foot Davis' reads, H.F. Davis, born in Vermont, 1820, died, at Slave Lake 1893, pathfinder pioneer, miner and trader." He was every man's friend and never locked his cabin door.

July 1: George D. Clark b-1877 arrived Edmonton, Alberta.



1894

Josue Courteoreille, (m) Metis born January 20, 1894, Alberta son Louis Courteoreille, Metis born August 16, 1849 Alberta, married about 1877 Alberta most likely Lac Sainte Anne, Sophie Metis born May 19, 1849, Alberta, living La Sainte Anne 1901.

Albert Warren Bragg homesteaded in Bragg Creek, Alberta

Charles Hill arrived Strathcona (Alberta) and ran a bakery and confectionery store on White Avenue.

John Jackson Young (1867-1923) purchased the Calgary Herald for $15,000.00.

Bishop Grandin was very cool to Father Albert Lacombe (1827-1916) efforts to create St. Paul des Metis administered by the Oblate Order for half-breeds (Metis) from all over, to settle.

The first mayor of the newly created City of Calgary is Wesley Fletcher Orr.

Red Deer became a village this year.

Medicine became a village this year.

March: Robert Ochsner built the Ochsner Brewery on the credit of John Walter below Saskatchewan Drive, 10542 Fort Hill, Strathcona (Edmonton), Alberta. He sold it in 1907 and it was called Strathcona Brewing and Malting co.

April 8: The Societe Saint Jean Baptiste is formed at Fort Edmonton to encourage Francophone to settle in select communities at the expense of other cultures.

September: Fort Calgary, death. (II)-James Farquharson MacLeod, b-1836 Scotland, leaving his wife Mary Frever and five children nearly destitute. He is the NWMP who named Fort Calgary after Calgary House on the Isle of Mull in Scotland.











1895

Trail Creek des Metis, marriage Agustus Anelia, Metis b-1873 Alberta likely Trail Creek son Marie Anelia b-1825, Alberta; married Emile Metis born 1877, Alberta, three children are recorded Bella b-1896, Adolphe b-1897 and Gilbert b-1901, all likely at Trail Creek.

Willie Callihoo Metis born March 6, 1895 Alberta son Jean Francois Callihoo, Iroquois Metis born August 29, 1855 Alberta most likely Devil Lake (Lac Ste Anne) married about 1890 Elizabeth British Metis born August 25, 1871 Alberta, living Lac Sainte Anne 1901.

Joe Gauthier, a Metis, suicides at Cottonwood Creek (Henry House) and is buried at Jasper House on the Athabasca River.

Lady Aberdeen wrote: "There is a wee bit of jealousy amongst these good fathers as the popularity of Father Lacombe with the outer world. In truth, for one who has heard Bishop Grandin's name a hundred have heard of Father Lacombe & his influence over the Indians & of the way he exerts it."

Frank Osborn, William McGee and R. Garby are operating small dredges on the North Saskatchewan River out of Edmonton (Alberta).

The Calgary Herald was opposed to Father Lacombe's efforts to get the Metis of Lac La Biche on reserves as promised by Government, and stated that half breeds are poverty stricken, ignorant, shiftless, superstitious and a cheerfully immoral community. To support those who advocate restricting the Metis from commercial fishing, the Herald went on to say that they are poor boatman and fishermen and fairly representative of those Half breed settlements in Northern Regions. The Catholic Church, as part of its ongoing campaign, also espoused these ignorant beliefs and values. The Edmonton Bulletin called this type of campaign ignorant, prejudice, gross and insulting. However, it is part of a current attitude that is maintained to deny rights to the Native population. It is noteworthy that Father Lacombe is a Metis.

Waterton Lakes is made a National Park this year.

The town of Bow City about 110 miles east of Calgary began about this time with settlers occupying the river bank farms.

July 18: Settlers from South Dakota stated they had suffered five successive crop failures, and this being the reason for their immigration to the North West Territories. Francis Exazier (Xavier) Gauthier (b-1846), wife Lumia and their children arrived Fort Edmonton in a covered wagon from the Dakota Territory. This is likely the same time his brother, Michael Stanislaus Gauthier (1850-1934) and wife Lea Ouimette (1850-1919) and family, moved from the Dakota Territory to Cove, Oregon.

August: Dawson Creek, Frederick Gardiner and his father Frederick Gardiner, a baker from Toronto find themselves at Dawson Creek in search of gold. He made a sketchbook of his journey. Its noteworthy that 13,934 boats of gold seekers had preceded them into the Yukon.

August 15: Edmonton's first hospital opened, being called the General Hospital.

December 28: The Federal cabinet passed an order in council, establishing the colony of St. Paul des Metis on a 21 year lease, to expire 1917, on land next to the Saddle Lake Indian Reserve. This included Townships 57 and 58 in Ranges 9 and 10, west of the fourth meridian. Although a two thousand dollar grant is to be given for seed and equipment, the commitment is withdrawn in 1897. A board of management was formed, composed of the Bishop of Saint Boniface (Langevin), Bishop of Saint Albert (Vital Justin Grandin (1829-1902)), Bishop of Prince Albert (Pascal) two lay trusties J. Alderic Ouimet and Nicholas D. Beck and Father Lacombe (1827-1916). Father Adeodat Therien is appointed Resident Manager of the Project. This Board never met and the project is therefore the responsibility of Therien and Bishop Vital Justin Grandin (1829-1902). The Roman Catholic Church also received, to the Episcopal Corporation, leases for four sections of land for an Industrial School The announcement created howls of opposition. None so strong as John McDougall, Methodist, who wrote: "I very much admire the zeal of the promoter of this scheme and, from a purely ecclesiastical standpoint it looks wise, but I humbly think the reverend gentlemen is away off in 'social economy,' therefore as a citizen of this commonwealth I beg to record my firm protest against any such disposition of any part of this fair domain."

Jasper Alberta's History