5 new roots...

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In 1807, Marie-Anne Gaboury was on the adventure of a lifetime. Together with her husband and a small group

of other fur traders, she travelled from Québec halfwayacross North America. The only way to make the journeywas by canoe.

These people were looking for a steady supply of animalfurs. They travelled across huge lakes, up raging rivers, andthrough thick forests, heading towards the West.

Along the way, Marie-Anne gave birth to two children.Eventually, she and her husband arrived in the settlementthat became Edmonton, their home for four years. There,her third child, Josette, was born. She was the first baby ofFrancophone parents to be born in Alberta.

C H A P T E R

5 New Roots forAlberta

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Alberta’s StoryIn the last chapter, you learned that the FirstNations have lived here the longest. Theirroots are an important part of Alberta’s story.In this chapter, you will discover how the landand natural resources made other people wantto come here, too. You will see howFrancophone, Métis, and British roots becamepart of Alberta’s story.

Inquiring Minds?Here are some questions to guide your inquiry for this chapter:

• Why did different groups of people come to Alberta?• How did Alberta develop Francophone, Métis, and British

roots?

Look for answers as you read. Then look further if you want tofind out more.

How can I organize my researchand questions? I will use a KWLchart to record• what I Know• what I Want to know• what I Learned

Roots are deep connectionsto a place where we belong.

words matter !

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ALB4SS_ch5_new_F 4/27/06 2:25 PM Page 123

What Drew People to Alberta?

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Hats like these had become very fashionable in Europe. Traders made long,dangerous journeys across land and sea to get as many furs as they could.

This is Canada’s first officialpostage stamp, issued inApril, 1851. Why do youthink the beaver was usedon the stamp?

Grande Prairie, Lac La Biche, Morinville, Lacombe—these are communities in Alberta today. Can you seewhat they have in common? If you said their namesare all French, you’re right! Alberta has many otherFrancophone communities, too. In this section you willsee how these Francophone roots began. There are alsocommunities that have British names. Lloydminster,Dunvegan, and Strathmore are just a few. We’ll seehow Alberta’s British roots formed as well.

The story begins with the trading of some ofAlberta’s precious natural resources. First Nations hadbeen trading with each other for many years. Aroundthe middle of the 1700s, people from eastern Canadaand Europe were also coming to trade. The resourcesthey wanted were the furs from animals such as mink,marten, and muskrat. Most of all, they wanted thethick, soft fur of the beaver.

Why do somecommunities haveFrench names? I willrecord my question onmy KWL chart.


125

These are the routes that fur traders followed. Look at the map on pages 316–317. How far did people from Britain and France have to travel to get furs from Alberta?

During the fur trade,European tradersexchanged goods for furs.These furs came fromanimals trapped by FirstNations people. The furtrade lasted from aboutthe 1750s to the 1830s.After that, silk hats becamemore popular than hatsmade from beaver.

words matter !

What Was the Fur Trade?

In eastern Canada, people from Québec and fromEngland and Scotland had been looking for furs forsome time. They would meet with First Nations peoplewho knew where to find and trap the animals. Inexchange for the furs, they offered First Nations peoplegoods such as kettles, cloth, metal tools, and weapons.This exchange became known as the fur trade.

Canadian and European traders began pushingfarther west in search of more and better furs. Thejourney over land to the West was long and hard. Sometraders travelled more than 3000 kilometres, paddlingmost of the way in their canoes.

map to come A5.1

ALBERTA

SASKATCHEWAN

MANITOBA

ONTARIO

LakeSuperior

HudsonBay

0 150 300

kilometres

Legend

Rivers

Main trading routes

Borders of present-dayprovinces

N

S

W E


126

How Did Fur Traders Travel?

How did the fur traders find their way? What did younotice about the trade routes on the map on page 125?They were on the rivers—the highways of the 1700s!

When you are travelling along a modern highway, doyou ever have to get out of your car and carry it acrosssome rough land or up a steep hill and down the otherside? Of course not, but that’s what people had to dothen. To get from one river to another, they would carrythe canoe and the trade goods on their backs. This wascalled a portage. The canoes were made of lightmaterials, but when loaded, they were very heavy. Themen had to be very strong to carry them.

There were advantages to travelling along the rivers.If you were moving in the direction of the river’s flow, thecurrent would help to carry you along. If you were goingthe opposite way, it was hard work. The Cree, Nakoda,and Dene in Alberta had used these trade routes forhundreds of years. The traders from the east wanted tolearn from these First Nations and use the same routes.

The word portage is aFrench word that comesfrom the verb porter,

which means “to carry.”To portage is to carry acanoe and supplies overland.

words matter !

Voyageurs at Dawn by Frances Anne Hopkins (painted in 1871). How is the canoe being used in this painting?


Shooting the Rapids by Frances Anne Hopkins (painted in 1879). What canyou tell about a voyageur’s life from this painting?

You are a young man in Montréal lookingfor adventure. You hear stories about the

rugged land of the west. Rushing rivers, steep cliffs,mountains that seem to touch the sky, forests so thickyou can barely walk through them. You want to seethese wonders and make your fortune. You get a job asa voyageur for a fur-trading company, helping topaddle a canoe halfway across the continent.

Whatever the weather, as long as there is daylight,you and your fellow voyageurs paddle the canoes filledwith items to trade for furs. You paddle to the beat ofthe folk songs you learned from your parents andgrandparents. Between waterways, you portage withthe canoe. You have to carry your pack as well, and itcan weigh almost 150 kg! The trip is exhausting, butyou see sights that you could never have imagined. Ifyou were this voyageur, how might you feel? Whatchanges might you bring to the land? ◆

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How Did the Fur TradeChange Alberta?

Yellowhead PassYellowhead Pass is anarrow passagethrough the RockyMountains on the edgeof Jasper NationalPark. It was namedafter a blond voyageurknown as Tête Jaune.

Imaginethis!

I have anotherquestion. What did avoyageur’s folk songssound like?

Voyageurs travelled bycanoe, working for the fur-trading companies. Many of them were Canadiens,from Québec.

Canadiens wereFrancophones who wereborn in Canada. Their firstlanguage was French.

words matter !


During the time of the fur trade, explorers from theBritish Isles and the United States came to Alberta to try to find routes to push the fur trade farther west.Some explorers were fur traders as well. Others came to make maps of the area. Who were some of theseexplorers? What contributions did they make toAlberta?

How Did Alberta’s New RootsStart to Grow?

128

The British Isles includeEngland, Scotland, Wales,and Ireland. The peoplefrom these countries aresometimes referred to asthe British, even thougheach country has its ownculture and traditions.

words matter !

Anthony Henday was born on the Isle of Wight offthe southern coast of England. He left on his firstexpedition to the interior of Canada in June, 1754.

David Thompson travelled widely, making maps. Hewas known by First Nations people as “the man wholooks at stars.” Why do you think he was given thatname?

Peter Pond was another explorer who made mapsand traded in furs. Pond was American, but came toAlberta in 1778 for the huge numbers of furs thatcould be found here. His journeys took him to theAthabasca area.

Alexander Mackenzie travelleddown the river that was laternamed after him. He made hisjourney in 1789, hoping the riverwould take him to the PacificOcean. Did it?

With a partner, find out more about one of theseexplorers. Look in books or on the Internet. Put yourinformation on a concept map. Add pictures.

Skill Smart

In this painting, Anthony Henday isshown entering a Blackfoot campin 1754. This painting was done byGeorge Franklin Arbuckle in 1951.


Rival CompaniesBy the time the fur trade reached Alberta, it wascontrolled by two big companies. One was theHudson’s Bay Company, which was owned by theBritish. The other was the North West Company. It wasbased in the city of Montréal in Québec, where mostCanadiens lived. Each company tried to get as manyfurs as it could.

129

Francophones are peoplewhose first and mainlanguage is French. Thefirst Francophones inCanada came from France,but by the time of the furtrade, many wereCanadiens—born inCanada.

words matter !

A Vast LandPierre de la Vérendrye and his sons were the first people from Québec toexplore the West. They had a Cree guide, who was known as Auchagah(Ow-ka-gah). With his help, they explored Canada almost to the Albertaborder in 1732. As a result of their travels, people began to understandjust how big North America was.

How were naturalresources in Albertaused before the furtrade? How did the furtrade change the use ofnatural resources?

ThinkingIt Through

The Hudson’s Bay Companybecame The Bay, with manystores across Canada. TheHudson’s Bay Company wasfamous for its blankets. Why doyou think they were so useful?

Many of the people who worked for the fur-tradingcompanies were Francophones from eastern Canada.Others were English-speaking people from England,Scotland, or Ireland.

When these people arrived in the area that becameAlberta, they brought their culture, their heritage, andtheir ways of thinking with them. Alberta began tochange. Alberta’s first Francophone and British rootsbegan to grow.

▲


How Did Trading PostsDevelop?The North West Company and its Canadien traders setup trading posts along the rivers. The trappers broughtthe furs to the trading posts and exchanged them forgoods offered by the traders.

Look again at the map on page 125. Find Albertaand Hudson Bay. If you were a trapper, it would takeyou many weeks to take your furs to Hudson Bay to sellthem to the Hudson’s Bay Company. Why do you thinkthat would be? The North West Company found a wayto outsmart its rivals. It built trading posts on rivers.The trappers could get to them much more easily. TheHudson’s Bay Company noticed this. It quickly beganbuilding trading posts on rivers, too.

Many of these trading posts were called forts. Someof the trading posts had thick walls for protection.Soldiers were posted inside.

An artist’s idea of what a fort may have looked like

A fort is a building or setof buildings surrounded bya strong wall.

words matter !

130

Stable

Dairy

Clerk’shouse

General andprovision store

Men’s house

Blacksmith’s forge and men’s house

Trading shopand press room

I learned the Canadiensand the British came toAlberta to trap animalsand trade furs. I’ll addthat to my KWL chart.


A L B E R T AA D V E N T U R E

Did you know that you can visit a

fur trading post? My sister and I

went to a trading post that has

been reconstructed at Rocky

Mountain House. You can visit and

watch people in costume relive

daily life there.

Rocky Mountain House was the

western-most trading post during

the days of the fur trade. Both

the North West and Hudson’s Bay

companies were based here. They

competed for trade with nine

different First Nations, including

Blackfoot, Nakoda, and Cree.

RO

CK

YM

OU

NT

AI

NS

ALBERTA

Edmonton

Peace River

LesserSlave Lake

CalgaryBanff

RockyMountainHouse

Rocky Mountain House

When my sister and I went, we

took part in the re-enactment of a

trading ceremony. There were

many steps trading partners had to

take to show that they really

trusted each other. We got to think

about trading through the eyes of

different people. I really enjoyed

learning about the way trading

was done back then.

131


132

Visit a museum, historicsite, or library. Find outhow your communitystarted. Look at historicphotos, diaries, andmaps. You could makean electronic chart toshare what you learned.

Skill Smart

How Did Today’s CommunitiesGrow from the Fur Trade?The two companies tried hard to outdo one another bybuilding forts farther and farther west along theSaskatchewan River. As soon as one built a fort, theother did, too! They also built forts along the PeaceRiver and Athabasca River.

Look at the map below. It shows where the twotrading companies built forts in Alberta. Now look at amap of Alberta today. How many of the trading postlocations are still communities today?

Fort Augustus and

Fort Edmonton 1795

Fort Vermilion 1788 Fort Chipewyan

1788

Fort-of-the-Forks1788

Fort Dunvegan 1805

LesserSlave Lake

1800

Fort Assiniboine 1825

Fort George and Buckingham House

1792

Present border of Alberta

Hudson’s Bay Company Post

North West Company Post

Posts operated by both companies

0 km 100 200

Rocky Mountain House, 1799

Jasper House 1813

Date when first fort built e.g.1788

Main Fur-trading Posts, Alberta, 1788–1825

N

S

W E

Saskat

chewan

River

N

orth

Peace River

Athab

asca River

This map shows where trading posts werebuilt. Some were built by the North WestCompany, and some were built by theHudson’s Bay Company.


133

SKILLPOWER

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ExploringHistorical Maps

What are some things you can learn by looking athistorical maps? They can help you find out about landand people in the past. You can use them with maps fromtoday. Look to see how some things have changed and howsome things have stayed the same.

Practise the Skill

Look at the map on the facing page. Use it to answer the questionsbelow.

1. Which direction did the fur traders first come from? (Hint: Look atthe dates.)

2. Name the three main rivers the traders used. Which was used first?

3. What relationship do you see between the rivers and where theforts were built?

4. Name the two forts that are farthest south. What region are theseforts in? (Hint: You can check the map of Alberta’s natural regionson page 32.)

5. Think about why there were no forts south of this region. (Hint: What animal furs were the traders buying? Discuss yourideas with others in your group.)


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How Did Alberta’s MétisRoots Begin?

Métis Crossing is a community not far from SmokyLake. Like the Francophone communities we learnedabout earlier, this community takes its name from thehistory of the area. Let’s see how it came about!

The arrival of the fur trade in the West also led tothe birth of a new nation of people. British andCanadien traders married women from different FirstNations. The children of these families married oneanother and had children. Over time, a new nation,the Métis Nation, was born.

The Métis Descheneau family are seen here in a formal photograph.

The Métis are peopledescended from British orCanadien traders and FirstNations. We use the termAboriginal peoples to talkabout First Nations, Inuit,and Métis people together.

words matter !

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Who Are the Métis?The Métis were descended from First Nations andCanadien or British traders. Some of their ways of lifecame from these roots, but the Métis Nation had itsown unique identity. Let’s look at some of the aspects of its unique culture.

You are living long ago in Alberta. Herds ofbuffalo roam the prairies. In spring and

summer, you see them in the grasslands. As fall comes,the herds move to the parkland and foothills wherethey can find water and grass to eat during winter.Close your eyes and imagine what it would look like tosee thousands of buffalo thundering across the plain. ◆

ALBERTAVOICES

Buffalo Traffic Jam

My great-great-great aunttalks of having to wait forthree days before they couldcross the Milk River, as thebuffalo were so plentiful.“We would have hundredsof riders [on horseback]galloping at full speed, aftera herd of many buffalo, allrunning at full speed.”

Sharon MorinMétis trading expedition, 1888. The Métis traded buffalo meat and skins,as well as furs.

Imaginethis!


136

Old diaries, journals, and letters can help explain the past. RereadVictoria Callihoo’s journal entry, above. Make a map to show what thecamp might have looked like. Use symbols and a legend.

Skill Smart

ALBERTAVOICES

The Buffalo Hunt

Victoria Callihoo was a Métis from Lac Ste. Anne. She lived from 1861 to1966. She remembers her first buffalo hunt in this journal entry.

I was thirteen years old when I first joined in a buffalo hunt. We leftLac Ste. Anne after the leaves were out on the poplar trees and oursmall fields and gardens were seeded or planted.

I used to go with my mother on these trips. She was a medicinewoman who set broken bones and knew how to use medicinal herbs.The riders who chased the buffalo were often thrown, sometimes by thebulls charging the riders, or by the horses getting their feet stuck inbadger holes.

We always camped close to water. We set our teepees in a largercircle outside the cart circle. A few of the fastest horses were kept in thisenclosure and the others were herded all night by a night herder, forhorse thieving was a common occurrence. A fast horse was the bestpossession. A hunter on a fast horse would kill more buffalo thanothers with less speedy ponies.

Cabin andteepee at LacSte. Anne, 1896


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Drying meat, as shown in thisKainai camp, was one of the stepsin making pemmican.

The paths used byMétis families to huntand to work becamethe highways thatcross the Prairiestoday. They includeQueen Elizabeth IIHighway and parts of Highway 16.

Why do you thinkpemmican was soimportant to thetraders?

ThinkingIt Through

How Did the Métis Help the Fur Trade?Earlier in the chapter, you learned how the MétisNation came to be. Many Métis people could speakseveral languages. Some could speak French, English,or First Nations languages such as Cree or Blackfoot.This meant that Métis people could often translate for European traders when they met with First Nationstraders. Some Métis also paddled and piloted the boats carrying furs and trade goods along the rivers of the West.

Food for the Fur Trade

The Métis also provided goods to the traders. From theirbuffalo hunts they supplied buffalo tongues, whichpeople liked to eat. They also supplied robes made ofbuffalo pelts. Most important, they used the buffalo tomake pemmican. Pemmican-making was a skill thatthe Plains Cree First Nations had. Pemmican was meatthat had been dried and pounded. It was then mixedwith hot buffalo grease and dried berries. It wouldbecome very hard. Traders had to use a sharp knife oreven an axe to chop off a piece to eat. Pemmicannever went bad and was very nutritious.


138

Billy Loutit was a Métis mail carrier. There is a legendthat he once delivered a letter from Athabasca toEdmonton faster than a man on a horse! Couldsomeone really run that distance faster than a horse?Today there is an annual race in Athabasca called theBilly Loutit Duathlon.

How Did the Métis Solve TheirTravel Problems?Over time, traders found that their loads were gettingbigger and heavier. Canoes were too small and light tocarry these loads. Larger boats were needed. Métistraders solved the problem by inventing the York boat.

.

Another Métis invention was the Red River cart (seethe picture on page 135). It was made without anymetal. Large wooden pegs were used instead of bolts,and small pegs were used instead of nails. There wasno grease for the wheels, so the carts made a loudsqueaking noise when the wheels turned. It was saidthat every cart had its own particular squeak!

Unique Culture,Unique LanguageSome Métis developedtheir own language,Michif. It is a mixture ofCree and French. If youtype “Michif” into yoursearch engine, you canfind a Canadiangovernment Web site thatwill let you hear someMichif.

■ What would you liketo know about theYork boat or RedRiver cart?

■ In a small group,brainstorm fiveresearch questions.

■ Look for answers inbooks or ask alibrarian. Keep trackof where you findinformation.

Skill Smart

The York boat could carry heavy loads.


139

How Did Métis CommunitiesStart?At first, many Métis people spent most of their timeon the trade routes. Then more began to settle in oneplace. Some lived in or near the fur-trading forts.Others began to farm for part of the year, and huntbuffalo at other times. Soon, there were strong Métiscommunities.

The song below tells about life in a Métiscommunity. It refers to Gabriel Dumont, a Métisleader. Although he lived in Manitoba, he was well-known among the Métis in Alberta.

■ What does the songbelow tell aboutwhat was mostimportant to theMétis?

■ Write a response tothis song.

ThinkingIt Through

The Métis have a long history in Alberta. Youwill learn more about that history in Chapter 7.Today, some Métis people choose to live in differentareas of the province. Others choose to live in oneof eight areas in northern Alberta called Métissettlements. Here, the Métis govern their owncommunities. There are no official Métis settlementsanywhere else in Canada. These Métis communitieshelp to make Alberta unique.

Edmonton

Calgary

EastPrairie

Gift Lake

Kikino

ElizabethFishing

Lake

Peavine

BuffaloLake

Legend

Métissettlements

0 100 200

kilometres

N

S

W E

PaddlePrairie

Alberta’s Métis Settlements Today

The “Society of Generous Ones”

In the fall of the year buffalo would runGabriel would ride out with his gunTo get some meat for the winter supply’cause he knew that his people could starve and die.

He’d hunt until he needed no moreThen he’d hunt for the sick and poorThe lame and the old and the ones with no gunsHe called it the “Society of Generous Ones.”

Don Freed, “Ride Gabriel Ride”

ALBERTAVOICES


140

What Are Some Symbols ofMétis Identity?Many nations have symbols. When you see thesymbols, you think of that nation. The Métis Nation,like many others, has a flag as one symbol. Anothersymbol of the Métis is the colourful sash.

Sashes were worn around the waist. They werewoven in beautiful colours, but they had verypractical uses. Traders were away from home for along time. There were no suitcases or backpacks.What did they use? One of the things they used ontheir travels was a sash.

Traders carried their belongings in a sash, just asyou put yours in a backpack. On the trails, sasheswere used in many ways—as a scarf, a washcloth ortowel, a saddle blanket, or a rope. When clothingtore, the long fringe could be used as thread! Sasheswere also used by the East Woodland First Nation andby Canadiens. Each group made its own particularkind of sash. Métis sashes are used today in Métisgames and other ceremonies.

Jessie Clemans has a successfulbusiness making Métis sashes.She is famous for her “triplearrow” sashes. She uses the oldmethod of finger-weaving tomake them.

Métis Symbols

The sash today is usually red, white, and blue.The flag also has the infinity symbol, which

means never-ending. Sothe symbol reminds usof a culture thatcontinues on forever,and the colours of thesash remind us howeverything in life iswoven together.

Mark McCallum, Métis journalist

ALBERTAVOICES

Preparing to leave on acanoe trip along a fur-trading route fromEdmonton to MétisCrossing, to celebrateAlberta’s 100th birthday.Why might a trip likethis be an appropriateway to celebrateAlberta’s Centennial?


141

While the fur trade was at its busiest, a few peoplebegan to see that Alberta had good farmland. In thefall of 1874, two brothers named Frank and JosephLamoureux came to Alberta. They were the firstFrancophone settlers to claim Alberta land for farming.

The brothers settled on the north bank of the NorthSaskatchewan River in a place that became known asLamoureux. In 1875, Fort Saskatchewan was built rightacross the river. Over the years, the brothers broughtfriends and family members to the new settlement.Other Francophone families followed.

The brothers farmed and raised cattle, and also hadseveral other businesses. Joseph had a pair of pliers, sohe was the local dentist! Today, Lamoureux is a smallcommunity where about 50 people live.

Fort Saskatchewan, across theriver from Lamoureux,continued to grow and is abusy community today.

■ Why do you thinkthe Lamoureuxbrothers chose tosettle near thewater?

■ Why would that bean advantage tothem?

ThinkingIt Through

So many names of ourcommunities come fromlong ago. I would like tofind out about thepeople who started mycommunity.

How Did FrancophoneCommunities Grow?


Franco-Albertans have always had a strong presence in Edmonton.Remember the story of Marie-AnneGaboury on page 122? This streetin Edmonton is named after her!

142

In the late 1800s, many Francophones movedfrom Québec to Alberta. Francophone settlementsgrew. New ones started in the northern part ofthe province. Look at the map. Do you live inone of these communities, or have you visitedany? If so, you may have seen French signs orheard French spoken there.

ALBERTA

EdmontonVegreville

St. PaulBonnyville

Lac LaBiche

Leduc

Sylvan LakeLacombe

Red Deer

PeaceRiver

MedicineHat

Calgary

0 100 200

kilometres

300

N

S

W E

GrandePrairie

These are just a few of the many communities started byFrancophones in Alberta.

Find out more aboutone community fromthe map. Make a posterabout the community.

■ How did it start?

■ How did it get itsname?

■ Include oneparticularlyinteresting factabout thatcommunity.

Skill Smart

Where Did FrancophoneCommunities Develop?


This is how Father Lacombe described the area wherehe would build the community of St. Albert. FatherLacombe was a Catholic priest who came from Québecin 1852 to work as a missionary in the West. He spentmany years in Alberta and established Francophonecommunities here. St. Albert and Lacombe are namedafter him.

To help the missionariesspeak with Cree people, Father Lacombe wrote a Creedictionary. He started hospitalsand played a big part instarting schools in the West.

Father Lacombe alsotravelled, trying to encourageCanadiens to move to the West.

A missionary is someonewho travels to teachreligion to a group ofpeople.

words matter !

Father Albert Lacombe

A Lovely Place

April 1861—In my travels from Edmonton toSte. Anne, when I’d stop on a hillside to have

my dogs rest, I’d gaze towards a certain hill with alake in the distance, and just opposite a forest. As I’d gaze,I’d murmur to myself: “What a lovely place for a mission.”

Father Albert Lacombe

ALBERTAVOICES

How Did Missionaries BuildCommunities?

I wonder what else themissionaries did.

143


144

What Did the FrancophoneMissionaries Give to Alberta?In 1863, the Grey Nuns came to St. Albert. Thesereligious women did the work of doctors, dentists,teachers, and nurses. The place where they lived wasused as a school and a hospital. They looked afterchildren who had no parents. They learned to speakCree and wrote a Cree grammar text. Whenever thepeople had a need, the Grey Nuns tried to meet it.

The Francophone missionaries started smallcommunities called missions. They also built hospitalsand schools. They became known for their tradition ofcaring that many Albertans still value today. Thephotos on the following page show some of the ways inwhich the tradition continued.

A nun is a member of areligious community ofwomen. The nuns spendtheir lives in prayer andservice to others. The GreyNuns were founded inMontréal in 1738. Theyare named for their long,grey robes.

words matter !

The Grey Nuns and some of the children they taught outside the convent inwhich they lived, in the late 1880s

Look at thephotographs andcaptions on thefollowing page. Whatdid the Francophonemissionaries give toAlberta? Record yourideas using jot notes.

Skill Smart


145

The Grey Nuns set up a hospital ward inFort Calgary. That ward became HolyCross Hospital. The hospital closed in1996. Do you have any relatives whowere treated there?

The oldest school in Calgary is St. Mary’s.It was started at the Rouleauville mission,which is now part of the Mission districtof Calgary. The school taught children ofall ages, but today it is a high school.Would you like to go to a school withsuch a long history?

The Grey Nuns also founded theEdmonton General Hospital, the firsthospital in Edmonton. How do youthink sick people were cared forbefore this hospital was founded?

Later in his life, Father Lacombe foundedthe Lacombe Home to care for elderlypeople and orphans. The hospitalsfounded by many religious orders in manyparts of the province are part of thetremendous contribution by Francophonesto the development of our province.

A T R A D I T I O N O F C A R I N G


Francophone missionaries worked to keep theirCatholic faith and their language strong. There werealso English-speaking missionaries in Alberta. Mostwere British and belonged to Protestant churches. Someof these missionaries also started schools. The firstEnglish-speaking missionary was Robert Rundle. Hecame from England to Fort Edmonton in 1840. Later,he built a mission on Pigeon Lake. You can still visitthe mission buildings today.

Many of the Protestant missionaries travelledaround, taking their teaching from one place toanother. They learned First Nation languages, so thatthey could speak with the people they met. Thesemissionaries brought British ideas and values to partsof Alberta.

Who Were the ProtestantMissionaries?

146

The Protestant mission at Morley was started by George McDougall and hisson, John. This drawing shows the mission in 1875.

I will ask my teacher tohelp me search theInternet to find outmore about Protestantmissionaries.


147

Are There Different OpinionsAbout the Missionaries?There is no question that the missionaries played avery important role in making Alberta what it is today.Yet, there are different perspectives on their work.Read the following accounts to see what they are.

ALBERTAVOICES

An Aboriginal Perspective

The missionaries tried to get rid of Aboriginalspirituality, which is an important part of the culture.They convinced the government not to allow theSundance. It was very important to people so they stilldid it, but they hid it. Today, many priests in our cityare highly regarded. It’s not a problem—we can beChristians and also follow our own spiritual ways.

Laura Vinson, co–executive director, Ben Calf Robe Society, Edmonton

Lac La Biche Mission, inabout 1850

A Francophone Perspective

Father Lacombe came here to teach the Métis. Thosewere the French speakers he came here to teach. Hewanted to share that with others. He founded andministered in many churches all over Alberta in the1800s. People were grateful to have a place to practicetheir religion in French. They called him our wise elderand they looked up to him. His missions were thegathering places for French-speaking communities.

Émilie Chevigny, Plamondon

Sometimes different people can see the same events indifferent ways. Why do you think this is so? Use theAlberta voices on this page to support your view.

Thinking It Through

A perspective is the pointof view of a group ofpeople. It is a way ofseeing and understandingthe world.

words matter !

Some missionariestaught in the Frenchlanguage and helped tokeep it strong inAlberta. That’s one ofthe reasons why theFrench language is stillspoken in Albertatoday.


ViewpointsViewpoints

How Can Place Names HelpUs Remember Our Past?

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What is the name of the street youlive on? What is the name of yourcommunity? What do those namesmean? Where do they come from,and why does it matter?

Read this newspaper story andletters to the editor to find out whatsome people think about thesequestions.


Over to YOU!

3-overtoyou_Q

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Some people had opinionsabout the students’ idea, andthey wrote letters to the editorof their local newspapers.

1. Why do you think the students wrote to the town council? Whom would youneed to contact if you wanted to make a suggestion like this one?

2. As a class, discuss the different viewpoints. Take a class vote to decide if thestreet name should be changed.

3. What areas or streets in your community are named after people or events?Do you think your streets should be named differently to remember the past?Give reasons for your views.

Over to YOU!


Use a Historical Map Many Métis came from the Red River area, now in Manitoba.Use the historical map below and answer these questions:• From which province did the Métis start to move west in about 1870?• When did a group go to Edmonton?• How do you know that groups went to Edmonton and Calgary

around the same time?• Did any Métis go to the United States? How do you know?

Be a Responsible CitizenWho is a responsible citizen helping to build a community in Albertatoday? With a partner, look on the Internet, in a newspaper, or in alibrary database. Give a speech to share your findings. Include ways inwhich you, too, can contribute to your community.

Complete Your KWL ChartScan the chapter again. Record what you learned on your KWL chart.Can you think of any new questions to ask? Look in a variety of sourcesto find answers.

Set Your Skills in Motion

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CANADA0 150 300

kilometres

N

S

W E

Edmonton

Batoche

RedRiver

Calgary

BowRiver

North

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FortQu’Appelle

Saskatchew

a n

River

Legend

about 1870about 1885

The Spread of Métis Communities


Inquiring Minds?

Look What You Have Learned!

Alberta has Francophone, Métis, and British roots. People fromQuébec, France, and Britain came to Alberta to trade goods forfurs with First Nations peoples. Some of the fur traders stayedand married First Nations women. A new nation grew fromthose unions—the Métis Nation. Different languages andcultures are part of Alberta’s past. They are still part of theprovince’s identity today.

Take Time to ReflectBefore you go on to the next chapter, thinkabout what you have done in this one. Howdid you use maps to learn about the past?How might a KWL chart help you in the nextchapter?

Choose something from thischapter to save for your AlbertaTreasure Chest.

Review the inquiry questions for this chapter:• Why did different groups of people come to Alberta?• How did Alberta develop Francophone, Métis, and

British roots?

Share what you have learned by writing a report. Chooseone group you read about. Where can you see theirroots today? Consider languages, religion, and traditions.Try to find “Then and Now” photographs or makedrawings to illustrate your report.

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5 new roots...

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