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Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul cliche, il est film6 d partir de Tangle supirieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent ia m6thode. 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 w '* '• \ 1 , 1 i : 1 ■ IJ' 1 ■' 1' , * < i i ■ ■ 1 . 1 -.-1 li' 1 2 , , ', 5 1 ! ". i I j ; 7 !) 10 11 12 1 i ■ 1 '■ 13 t t ! r i ' 1,1 Tae 3{istGrical and Scientific Societi^ cf 3/Lanitoba. TRANSACTION No, 30.-SEASON 1887-8. SIE^ZETCS: oi^ omE IFEOFJOHN iANNER, A FAMOUS MANITOBA SCOUT. A BORDER TYPE, A PAPER READ BEFORE THE SOCIETY, APRIL 26, 1888 BY GEORGE BRYCE, LL. D., A LIFE MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY. WINNIPEG : MANITOBA FREE PRESS PRINT. iS88. :H ' f ' , ■^ ) 1--.,' . \\ 'X >. .-a Jv/-. ., *-^- :^^ / ^v \ y w*** "^', 4 ■ ^ ^sv' ( > \ ^ \ t- .X \. y ' \ ^ , a s ■V . - of "I ■""'■/ "Ir "C I OUl pic at as cal infi . Ha Ba cbe tun T A BORDER TYPE. LIFE OF A FAMOUS MANITOBA SCOUT. ♦ ♦ « An interesting Paper read l)y tlie Rev. Dr. Bryce before ttie Historical Society. The Historical Society met in force last Thursdaytoheara lecture by Rev. Dr. Bryce upon the life of a famous Manitoba scout. At the close Consul Taylor and Mr. U. N. Bell who presided, made some interesting remarks, and on motion of Dr. Agnew, seconded by Mr. MacMicken, the thanks of those present were tendered the Doctor for bis paper which was as follows :— Life in a new country is a strange med- ley. The noblest character is seen devel- oped at times in the trials and struggles of the border, but the dark shadow of an irrecu'ar and wayward life is a far com- moner thing. We are in the habit of se- lecting the more brilliant and better lives and of uoiing these to "adorn a tale." We are apt to Jose sight, vu the course of half a century, of the shadowy and unsuc- cessful lives of the time, which may well serve to ptoint a moral. It is impossible to understand the history of the early days unless we realize the very considerable in- fluence by men of lower motive and reck- less life. Many a young man of education leaves a refined home, to bury his unre- quited \o\ e, or hide the shame of a disi- pated life, or forget the restraints of irk- some society, in the wilds of the border land. Many are known to members of our society, who came years ago to the wilds of Rupert's Land, left their refinement be- hind them, and have settled down, if the term is at all applicable, to be hunters, furtraders, miners, or prospecror8,leading a life of alternate poverty and success at he end of a lucky or unlucky season. Many a time the borderer has made his home among the Indian tribes, taken up a semi-savage life,and realized the picture of the Laureate:— "I will take some savage woman, she shall rear my dusky race, "Iron-jointed, supple sinned, they shall dive, and they shall run,' ' "Catch the wild goat by tlie hair, and hurl their lances in the sun. ' It is vain to try to understand the life of our earlier times, or gain a true historical picture of the border life without gazing at the shadows on the lalidscape as well as at the sunshine of what some among us call the good old days. To-night, accord- ingly, we shall leave the study of the Harmons, and Sel kirks, and Rosses, and Ballendens, and Cochrans, and Proven- chers and lookat tbe_ strange and unfor- tunal guide. A reference to the sketch by Dr. Edwin James, who has also laid us under obligations for his ac- count of Major Long's expedition to the Rockies, will show that .John Tan- ner was the son of Rev. John Tanner, a clergyman of Vii^inia, who following the westward tendency of the time, almost a hundred years ago took up his abode in Kentucky, settling on the Ohio river, nearly opposite the confluenceof that river with the Miami. It was a dangerons time along the frontiers of the newly con- stituted republic. The sympathies of almost all the Indian tribes were with the British, and they continued for a number of years greatly disturbed as to their al- legiance, Capt. Joseph Brant who had crossed over to Canada, with a part of the Six Nations had great influence among the western tribes and did not hesitate to use it against the American Government. Less than a century ago. Governor Sim- coe of Upper Canada was blamed /vith inciting the Indians of the west t<> dis- turbance, and probably deserved the charge. It was about the year 1789 that the Tanner family was startled by the cry that the boy John had been STOLEN BY THE INDIANS. The boy, who would appear to have been at this time about nine years of age, was gathering walnuts near his father's home when two Indians rushed upon him from the thicket. The Indians belonged to the Shawnee tribe, the same as the famous Tecumseh led. The charge of the young captive was taken by an Indian woman of mild disposition, who pitied the cruel treatment given him by his savage cap- tors. The white settlers of the Miami were roused to secure at all hazards the stolen child, but the band of Shawnees were too swift for them and with their prey hastened northwestward passed De- troit and sailed up the west coast of Lake Huron. The fleeing tribe were on good terms with the Ottawas who frequented the region from Detroit to Mackinaw. The little white captive attracted the attention of a prominent woman of the Ottawa •^ribe, who was in deepest sorrow for her hon, a boy of about Tanner's age who had lately died. After earnest bargaining with the foster-mother of the Shawnee band, the Ottawa princess prev^ed,..»"d ll . T T 2 SON OK NET-NO-K\VA. The new foBter mother held the place of principal chief amontr the Ottawas. It is .somewhat remarkable to And amon^ war- like tribes the leadership held by a woman. A Himiiar instance was found on the west side of the liockies by the well known fur trader Chief Factor Robert Campbell. In this case Net-no-kwa had sreat powers in the district abouf. Mackinaw. In her canoe she carried a tlao;, and when she came on a visit to Mackinaw she was al- ways saluted with the firing of a Kun from the fort. The princess v as married to an Ojibway from Red River, and was able to defend herself with ^reat personal prowess. On one occasion on Lake Su- perior a French voyageur had taken a canoe from her band. The doughty female leader by her personal authority had the canoe taken from the white man. The fostsr father of young Tanner died a few years after, and the Indian family with its white ward started up Lake Superior for Red River. In passing Sault Stc. Marie there was danger of the white boy being rescued by the traders at that point, and Net-nd"-kwa hid her son in a cellar belong- ing to a well-knowr rader Chaboille;;, at that place. The / followeil the usual fur traders' rot from Lake Superior through which wau long known as the j Grande Portage, coming by way of Rainy j Lake and Rainy River. On their way i they passed Lake of the Woods, the Lac des Bois of the French explorers. Lake Minitie in one Indian tongue, but which they knew as PUB-BE-KWA-WONO-GA SA-GI-E (JUN, or lake of the sand hills, referrine no doubt to the thirteen miles of sand dunes at the mouth of the Rainy river. Following the Winnipeg river "the party reached Lake Winnipeg. Here the princess and many of her followers obtained at Baa de LaRiviere, or Fort Alexander, as vve now know it too great a supply of rum from the Nor'- West Company traders, and in crossing Lake Winnipeg on a storm arisine very nearly found a watery grave. The party was only saved by being dashed on the rocky shore of the lake. The Red River was reached and ascended and Net'- no-kwa and her followers encamped on the present site of the CITY OF WINNIPEG. This was in the last decade of last cen- tury. There is no mention made of any fort at this point, but it is stated there was here a large encampment of Oitawas and other Ojibway s, who had come by the same route to the Northwest. Indeed the account of this Indian family making its western migration, is but a picture of what had been taking place for half a cen- tury before, and whirh gave the name of Saulteaux, or people from Sault Ste. Marie, to the intrusive Ojibway occupa- tion of Red River. It is also stated that the mouth of the Assiniboine was a i>\ace much frequented by Sioux war partiei^. The party next passed up the As- siniboine to the Prairie portage, still further ascended passing the mouth of the Souris, where there was at the time a fur trader's fort, and then went up the Little Saskatchewan. The Indian band along with its young captive, after hunt- ing and trapping in this district returned down the Assiniboine, and determined to visit Rainy River district, which then as now is an Indian's paradise, for it has plenty of game great shoals of sturgeon, and fields of wild rice. As the party came to the mouth of the Assiniboine under the cover of night they were in great fear of the Sioux. They heard an owl cty from the north side of the river, another from the opposite side in response, and a third from the east side of the Red river. These they believed to be signals from bands of Sioux to one another. They escaped by turning up the Red River and keeping in the middle of the tream. Trapping and hunting as they went they reached Rainy river in due time. The restlessness of the Indian life is something marvellous to us sedentary Ancjlo-Saxnns. Next the Indian family including Tanner came by a new way to the Red River. This was by what was called the "Muskeg CarryinK Place," go- ing westward from Rainy river through the swamps to the neighborhood of what is now Pembina on the 49th parallel. A trader's house had been built there. But this being a little before 1800 there were none then at that point. After again de- scending to the Assiniboine, the Indian band visited Portage la Prairie and the Souris, and on this occasion started to visit the Mandans on the Missouri, but turned back on the way, crossed overland to the Pembina river and descended it to the Red River again. The young captive Tanner had now grown to be nearly of age j when he was married to an Indian' maid- en, whose name translated is "Red-sky-of- ! the-raorning." He was also offered the I chieftainship of the band but refused it. i The captive had now become a noted hunter, visited the villages of the Assini- 1 boine, near Turtle Mountains in quest of stolen horses, and had numerous adven- tures among the Sioux. TANNER MEETS HARMON. About this time, at Fort Alexandria, on the upper Assiniboine, a Fort named by the way after Sir Alexander Mackenzie, a trapper, no doubt. Tanner was met by the well known fur trader Harmon. On July l)th, 1801, Harmon writes: "This day there came here an American, tliat when a small child was taken from his ; parents, who then resided in the Illinois : country. He was kidnapped by the Saut- I eux, with whom he has resided ever since; I and he speaks no other language except- j ing their- . He is now about twenty years of .^e, and is regarded as a chief ! among his tribe. He disliked to hear ; people speak to him about his white was penet Rivei Here Nor'- this Kle. expec Rivei the p 3 ' .1 A relations; and in every respect excepting his color, he resembles the savafres with whom he resides. He is said to be an ex- cellent hunter. He remains with an old woman, who, soon after he was taken from his relations, adopted him into her : family ; and they appear to be mutually ' as fond of each other us if they were actually mother and son. About 1812 or 14 Tanner visited the i NKWI.Y KOHMED 8EI.KIUK SETTLEMENT ' and there saw the first white woman since the time ot his capture or ttiphtto the Northwest. Durintr the troublous times on the Red River from 1814 1«, Tanner with his family was living peaceably on the Rainy River. His domestic life was very unhappy. We learn that shortly after his marriage with "The-Red-Skyof- the-Morning" he contemplated commit- ting suicide. About the time of the Sel- kirk troubles his life was so miserable that he determined to return to the Unit- ed States. Other troubles also befel him, and on one occasion he had the misfortune to fall from a tree and crush his ribs. The life of the fur-traders on the whole route from Fort William on I^ake Super- ior to the Red River and even to Fort Qu'Appelle was much agitated about the time of the formation of the Selkirk colo- ny on Red River. This society, thou^ h its history has only extended over ten years has done a most important v\'ork in bring- ing into prominence the correct view of those events, and in giving Lord Selkirk his true place in hiolory. John Tanner became intimately associated with those occurrences. Most of us know that dur- ing the winter of 181617 Lord Selkirk held Eossession in person of Fort William while is own Fort Douglas on Red River was in the hands of the Norwesters. A MILITARY EXPEDITION was sent out during the winter under the teaux Chief from St. Peter, with twelve of his voung men. The party was accom- Eanied by one of the well-known French alf breeds of Sault Ste. Marie, some of whom came to the Red Riverand are well- known amongst us. This was Louison Nolln. Tanner and Nolin were kindred spirits. They desired to have the glory of CAPTi:UIN(i FORT DOUCiLAS. With a chosen number of De Meurons they left the party behind, pushing ahead on snow-shoes, and with scaling ladders which they had made, in the dead of night clambered over the stockade of Fort Douglas, and as silently as the Greeks from the horse at Troy, seized the fort and captured the unsuspecting Xor'we8t<>rs. The Nor'- westers were thus beaten at their own game, and the fort was held for Lord Sel- kirk. In spring, 1817, his Lordship arrived at Fort Douglas, and about the same time the magistrate Coltman from Montreal to set matters to rights. Lord Selkirk made efforts to establish order, conferred with his Kildonan settlers, made a treaty with the Indians, and took his journey south- ward through the country of the Sioux, now Dtikota, to the Mississippi. [ LORD SELKIRK'S (JRATIUTDK. The times on Red River were troublous indeed. The very Indians with whom Lord Selkirk had made a treaty stole his horses soon after. A Sioux escort was ' needed to see him safely out of the Red River settlement. Tanner was also in dan- j ger as having guided iha De Meurons in I taking the fort. Lord Selkirk sent j him with an escort of six men back to the Lake of the Woods. Tanner . had received only £20 or £30 for the work j of guiding the expedition. It was repre- I sented to Lord Selkirk that he was worthy 1 of a greater reward. Lord Selkirk be- «ommand of Captain D'Orsonnens, to take came interested in the man, heard the Fort Douglas, while Lord Selkirk remain «d at Fort William. It was a dreary jour- ney to come on snowshoes in winter from Lake Superior to the Red River. The De Meurons. however, about a hundred strong, were equal to the task. At Rainy LakeCapt. D'Orsonnens met Tanner and induced him to guide the party to the Red River. It was important to avoid the Nor'-wester stations, and Tanner, who knew the whole district from Lake of the Woods to tlie Red Rivor as well as an In- dian, was induced to lead the way over the "muskeg carrying place," by which years before he had come along with Net- no-kwa*8 band. It tjok forty days to Senetrate the wilderness from Rainy Liver to the Red Rivei on parallel 49^ N. Here at Pembina some years before the Nor'-westers had built a fort, and this was now taken without a strug- gle. In four days more the expedition had come down the Red River and were within ten miles of the present site of Winnipeg. Here the jartj story of his capture as a child by the Indi- ans, and determined if possible to find his friends upon the Ohio. Tanner's recollec- tions of his childhood were very vague, for he had now reached the age of about 3-1. His impression was that his name was Taylor, and his knowledge of the country from which he was stolen was quite at fault. Lord Selkirk issued a cir- cular in the papers throughout the West- ern States and was successful in his search, though the name Taylor was found to be that of intimate acquaintances of the Tanner family. The following is the text of a part of Lord Selkirk's letter after finding the long lost captive's family: Lexington. Kentucky, Nov. 17th, 1817. * -V « » * - i "The circumstances that Mrs. Taylor mention- i ed of his family coincide with those which he : told mc in the north, particularly that he had a ; brother called Ned, and two sisters previously ' married to his being carried off. Also that his i father - - - described > ! was a bif? lusty man, as the young man •ed him. The only point of cUffcrenec is. Mrs. Tavlnr anut f>io» M,..! -r I, older than tho boy John, who was carried away, witvrcas I underHtood him to be younic- or; out as I could cun verso with John only through an interpreter, Huch a nilrttake niight easily arise. Mrs. T. also said that olarlic!U- larly his having come down the river In a large boat or float with horses or cattle. He also mentioned that at the pi «ce where his father lived previous to his removal, there was a brook running in a cavern underground whore they used to go with a candle to take water." , ' .» P , » SKLK'IKK. Lord Selkirk acquainted Tanner with his discovery, and »o Tanner finding the Nor'- Wester influence now hostile, and Klad to see his long-lost friends, left the region of Rainy Lake, went down the lakes to Detroit, saw Governor Cass theie and paid a visit to his friends in Ken- tucky. His brother Edward had started on his way to Red River to meet Tanner, but the two missed each other on the way, and only at length met in Detroit. On going aown fiom Rainy Lake he had taken three of his chilrJren to Mackinaw to be educated, when he determined about the year 1823 to revisit the North- west and take his two remaining daugh- ters down to civilization. The Indians were unwilling that Tanner should take his childi-en away, and the influence of his overbearing wife was great enough to in- cite them to prevent this. The mother in- sisted on going withherdaughters.andthe Sarty was accompanied by a young In- ian of worthless character. After leav- ing Lake of the Woods, in constant fear of the hostile Indian, TANNER WAS SHOT and severely wounded at the Maligne River. The whole party deserted the wounded man and his life was only pre- served by his being picked up by a canoe going to Rainy Lake. His daughters came ack to nurse him, but his wife kept her- self out of sight. Major Long's celebrated expedition of 1823 of which we have so excellent an account by Prof. Keating, was at this time coming^ back from Red River and Lake of the Woods, and found the wounded Tanner partially recovered at Rainy River. The party had consent- ed to take him and his daughters down the lakes to Mackinaw, but at the last moment his daughters des- erted him. He however, determined to accompany Mayor Long. The journey was too severe for the wounded man and he was left behind a few miles from the entr .uce of the lake. Tanner spent part of his life in the service of the American Fur company, and was Indian interpreter at Mackinaw until 1828. The borderer lived an uncertain and unhappy life, how- He was shiftless, now as interpreter mak- ing some money, and then driven to the chase for his support. His Indian wife had either separated from him or more likely had died. Determined to rise in the world he succeeded in MARRYIN(J A WHITE WIKK. The glamour that is thrown about Indian life by Fennimore Cooper has led educated and reflned women to ally themselves at times even to pure Indians or natives liv- ing the Indian life. Tasse in his "Cana- diens de I'Ouest." gives the account of Jean Baptist e Cadot, of Sault Ste. Marie, a rouKh borderer, who about the time of Catlln,theartist,wentioEtiglandasaHhow- man, Cadot brouaht back in triumph his educated English bride to SaultSte. Marie, there to receive a rude awakening. Tan- ner did the same the thing. He succeeded in marrying in Detroit an accomplished, Christian lady. Th<> unfortunate victim lived in his wretched hovel at the "Sault" for a year, and by the help of a few friends was secreted on board a passing vessel and carried away fium her miserable abode. But little is known of Tanner's late years. The writer is indebted to the capable and obliging secretary of the Min- nesota Historical Society, J. Fletcher Williams, for facts obtained by him from persons who had met Tanner. tanner's sad end. About the year 1840 Tanner was dis- pleased with the attentions to his daught- ers of a young man named Schoolcraft, brother of the well-known Henry J. School craft, at Sault Ste. Marie. Tanner threat- ened Schoolcraft and at lenth shot him- Fleeing for his life^ Tanner was never seen again. For years it was thought be had gone to conceal himself araon^ the Indians of the Hudson Bay region. This proved to be incorrect, for in a swamp a few miies from the Sault, a skeleton was found, and alongside were two flrt*arms— one a gun, and the other a rifle. These were after- wards identified as Tanner's guns. The surmise was made that in his violent flight after shooting Schoolcraft, he had burst a blood vessel and died. CONCLUSION. There is very little of the heroic in the life of Tanner. He was one of a type of men who have largely influenced the occupations of border life, are very influen- tial among the Indians,but often living loose and unhappy lives. Contact with border life tends to lower men to the level of the savage. In dealing with our Indian ques- tion we shall fail completely to understand the problem, unless we take into account the large influence wielded over the red- man by the daring and unscrupulous white-men, who live upon the border. Tanner's son came back to Red River and was a sort of travelling missionary along the Red River. He was killed by falling from a wagon somewhere up the Assibf- boine about the time of the Kiel rebellion.