IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 11.25 M;|28 12.5 t^ m mil 2.2 lb 1.1 1- 1.8 U 11.6 <^ /] . # jV .^> ^;. >^ V PhotogjBphic Sciences Corporation 73 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^% ;\ A (v ^o"'s Jlay Company, the rulers of the laud, and also of l)eiii<{ thoroui:hly in toitch vvith the people of the Ited Uivc^r settlement. Me was as reiil ti lli^^hliinder as any man of Klldonun, and l>y inairia^'e was closely related to the native popula- tion of the lund. A man of ardent nature, of fair education, and somewhat a-si-rtive disposition he liecaine not only a f-ooiul leader of his time, but also an auihor of some considerable note. A short sketch of his life seems appropriate. Alexander Uoss was born in the year 17th hij,'iilaiids. in 1802 he sailnd as one of a party of muny hundreds of iinnii<;rants who, divided ainooj^ three ships, came to (Lmada, pain- fully toiled up the St. Lawrence, and settled in iht! (;lenj,'aiTy district in Upper Canada. Youoi; Kosstau:;htscliool forsoine time in the Upper Canadian settlements, liut in I'^lO joined the Astor Conipany, and saihiif,' mound Cape Horn landed on the Coluinl)ia river, which llows into tlie Pacitio ocean. Three years later the Northwest (?oiepaiiy bought out A«lor's Atnerican Fur (!ompany, ,iiid Koss was ap- pointed in charj,'!' of a post at Oakinaj^.in. It was soiUHwIiat atnusiti;; to read in copies of Sir (ieorf;e Simpson's letters, which the writer saw a short time hj;() that the (ioMirnor was of opinion that lloss wou'd make a l)etter 'cliool teacher' than fur trader, and so called him fortius purpose from the hill tops of Oakinaynn to the prairies of Red River. It was in 1>S25 that this transfer took (dace, but the experiences of tin? ])recediii^' hfreen years led to the publication ot the "Adventures 'nce and was for many yr^ars a devo'id (Jlnistiim. 'I lie writer was in the habit of often calling in to see the kind hearted old lady and of having a talk about the former days. Her husband had died in ISoG, and she was probably ten or twelve year's Ins juriior, for she ordv passed away some ni'ie year's a^o. riie Koss fanidy was a laif{e one, consistinj^ of eleven sons and da>i<.;hters who yrew up No doulit .Jaiires was the best known. He had ^^raduated in Toronto University in IH.")? with very hinh honors, having; takin<; the j^uld medal in Modern L'Uuuaijts. He was for years oi the editorial stall of the Toi'onio (llnhi', and was then well known to the writer. (Jn Iris return to his native Ri'tl River afi,er the liinl rebellion he was a(>pointed liy thi^ Provisional Coveriuiient as Chief .Justice, lie did not lon^' survive the entrance of Mairitoba into Canadian (Jonffderation. Shortly afti r, a younger brother. Alexander, a youin; man of lirilliant parts who had been educati d in Upper l!ana(:a tJollcge, Tororjto, passed away prerrraturely. No doubt the tiling for which Sherill Ross w.is best known was the active part taken liy him in founding the iliurch of his fathers on the banks of Red River. Any one anxious to know the lelryioris struggles of the people of Hed River may tind them graphically depicted in his "Red Rrver Settlement" (London, IHrr"). No doiiirt the antlior was a partiziii, but his liook is all the more readable on that account. The orig rial jieople of .Selkirk setll' rrieiit always maintairred that Lord Selkirk had promised to siMid them a clergyman of their' own faith. It was on this pledge that the petitiruis, req ests and complai.its ably presented by Sherill' Jioss \i"re Irased. The isolation of the country and somewhat repr-essive rule of the Hudson's Hay Com])any at the time led to many disapiiointments. At length Uev .John Ulai-k came as the spiritual ai'ide of Ross and his co rel gionists, and t'le zea! with which the Sheiill, tin li 70 years of age, tilled the place of an elder is 16,5718 .■'.0 'i? i^- ■*'• ■■'^ ■■ V Tfi .%*■•- -■^.'^ Tm-: Manitohax. lU- 1 ;»{:•■, l-2it very noticcalilc in the chunti ri'conls of t'lc tiiiH'. A f<'w years after his arrival the pioneer missionary Mr. lUnck was married t.o Henrietta, ilauyliier of Slientl H(ivs The writer well renieniWers the force of ehnracter, nl.ility and kindness of liiisnolile niotherin Isniel. whodied near !v I'd years a'.'o. leaving' ii well known faini'y." Sin .ill Itnss was so elosely con- nected with the church that it was no wonder that anntiier dani,'hter of his was married to the j)io!ieer I'reshvterian Indian missionary Uev Ceors'^ Klett of Okanase. Mrs. Wlett, who has heen ii most n-eful helper in the civilization of the Indian women of lier mission, is the only survivor of the eleven childien of Sherid |{oss. The strip of land enclosed in this city hetwen William and Alexander streets was the old iioss estate. We were aMe to reco^'iii/" the names of William the e'dest son. of his wife .lemima still sur- vivinii of .lames, and l{o^s all upon well- known streets of this city, unt il the act of vandalisin hy wliich the late city coun- cil replaced the street mimes wiih nnni her--. Intelliyent <'itizens liojie to have thi'se, as well as the names of the other city pioneers soon restored. We do well to keep in mind the names a'ld memories of the old Ued River people whc.did anythinu' for Selkirk settlement It is true "the settlement wa.s crude and jirimitive, liut there w^re many uohle men and wonuii who work (1 for tlie elevation of a community wliich had many dis- advantasjes. and which hut tor them woulil have seriously deteriorated. The Hud- son's I'.av Conipanv was the central tijjure of iho'^e times. It was very far from be inu perfect, l)ut it is a (piestion whether any other j^reat orjianizatiou, 1m i,'nn solely for the purposes of trade, ever did as much for the maintenance of honor and the }{ood of the people. !n the Selkirk settlement, the oirsprins,' of the Hudson's !!ay Company, there was no more notalile name than Koss. Attorney— "How doyou tix the time of the murder as at midnif^ht?" Witness '• llecause there were no policeman anywhere around at the time.'