Alberta History 1896-1898

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Jasper Alberta's Historic View

1896

James Russell arrived at Drumheller Valley this year.

(IV)-Marion Salzl claims that (II)-Johaunes Salzl arrived at Morinville, North West Territories from South Dakota in 1896 (other accounts suggest he arrived 1895 with Anton Zettle who was also from Austria and Zell, South Dakota who homesteaded N-23-55-25-4 Morinville). She said that her father, (III)-Mathias Salzl, is age 11 at the time. The French at Morinville do not welcome the Salzl family. The French told their children not to talk to those Germans, even if they are Catholic. The 1901 census say they were at Rosebud Ridge, which I believe is south of Morinville. He acquired the following lands, S-27-55-25-4, SW-34-55-24-4 and NE-27-55-25-4.

South Edmonton, better known as Strathcona, had a flour mill and brewery. Its population had grown to six hundred and fifty. Edmonton proper had three sawmills, a sash and door factory, two grist mills and two steam gold mining dredges in operation.

Clifford Sifton of Manitoba suggested that the solution to the labor and population shortage in western Canada was the Ukrainian. From 1896 to 1914, more than two hundred thousand Ukrainians are encouraged to immigrate to Canada.

Lacombe became a village this year.


Olds became a village this year.

Some segments of Ontario called Saint Paul des Metis an utterly bad policy to be condemned by every Orangeman who wish to see Canadians become united: a homogeneous English people. Reverend John McDougall argued against Saint Paul des Metis saying that if the Metis are to have a reserve like the Indians, then, like the Indians, they should not be permitted to exercise the franchise. The Calgary Herald objected to giving large grants of land to the Roman Catholic Church.

Pope Leo XIII, in Encyclical after encyclical, defined that the Church has a right to a monopoly of religion in any Catholic Community. This Church thinking would undermine the success of St. Paul des Metis in future years.

Morman's created the town of Artna south east of Cardston, (Alberta) a creamery and cheese factory were built here in 1898. Artna is on the Montana trail and the RCMP were sure the settlers were bringing goods through Immigrant Gap and Whiskey Gap without paying duty but couldn't prove it.

Cabins and a postoffice are built at Oil City at Cameron creek, Waterton Park, Alberta in anticipation of an oil boom.

July 15: Fathers Therein, Legoff and Comire arrived St. Paul des Metis and set up their tent among three Metis houses. Father Therien adopted a firm policy of not giving anything to any Metis unless he earned it.

September 6: Father Lacombe (1827-1916) wrote that the Albertahistory.com">history of past frauds, perpetrated upon these people (Metis children of this country) by the speculative and unscrupulous white men, obtaining from them their script for a mere song, seems to have emboldened him to go much further in this direction. The men who engage in this nefarious business know the unsuspicious character of the half breed. They seem to appreciate and profit from it, using it to rob him of his heritage. The law of the land would not permit a man to retain property taken from a minor; but it allows sharks to use legal devices to rob unwary people of their property. It would be hard to believe that within ten years this Church would be encouraging the French families from Quebec to claim jump the Metis land in Saint Paul de Metis. It would be equally hard to accept that this Church was defending the Residential School system to maintain their grants. Father Lacombe (1827-1916), the self proclaimed Metis, by his actions, was from God, not from the Church. Most of the other Oblates could not make this claim.





1897

Baptiste Callihoo Metis born May 13, 1897 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.

Edmonton became a supply base and proclaimed itself as the Gateway to the Klondike gold rush (the North). Klondike is from the Indian throndiuk; meaning river full of fish. Twenty women, including Mrs. G.E. (Nellie) Garner, passed through Edmonton to the Yukon gold fields. On September 9, 1897, T.W. Chalmers set out to investigate the possibility of building a road to the Yukon. Three such parties departed on the same quest in the last ten days. P.D. Campbell and J. R. Brenton, on August 31, are sent north by the Edmonton Board of Trade. The North West Mounted Police group set out on September 4, on behalf of the Federal Government. Bob Edward of Calgary Eye Opener fame, produced the first issue of the Wetaskiwin Free Lance.

Saint Paul des Metis had no school and the Metis began sending their children to the Anglican school at Saddle Lake. This action horrified Father Therien, who considered it a personal affront. Therien and the Oblate Order had no real experience at agriculture and this tended to be a humiliating experience. Father Lacombe (1827-1916) approached the Salesians of Italy, the Trappists of France, the Premonstratiens of Belgium and several others, without much success, for agricultural experience. Father Van Wetten of Belgium visited Saint Paul des Metis. He is amazed at the accomplishments, and a number of this order is enthusiastic, but the abbey would not support the venture.

The Oblate Fathers moved the first saw mill to Saint Paul des Metis. This mill is a horse powered contraption.

The Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) drilled an oil well at Pelican Portage and struck gas at 824 feet. The gas blew free for 21 years at 8.5 million cubic feet of gas a day or 65 billion cubic feet in total..

Octave Majeau (1844-1923) and Emilie L'Hirondelle (1848-1932) and family settled at Lac La Nonne, North West in 1897 or 1898.

The Crow's Nest Pass Coal Co. founded by William Fernie and James Baker opened their coal operation on the B.C. side of the pass.





1898

Baptiste Vaness Metis born 1833 died 1920 Content, Alberta and his wife Catherine born 1840 died 1905 Content. Archie McLean, M. Taggart and Hugh McTaggart are at Concert, Alberta.

Father Morin took thirty seven United States French families from the New England States to his favorite location, Morinville.

Abram Pearce returned to Edmonton to move a saw mill out to Athabasca Landing, sawed lumber and built boats for Klondikers.

Micheal Stanislaus Gauthier (1850-1934) and family are living in Cove, Oregon, and the children attend the 13 mile school.

A Prairie fire destroyed Trail Creek des Metis, one of the finest democratically run, free-trading communities in the Albertahistory.com">history of Canada. Only one cabin survived. It was removed to a nearby farm and eventually to Stettler, Alberta. The settlement reached its peak about 1875 and began its decline in the 1880's, as the buffalo declined. Most assume Trail Creek disappeared, but it was rebuilt and called Content, Alberta, named after Albert Content who built a lumber mill there. The Metis that didn't have summer houses in other Metis communities melted into the surrounding growing communities.

The Klondyke Gold Rush swelled the population of the town of Edmonton to 2,500 people. The Klondyke Gold Rush is named after the river of the same name in northwestern Canada. The name, however, is a corruption of an Athapascan dialect "Thron Duick"

Sam McGee, an Irishman, born 1867 Ontario and died 1940 Beiseker, Alberta, married Ruth Warnes, traveled to the Yukon this year. Sam McGee is immortalized by a poem by Robert W. Service (1874-1958).

The Plaindealer newspaper is claimed to start in Strathcona this year. It would appear that the Strathcona Chronicle started about this time.

Mountain View is a town between Waterton and Cardston created by the Mormons and contained a creamery, carpenter shop and a smithy. Ruffy, Kratz and Belvedere brought in cheese making equipment from Utah by wagon and set up a cheese factory. Nearby Cadwell (Alberta) was also created about this time by the Mormons and contained a sawmill. Cadwell slowly relocated to Hillspring 7 miles north, starting in 1911. Cardston is incorporated as a village.

STEAMER THE MINNOW

The steamer 'The Minnow', that was built in Red River, operated Fort Edmonton to Prince Albert (Saskatchewan).

Pincer Creek became a village this year.

Medicine Hat became a town this year.

The first automobile arrived in Calgary.

The Russian Greek Orthodox Church was split between the United Greek Catholic Church or Uniates who accepted the Pope of Rome as spiritual head. The Orthodox Church centered itself at Star, Alberta about six miles west of Wostok, Alberta. However when they went to the Land Office in Edmonton to get title to the land that had been promised to them by the Canadian Government, they were dismayed to discover that Bishop Legal, co-adjutor to Bishop Grandin of St. Albert and known as the French Bishop, had already made claim to their lands. The Government relinquised all claims to Bishop Grandin and issued certificates to the trustees of the Star Church effective July 6, 1899. Star formally Edna, formally Limestone Lake is about 60 km east of Fort Edmonton.

June 13: The Yukon district is established. Collie and Stutfield follow the Indian trail and observe the Columbia Ice fields. Pierre (Jack) Lacombe (1827-1916), from St. Laurent near Montreal, is a baker who moved to Boston Massachusetts. The family claimed him as a relation to Alberta's famous Father Lacombe. He then moved from Boston to Montana, Pincher Creek and finally to Fort Edmonton.

Jasper Alberta's History