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Fivo I'ovts around which gather tht> most interesting events connettecl with the his- tory of Rupert's Land and the Canadian Northwest were erected within what are now the limits of the City of Winnipeg. Thes(> wer(> not mere continuations or renewals of the same fort ; they were all built on dilf'erent sites, and represented different important movements. Thes(^ are : Fort Rouge, Fort Giljraltar, I'ort Douglas, the original Fort Garry, and thti recent Fort Garry. The lirst erection upon the futur<> site of the metrop- olis of Northwestern Canada was Fort Rouge: this vi'as built almost exa<'tly one hundred and fifty years ago. FoitT RouGK. — This small station of tlie French explorers, so named probably from its being on the Miskouosipi or Blood-red River of the Cristenaux aborigines, was hardly built and named before it was giA'en up. The adventurous (explorers found other points more sixitable for tlie purposes of a rendezvous in their work of fur-trading and discovery. In addition to this, the fact of the Red Fort being on the south side of the Assiniboinc exposed it to the incursions of the fiery bands of Sioux. The warpath of the Sionx Irom the river of the west (the Missouri) was along the south bank of the Assiniboine, — the very name of Assiniboine River meaning "' River of the Stony Sioux," and showing the proximity of the dreaded Dakotas. Coming from the last port on Lake Superior in Itol, the adventurous French Canadian, Varennes de la Verandrye, and his sons dotted the margin of tht>ir watery way witli hurriedly constructed forts or stations. At the exit from Rainy Lake are still to )>(> seen the faint remains of Fort St. Pierre, built in the first year of exploration. Massacre Island on Lake of the "Woods, on which a portion of de la Ver- andrye's party was murdered ])y the Sioux, was oppositt^ a post erected on the south-west side of the lake, in 1'732, with the name Fort St. Charles. The dashing waters of the Maurepas (now Winnipeg River) bore the voyageurs down to the lake, called, from its tixrbid waters, Win-iiijiiij or Winnipeg. Exac^tly in what year de la Verandrye ascended Red River and built his Red Fort, we do not know : probal)ly 173") is not far from the time. From investigating the maps of the daring fur-trader .sent home to Paris, through the governor of New France, we learn of the short life of I'ort Rouge. The following are some of the documents that attest its existence : — (1.) In the archives at Paris is a map thus named : " Map containing the new discover- ies of the west in Canada, seas, rivers, lakes, and the nations who dwell there, in the year lt-'}7. Discovery of the western sea joined to a letter of M. Beauharnois, October 14th, l*7o7 (prepared by Varennes de la Verandrye). "' On this map is m.arked a fort near the site of the present town of Portage la Prairie — "Maurepas," the name afterwards given to the 136 (iiioKiiK \iH\i'\-: ON Tm<: lorl al the rnoutli ol'WinniiH'g Kiver. lliili-wiiy up Ited Rivor is a Ibit callod ' roinlc du IJois," some sovciily-livf or eighty miltvs south ol'thc United Stales boundary line. At th(^ inoixlh of the Assiniboine, where stood the Red I'ort, there is marked a fort with the dis- appointing' addition, '" abandoned," showing that it eould only hnve l)een oceupied one year. (2.) A map found in the Department of Marine. Paris, professing to be made after sketches by de la Yerandrye. and claiming to be of date about 1740, gives Fort Rouge at the mouth of the Assiniboilles and on the south side of it. The direction of the Assini- boine is not (|uite accurate. (See Plate I. Map 1.) (;{.) Another map in Paris supplies a little further information. It is a '■ Map of the new discoveries in the west of Canadii, prepared from the descrii)tions of M. de la Verandrye, and given to the Depot of Marine, Paris, by M. de la Galissoniere, l^oO."' In this map on the north side of the Riv. des Assiniboilles {sir} is given Fort de la Heine, where Portage la Prairie now stands. The lake is marked '" Vnipigon." AVe again notice on the site of l<'ort Rouge, a fort markt>d and described as ' Ancien Fort," iifteen or seven- teen years hiiving suiiiced to give it its atitiquity. In this map the direction of the Assi- niboine is properly given. (See Plate I. Map •2.) (4.) Thomas .Telfreys, tJeographer to His Majesty of England, in a map and description in 17i!2, speaks of Fort Maurepas (on Lake Winnipeg) and Fort de la h'eine (on the Assini- boine), and states that another I'ort was bixilt on Riviere Rouge, but was deserted on accoimt of its vicinity to the two named. (").) Another manuscript maj) in the Departnu-nt of Marine. Paris, and bearing date 1T'"><>, ligixres a Fort R(mge on the Assiniboine at its mouth. In this map the direction of the Assiniboine is. ai>ain, somewhat wrong. Of Fort Rouge no vestige tiow remains. The site (tf it must now. from thi^ falling- in of the banks of the lied and Assiniboine liiv(Ms, be under water. A lew years ago the writer ascertained from one of Lord Selkirk's colonists, who saw the locality in 1812, that there was not then a trat;e remaining of the Red Fort of seventy or eighty years before. Though the south bank of the Assiiiiboiii(> at the point is now treeless, this informant says it was in 1812 fairly wooded. Undoubtedly the Ked Fort, built in haste, and so soon to be abandoned, wns little more than a rudely constructed log en- closure, erected on the clearing made just large enoug-h to supply the material for its <'onstruction. After the British conquest of Canada there is a break in tlie history of the Northwest. The change of rtile paralyzed the fur trade of Montreal for a few years ; but the love of adventure and the inducements of trad lirst hold in a piTnianon) lorni oH' tlio Red Iiivor district was taken in 1788. This statement is I'urthev conoborated by Alexander Henry, ju)i., a fiir-trader, who, in 1800, journeyed along Red River. From him we learn that the lirst i'ort on Red River was built by a trader, Peter Clrant. The Ibrt was situated on the east side ol' Red liiver, a little south of the International bound- ary, and no doubt near the tit. Vincent railway station. Henry in 1800 says that there were at this point " tlie remains of an old fort." Fort Pembina on the west side of lied River, a little more than a mile south of the Inlernalional boundary, was built by a North-West trader, Charles Chaboiller in 17r>7-!'8. Mr. David Thompson, the surveyor of the North-West Company, a man of great persi'ver- auce and marvellous endurance, gives au account of a visit to this post in 17!'8, at which time, though he passed the spot, ho makes no mention of a fort at the mouth of the Assini- boine. At the time of his journey, which was made up licd Ifiver, there was a North- West fort sixtv miles further up stream, at the mouth ol' Red Lake River, where now stands the town of (i rand Forks, in Dakota. This I'ort was in charge of a French half-breed trader, IJaplistc Cadol, the son of the celebrated old trader of Sault^Ste. Marie, referred to by many writers of the period. Further up Red Lake River there was at this lime a post also upon l{i>(l Lake, celebrated as beiuif omt of the supi)osed sour<-cs of the Mississippi. This was under the charge of a North-West bourgeois. John 8ayer. It was a .son of this trader who afterwards figured in the remarkable trial at I'ort (larry in 1841I, when tht^ French half-breeds rose against constituted authority, and .seized court-house, jiulge and Jury. As an example of the hardships endured at these forts, Thom[)>on tells us that the trader, Saver, and his men had passed the whole wintc r on no more substantial food than wild rice and maple sugar. The l-'orts on Red River, in 17!'8, seem to have been Pembina, the Forks (Cirraiul Forks), and Red Lake, all of them in what is iu)w the United States. The approach to Red River would .seem to have been made by the North-Westers by way of Rainy River, or even from I'ond du Lac. on Lake Superior, and down Red Lake River. The union of the North-Westers and the X. Y. C(»mpany, who had been rivals since 17fM;, and to the latter of which Sir Alexander Mackenzie and Fdward lillice l)elonged. took place in 1S()4. An impulse was given to their trade, and seizing a leading position at the Forks of our rivers, they built a new post. 1''(pi;t (liKi; \i;jai;. - -'file Hudson's Ray Company claim to have built a fort at Red River in IT!'!', but no lraet> of it n'mains. Possibly it may have been at the point a few miles below the F'orks, afterwards taken up by the ('olony. It was in 1S0G that the North- Westers erected their fort at a point, one old resident informs us, 'within gun-shot of old Fort (Jarry," as it was afterwards bnilt. Such a comparison is suggestive of the relations of the two companies, and eertaiiily it was the warlike humour of the builders rather than the strength of tiie position that gave this fort its name. It faced towards Red River lather than the Aissiniboine, ami was situated below tin' site of the receiuly removed ei'iigrant sheds. From the I'vidence of a resident of the colony, we know that, in 1818, ihitj i\nl was about lifty yards back from the river. The same observi-r says the river was then l.'t't vards widi' : it is now at this point about 200 yards ; so that from each side of the ri\er twenty-live vards have iallen into it. It will thus be seen that ten yards of the Scr. II., JSS,-). 18. 138 (IKOKiiK lUnCK (»N TlIK I'orl liiiA'c lalli'ii down llu' Imiik. It was huilt by .lohn Wills, ii lH>ur']i. (See Plate II.) \ The lullowiMg is a list of the l)uildings enelosed in it, with some of iheir dimensions. Thero were eiulit liouses in all : the residenee of the r>ourf.ivois. (!4 feet in length: two houses for the servants, respeitively :M\ and 28 feet long; one store, :',]> feet lonu': a blaek- smith's shop, stable, kiteben. and an ieo house. On the top of Iho ice house a watch towor (gwr/V/r) was built. John AVills, thi' buibb'r. lived in charu'e of this fort until his death in 1814. The great struggle l)eiween the Hudson's liay and North-Wesi Companies for supro- maey in the fur trade, whiili had been proceeding with l)iilerne.ss and determination during the last quarter of hist century (17T4-18(MI). and had risen to fever heat in the iirst dooado of the i)rcseiit century, was brought to a cri.si.s by an emiLtration movement of a nuist important kind. The l']arl of Selkirk, though a stockholder of the Hudson's l)ay Com- pany, did not. as some have supposed, send his i olony out as a means of securing the country for the fur trade. He was enthusiastic in emigration projects. In 180;i, he seat a large and successful colony to I'rince Edward Island. IJefore that dale even, in 1S02. as shewn by a letter sent by him to the Home Department, of which a copy is in the posses- sion of the writer, he planned his colony to Ked IJivcr : and I'rince i-klward Island was only selected before starting, because the British (lovevnmeul regarded it as more accessi- ble. It was to gain the territory on which to plant a colony that his Lordship formed the great design of purchasing slock in the Hudson's l!ay Company. Lord Selkirk succeeded in carrying out all his plans ; in ISll he bought up a control- ling interest in the comjiany. aiul purchased a vast tract of what is now a part of Manitoba, and portions of the northern parts of Minnesota ami Dakota. This was known as the District of Assiniboia. It was in 1811. as already said, that his repre.sentative, Mr. "Miles Macdonell, a Highlander, lormerly a Captain of the (Queens Rangers, was appointed Govermu' of the Hudson's Eay Company, and was also named by Lord Selkirk in charge of his colony. ^Ir. ]\Iacdonell arrived at Ked liiver in the year 181:.', and met the colony Avhich had just come froju Britain l)y way of Hudson Day. It numl)ered about eiuhtv persons. The new Governor and the colonists, in the year of their arrival, imme- diately began to erect houses : indeed .some of the colonists were under a three years' tMigage- ment with Lord Selkirk to erect houses for the Company. Thesi' were situated about three quarters of a mile north of the junction of the river-, east of Main Street, and lietween .Tames and Logan Streets. i)rol)ably on the (>di:e of the l)roken plain skirting the belt of .vood along the river. There was a house for the Criivernor, where also dw(dt the sheriir. .There Avere besides a farm house, a store-house, and several other buildings. Here the I'olonists lived, tents and huts beinu' tised as well. The well-known dwelling, with its fine surroundinti' of trees in the plot at the foot fif Rupert Street. — the abode of the late Sheriff Alexander Ross, the historian of Red River — in its name "' Colony Garden." still retained bv it, commemorates the ] hty ly It was the custom of the dw(>llers at the Forks to journey southward in the winter in order to be near the open country containing bulfalo. The Governor had er<>ct(>d an 'stablishineiil ini the iiortl de (il I'enibiiiM K'iver ;it its mouth, to wliieh lie "jave the FIVK FORTS or WINNIPKO. 139 \ \] t J luiiiK' Fort Dacr, — JSuioii Uin-r tuul iSliortdfugh bt'ins>' one ol'Lonl 8i'lkiik's titles. Thither, I'ov the vvi]it( r ol' 1X12-13, tin' colonists niigTatcd. Duviny tlie summer they returned to their estal)lishments at the l-orks. and their nnm1)er was made up to one liundred l)y the arrival of a small l»and ol' new iiiimiiirants. Durinn- the next winter they auain removed sixty miles southward to Fort Dai-r. It was while at. Fort Daer with the colonists, that (iovernor Macdonell, becoming apprehensive that the supply oi' iood I'or his expected colonists from Britain woiild run short, issued on January 8th, 1S14, his celel)rated procla- mation, I'orbidding the export of pemican or other Iood I'rom the country, but stating' his willingness to i)ay lor the Iood taken I'or the colony. This proclamation was drawn forth by the threat of the Nor'-Westers to starve the settlers out helVn'c they could get a- foot- hold ; for it was, indeed, said, that Nor'-Western agents hat! cruelly driven away the ])Uiralo out of reach of the settlers when at Peml)ina. In 1S14, the settlers sowed a small quantity of wheats got from I'ort Alexander, at the mouth of Winnipeg Kiver, but it was all planted with the hoe. In 1S14, the colony was increased by two additioiuil parties by way of Hudson Hay. The lirst arrived on .lune 22nd, and was supplied with thirty or forty bushels of potatoes, which they planted. The lots for the several families were now selected, l)eing narrow strips of land commencing a mile and a half from the junction of the river, and extending side by side alony the river for three miles, after the manner of tht^ buildings along the St. Lawrence in the ProA'ince of Quebec. At the close of 1814, the colony numbered two hundred persons. Acting under Grovernor Macdonell's proclamation, Sheriff Spencer, in May, 1814, seized at Assiniboine House, opposite Brandon Ilou.se, one hundred miles or iipwards west of the lH)rks, four hi\ndred bags of pemican, eaiiv weighing l)etwe"n eighty and ninety iHiuiids. lie also took a considerable quantity of i)reserved buil'alo tallow. The (juestion as to whether the Governor acted riiihtly in making tliis seizure has been much discussed. All can now see that it was unwise, giving, as it did, a welcome oppor- tunity to the Nor'-Weslers to display their secret hostility. These measures, no doixbt, caused much excitement amonii' the Nor"-"\Vesters, all the way I'rom Athabaska to Montreal. At their annual meeting in the summer of 1814, at Fort AVilliam, two of their most daring and astute jjartners were sent to the lied Kiver and Assiniboine distriet.s. The.so were Duncan Cameron and Alexander IMacdonell, l)oth of whom became celebrated in the stirring events of the period. Cameron took charge of F'ort Gibraltar. The plan of the Nor'-AVesters was first to induce the settlers to leave Ked Kiver and settle in Canada, and after that, or along with that, to drive out thost> refusing to accept their t^H'ers. Duncan Cameron, though said by one writer friendly to the Nor'-AVesters, to have })een of an '' irritable temj)er,'" was, on the whole, well-suited to the task. Thouiih possessed of no military rank he signed himself "'Captain, Voyageur Corps, Commanding Ollicer, Ked Kiver." He wore a Mowing red coat, and carried a sword. However, he was as adroit as he was l)old. He could speak Gaelic, the native tongue of the ct)lonists. He courted the favor of the settlers daring the whole winter, invited them to his table, and at the same time awakened the'r fears by threateniuu' them with the Indians, shmild they disregard his wishes. The winter of lS14-lo was a troubled one. Taking advantage on April 4lh, IHl'), of the temporary absence of the Governor, INIr. .'Vreiiibald MacDonald being in charge, Cameron sent a party to the Governor's house to demand the cannon in possession of the colonists, saving, in his missive, that they were not for use. but in order to prevent tlieir I \* 140 CKOL'fiK MItVCK ON' TIIK b('in^• used. VVliilc oin' piirly was dfliveriiiH" Uh' missivi', virlutiUy ki'('i)iiii'' llic iutiii!;' governor aiul tliosc with liim prisoners, anotli*>r parly seized (lie colonists' storehouse, broke it open and took all the artillery, consisting oi' eiirht Held pieces — small swivel-guns and a howitzer. When Governor Maedonell returned, he issued a warrant lor tiie missing guns, but on resistance being oll'ered, allowed the matter lor the time being to rest. Those of the settk'rs who (ontemplated going to Canada, now deserted the colonists' houses and went to Fort Clibraltar. In May, 181."i, a Noi'-Wester force seized the cattle of the colonists; while, on June 11th, an attaik from the wood adjoining was made on the governor's house, lasting three quarters of an hour. The water communications through- out the country w^ere now open. The (colonists were thoroughly alarmed. The Nor'- Westers threatened loudly, and they were so manifestly masters for the time being of the situation, that Governor Miles Maedonell, with the advice of the other oiiicers, surrendered himself, under a warrant that had been obtained from Canada against him for the pemiean- seizure at the Assiniboine House the year before, and was taken to Canada, along with Sheriti' Spencer for the same matter. One hundred and thirty-four of the colonists, induced by promises of free transport, and two hundred acres of land in Western Canada, deserted the colony in June, along with Cameron, and arrived at Fort William on their way down the lakes in the end of July. Those remaining of the settlers were now deso- late indeed. The Bois-brules, who remained upon the spot, undertook to dispose of them. The following document was served upon them on June 2">th, 181;') : " All sett- lers to retire immediately from the Red River, and no trace of a settlt>ment to remain." This was signed by Cuthbert Grant, Bostonnais Pangmaii, William Shaw, and llonhomme Montour. The settlers were accordingly compelled to retrace their road to Hudson Bay. On June 27th some thirteen ftunilies, comprising from forty to sixty pi-rsons, pursued their sad journey, piloted by friendly Indians, to the north end of Lake Winnipeg to the Hudson's Bay Company fort of Jack River, since that time known as Norway House, from the circumstance, it is said, that a number of Norwegians were brought out to that point to endeavour to introdu'H erected hesich' it, and, more necessity being now seen lor defence, it assumed a more military nspoci, and took the name Fort Douglas. The l)lo()d ol' the meml)ers oi' both i'nr companies was now up. Cameron had returned in the summer of IHIT) I'rom the disi)osal of the deserting cohmists, and I'rom the meeting of the partners at Fort William, to await developments, and check new movements of the colonists. Alexander Macdonell, the Nor'-Wester, had returned and gone west to Qu'Appelle. In October. ISITi, Cameron was .seized along with Fort Gibraltar, and two of the river lield-pieces recaptured, '{'he matter was, however, settled and the fort restored to Cameron, who had betm liberated. The further anxiety of Lord Selkirk for his colonists may be seen in the appointment of an experienced and capable military otfioer, Robert Semple, as Governor of Assiniboia. Governor Semple arrived at Red River in the autumn of 1815, alas, to make liis grave on its banks. His arrival and presence gave much coniidence to the settlers, and he was ably assisted by his lieutenant, Coliu RobcTt- son. OIHcials and settlers, as usual, spent the winter at Fort Dat>r. The presence of the two daring Nor'-Westers in the country, Cameron and Macdonell, was reason enough for believing that there wcmld be renewed trouble. All through winter threatenings of violence lilled the air. The Bois-briile.s, or half-breeds, were arro- gant, and led by Cuthbert Grant, a lad of little more than twenty, looked upon them- selves as th(^ "new nation." Returning after the New Year of 1816, from Fort Daer, GoA-ernor Semple saw the necessity for aggressive action. Fort Gibraltar was to become the rendezvous for a Rois-briile forc(> of extermination from Qu'Appelle, Fort des Prairies (Portage La Prairie), and even from the Saskatchewan. To prevent this. Governor Semple captured the fort, and took Cameron into custody. This event took place, according to some, in March, according to others, in April, 1810. It is supposed that the Governor kept it as property taken in war, for, except on this ground, it is diliicult to see how his action could have been justilicd. Still in possession of Gibrallar, it was deemed wise to bestow Cameron, in a safer ]ilace. He was accordingly despatched as a prisoner under the care of Colin Robertson to Jack River House, on his way to Hudson Bay. By the failure of the ship to leave Hudson Bay, Cameron remained seventeen months a prisoner ])efore he reached I'hiiiland, where he was released immediately on his arrival. He afterward returned to Canada, and repre- sented the County of Glengarry for some time, probably between the years 18:20 and 1830, in the Canadian parliament. No sooner had Cameron been taken away than there followed the destruclicm of l'\)rt Gibraltar. Retaliation, the purpose of destroying what might giA'c shelter to the attacking force, and perhaps the desire of prolit, were the reasons for the destruction of iMirt Gibralter. Colin Robertson, it is said, was determinedly opposed to the demolition, lie is said to have seriously ditf'ered with Governor Semple on the subject. On the next day after Robertsctn's de])arture with Cameron, its fate was ,'n in end of Mav, 181(i. A force of some pulled thirty men was employed ; and expecting, as they did, a l)ody from the west to attack them, the work was all accomplished in seven or eight days. The materials were taken apart : the stockade was made into a raft, the remainder was piled upon it, and all was iloated down Red River to the site of 1^'ort Douglas. The material was then ixsed for strengthening the fort, and buildinu' new houses in it. Thus (siided Fort Gibraltar. A considerable establish- ■kMiM 142 (iKOUGI-; nUM'K ON TIIK iiii'iil il was ill its lime; its iiuiiif was niidouhlcdly a inUiionhM' so Pal' as stioii^th was lonfcnit'd : yd il ])()ints to its origiimtiou in Iroiihloiis tiiiii's. FouT DouoLAS. — \Vt' havo said that the Hudflon's Hay I'oinpaiiy claim to have l)uill a fort on Rod River in IT'.Mt. No traci* ol' it can Ix- disliiictly luado oul, Ihouirli llicrc st'cnis to be a lloatin'4 tradition that there was a Hudson's Hay Coinpaiiy lorl somewhere near the site of Fort (iihraltar or, possibly, I'urther down the bank towards Ihe colonists' estnb- lishment. In 1H12 and the subsecjueiit years, however, their interests seem all to havo Iteen ineluded in the Colony Fort. Whether tlie lur-trade interests were absorbed in l''ort Douglas or not, the chief reason lor streiiglhenini'' the colony establishment was the pro- te(!tiou of the settlers. From a mere scattered liathering of ]>uiUliim's, it was, by extensive buildings and repairs in the autumn of 181 '», that it gniiicd the name Fort Douu'las, being so called after Lord Selkirk's family name. Probably one of the reasons for destroying Fort Cribriiltar, was to provide material for the enlaru-ement of I'ort Douglas. We lind thnt, during the same year, orders were given to bring down jwrtions of the North- Wt'st Fort, which had been at Pembina, for the same piirpose. It was stated that when Fort Gibraltar was destroyed, haste was made, lest the destruction should be interrui)ted by the arrival of the threatened Bois-bnile invaders from Qu'Appelle. That invasion did take place, and we shall see that Fort Douglas, too. has its well-marked history. Not more than" three weeks had elapsed after the last beam of Fort Gibraltar had been removed, when, from the watch-tower olFort Douglas, the iilarm was given that the Inilf- breeds were coming. This was about six o'clock in the evening of June l!>th, IK It). The Governor immediately ordered a party to prepare to meet tin; intruders, who seemed to be avoiding the fort, and to be directing their movements against the settlers down the river. The Governor seemed to have intended to hold a i)arley with the approaching force. On perceiving, as he rode forward, that the party was larger than ht^ had supposed, he sent back to the fort for a stronger force, and for a piece of artillery to be brouaht. lie then proceeded some two miles down the river from the fort to a point since celebrated as the scene of the conflict of Seven Oaks. The' half-breeds who were mounted now approached the Governor's party in the form of a half-moon, giving the war-whoop. One of their leaders named Firmin Boucher advanced towards the Whites, with the insolent cry, " What do you w^ant ? " The Governor replied " What do ijnii want ? " The answer to this was, "We want our fort." — no doubt referring to the destroyed Fort Gibraltar. Thi^ Governor replied harshly, " AVell, go to your fort !'" A hurried rejoinder of an insulting kind being made to the Governor, he rashly seized Bouiher's horse by the bridle, seem- ingly Avith the idea ol making him a prisom-r. As Boucher slid from his horse, a shot was lired from the Bois-bri'iles' ranks, and oiu; of the Governor's Ijody-guard fell. The liriiig became general. The Governor fell by the second shot, woixnded in the shoulder. Lying helpless, the Governor was given in charge of a Fremh Canadian to assist him to the fort, when a worthless Indian along with the party, running up, shot him in the breast and killed him. Completely destroyed, .scatteied, or terrified, there was no force of settlers or Hudson's Bay Comi)any men sufficient to defend Fort Douglas. John Pritchard, afterwards a confi- dential agent of I^ord Selkirk, conducted negotiations between some forty settlers at the fort and the half-breeds. The settlers at first propositi t(j defend the fort, but a wiser deter- I'lVK KOI.TS Oh' WINNIl'l-KJ. 143 miiuiiioii was ii'mlu'd. An invi-ntory wiis inatl*' ol' nil the Fort property, and on July 'JOtli, U'UJ, tilt' rolonJKtH capitulated, the I'ort was Ibrjnally handt'd ov«'r, and a receipt :laN, for a lime, bet ivmo the i)OfsseNHion of the company, whoso Fort (Jibrallar was now a Ihiiii-' of the past. l''estivilies of an extravajjant kind took placeover the victory, llalf-lirccds and Indians ln-ld hiyh carnival. Partners and their depeiulants from dillerent pails of the country, rushed to Fort Douglas, which the Nor'-Westers held for the summer at least. The sorrowful, ill-fated colonists again took boat down the Kiver to seek Hudson Hay. There being for the time no disturbance, the Nor'-West part- ners, set earnestly to work and completed Fort D(mglas out of tin; material brought a few woek.s before from I heir own dismantled I'ort. The news of the l)atlle, of the death of the tlovernor, and of the seizure of Fort Doug- las, caxised Ihe greatest excitement in Montreal, when the sad intelligence n-ached the head(|uarters of thi' North-West Company. Lord Selkirk with his family, had spent the winter there, and now was on his way up the lakes to his beleaguered colony. Jle had with him one hundred disbanded soldiers and thirty canoe men, who were to settle on Jied River, and act as preservers of the peace. He arrived at Fort William in the autumn of IHlO, speiit the winter there, and in March, a portion of his st'ttlers coming over the ]{ainy IJiver route, lefi Lake of IheAVoods on snow-shoes, crossed the intervening country, and recaptured Fort Douglas in Ihe spring ol' 1817, seemingly without much opposition. As soon as mivigation opened, Lord Selkirk arrived (1817) at Fort Douglas, ajid laid the foundations lor the colony lirm and sure. This was Ihe last of the conllid, Fort Douglas continued to be used as (iovernor's residence for years, though as we shall see ''. isoon ceased to be used for mercantile purposes. Governor Alexander Macdonell -called the " (Jra.sshopper Governor," in allusion to the .scourge occurring in his time — had charge from 181G-2:i. Hi; was succeeded ])y Governor Bulger, a daring olUcer, and who is said to have left a collection of letters of great interest about Red River, known as the "Bulger Papers." He was (iovernor when Major Long's expedition passed down the river in 1823. The fort properly was afterwards sold when the Company repurchased Lord Selkirk's rights, and was bought by Mr. Robert Logan, who occupied some of the buildings till 18")4. Not a stick or stone of it now remains. Ou) Four (iAitiJV. — It is well known that the Hudson's Bay and North-West Companies, brought near Ihe verge of bankruptcy, united in 1821. Just as the union of the North-AVest and X. Y. Companies in 1804 resulted in the building of Fort Gi))raltar, so the union oi the opposing parties now resulted in the building of a new fort. The site chosen was virtually that of the destroyed Gibraltar; it would seem to have l)een a little further up towards the Assiniboine. Here, after the union, the stores of the Company were opened, those at Fort Douglas having been closed. The situation of the old fort is believed to be n(»ar the present Hudson's Bay Company mill on the Assiniboine. Origin- ally, a carriage road passed in front of it along the river. The greedy river, however, eiK-roached every year ; and now a portion of what was contained within the fort has been undermined and fallen away. The fort received its name from Nicholas Garry, an inllueu- tial director of the Hudson's Bay Company, who, in 1822, as we learn from the " Bishop of .Nfontreal's Journey to Red liiver.' took a leading part in the management of the Company'.s U' 144 (iKOIMJH BltYC'l'; ON TllK nH'aii's. In 182;l, Miijov Long, in liis inton-sting work odited hy Proft'ssor Kojiting, spoaks ol" t'licainpinn' near " Fort Gerry (sir), wliirli is at ilio jnnctiiro ol" tho two streams,"' and I'urlhi'r, "tho Ix'autit'ul lonllucnce of the Assiniboino and Rod I'ivers washed the bast^ ol' the blufFs ou which the Tort stands." That this Ibrt was a very consideriible establishment is known to us from the statement of an old resident of Winnipeg, who saw tlie old fort lirst in 1S4'.I. It was two hiindrod feet or ujjwards on eacli side. The nnistor's house (or what had been \ised as such) was opposite the gate, and his oliiee window looked out ou the stjuare euelosed. Along tlie s((uare t)U eacli side were the ueoessary buildings, store, men's housi's, carpenter and l)lacksmith's shops, storeliouses, etc, for a large fur trade. Shortly after (his, the river encroaching, tlie south-western bastion was undermiiu'd. One day au eye-witness saw that the dragon on the top of the wind vane was pointing at an awgle of 60 rather than 90° ; but the weight of the heavy log bastion emibled it to right itself, and it was not cnrried away. Al>out 1852, the fort was pulled dow^n. While this was going on, the occupants of the new fort were startled by a loud explosion. They supposed it to l)e a falling wall. It proved, however, to have been caused by three nat- ives crossing the Assiniboine in a canoe. As was the custom, one was carrying powder in his handkerchief; he had set it in the bottom of the canoe ; then sittinu- down near it, he thoughtlessly began to strike his Hint to light his pipe. A stray spark ignited the powder. One of the men was blown ou the shore; the other two. thrown into the water, were rescued with dilliculty ; while the canoe, torn to shreds, lloated down the stream. Thus passed away the original Fort Oarry, having had a much quieter history than the otnci AVinnipeg forts. Kec'knt F'out G AiiKV. — Recovering from the losses of war. the company began to thrive. The visit of Sir John Ilalkett, a relative of the Earl of Selkirk, and an executor, resulted in a rectiiicuiion of abuses complained of ])y the settlers, and the vicious system of credit previously followed, was given up. This was in 18:J3. An increase of the population by a number of Swiss immigrants took place in 1821 ; l)ut they emigrated again in 182*7. In 18;]0, the Hudson's Bay Company l)egan to feel the necessity for better accommodation, and for something more worthy of the nam(> of a fort, for they were virtually the govern- ment of the country. In 1831 they built, at what they <-oiisidered the head of river navi- gation, just below :Jie St. Andrew's Rai)ids, a large and expensive establishnu-nt, since known as Lower Fort Garry. It is nineteen miles from Upper Fort Garry. The object would seem further to have l)ecn to place the centre of trade more in the midst of the English-speaking people, sin<'e the turbulent French half-breeds were settled near the Forks of the river. It was intended then to make it the seat of government. This policy was soon changed ; and Ciovernor Christie in 1835 began the large fort, till recently one of the land marks of AVinnipeg, at the south end of Main Street. It con- tained not only the master's hoi;se, and a large number of extensive mercantile premises, but on the north side of it was also the residence of the Governor of the colony. There were also, w'ithin the enclosiire, the court-house and jail. A substiintiiil stone wall sur- rounded it when the writer lirst (1871) knew it. It was Hanked ])y four bastions of solid rna.sonry. This fort has seen many stirring scenes since IS'!'* : the wild fury of the half-breeds at the Sayer trial (is4!i) ; tin; cntiTtainment of nuuierous distingiiishrd u -•4 FIVK FOJITS OF WlNNIPK(i. 148 guests ; the rebelliou of lliol in 1860, when it was seized by the halt-breeds, and where a large baud of Canadians were held in it as prisoners ; the mad execution of Scott, Just outside its walls, on the south-east side ; the removal of the wounded man to the south- west bastion, and his secret removal theuco to an unknown grave. The northern gate still remains, a line specimen of castellated masonry. The fort was 240 feet long from north to south, and 280 feet wid3. Here the Council of Assiniboine met from the time of its orgimization in 18:].> until the Rebellion in 1860. In former times, diiring the absence of a church in Winnipeg, religious service was held within the walls of the fort. It was sold by the Hudson's Iky Company in the inliation of 1882 for an enormotis sum ; and, shame to the vandalism of modern commerce, it has been partly removed to straighten Main Street ; most of its buildings are unoccupied ; and, alas ! all of those occupied are the headquarters of the Winnipeg Street Car Company. The glory of the Winnipeg forts has departed ! Sec. II., LSS5 10. Trans. H.S.C.,IHH5. M;\ps OF poimox oi' xoirriiwKST . Stu-.ll.lMaU' 1, ; M i LAC m'i^'KPjQm AUREPAS ♦»*' COUNTRY NORTHWEST OF LAKESUPERIOIj lk/j Fivi- l""orls ul" Wiiinipo'i. If /' Ti«n«.F{.S.C.,l885. maim)fwinmi'i-;g. Soo.Il.l'l.'.tf. II. ; THE eURLAND tlTHCOMONlHCAL. To illuslrati' VvoW Hr\\t»s TiipiM* on llio Fivt^l'orls t>l' WinuiiuMj ..^,., w-l....itt r j \ '.i 1 V'. ./ { \ « S5 ) \ V, /' I \ TimiH.R.S.C.JHHo. MAI'orSI'LKIIiKSliHAXT. SGf.ll.PlalHin. ss" ^J^UMBERLAND HOUSE / VaskaM,^ ^ _ ^^JACK RIVER HOUSE ''^?%. Y'^^'^ml NORWAY HOUSE I /' — ^^'W'''% ^^Jl'Sii* ' 1 Jmm %t\ showiiiQ liOHD SKLKIKKS (ir.iiilof 116,000 SQUARE MILES KNOWN AS ASSINIBOIA INCLUDING THE FORTS. — ^ — SUniilwIii I itir/i . .W W" I Post tBas di- la rnneiv iV. MuiUVpil!;! I'. DoiiglaH SAA/VOON H ■i. 4 4- Old I'orl Lake ol' W'ooih Fori I'EiTiRna^^ "™ Fori Daor ' Tlu'Cirand Korlw *