^ \r ^. .V IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I _L8 12.5 US Hi Kl U 1* u 14.0 IL25 iu HiotDgraphic Sciences Corporalion •O^ \ <^ S3 WIST MAIN STRHT WIUTII(,N.Y. 14510 (71«;t72-4503 CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. L CiHIVI/ICIN/IH Collection de microfiches. Canadian inatituta for Historical Microraproductions / Institut Canadian da microraproductions historiquas Tachnical and Bibliographic Notaa/Notoa tochniquas at bibliographiquas Tha Instltuta has attamptad to obtain tha bast original copy availabia for filming. Faaturas of this copy which may ba bibliographically unique, which may altar any of tha imagas in tha raproduction. or which may significantly changa tha usual mathod of filming, ara chackad balow. CD D D D D D D D Colourad covars/ Couvartura da coulaur Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagia Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^ et/ou pelliculto Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiques en couleur Coloured inic (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) I I Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations an couleur Bound with other material/ Reli6 avac d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serrie peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion la long de la marge intArieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certainas pages blanches ajoutAes lors d'une restauration apparaissant dans la taxte, mais, lorsque cela itait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6ti filmAes. Additional comments:/ Commentaires supplAmentairas; L'Institut a microfilm* le meilleur exemplaire qu'il lui a MS possible de se procurer. Les details da cat exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibMographique. qui pauvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modi'^'^ation dans la mithoda normaie de filmage sont iiidiquAs ci-dessous. I I Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaurtes et/ou pellicultes / Showthrough/ Transparence I I Quality of print varies/ Quality inigale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du material suppl^mc ntaire Only edition available/ Seule Mition disponible D Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partiellement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. une pelure, etc., ont M filmtes A nouveau de fa^on d obtenir la meilleure image possible. The I shall TINl whic Mapi diffe entir bagii right raqui mati This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film6 au taux de reduction indiqu* ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X 7 12X 16X 20X a4X 28X 32X Th« copy film«d h«r« has b««n r«produe«d thanke to tho gonorotity of: Douglas Library ^..^ I ^ - Quaan's Univarsity L'axamplaira film* fut raproduit grica k la ginArosIt* da: Douglas Library Quaan's Univarsity Tha imagaa appaarlng hara ara tha bast quality possibia conaidaring tha condition and iagibillty of tha original copy and in kaaping with tha filming contract spacifications. Original copias in printad papar covara ara fllmad baginning with tha front covar ana anding on tha last paga with a printad or illustratad impras- sion, or tha back covar whan appropriata. All othar original copiaa ara fllmad baginning on tha first paga with a printad or illustratad impraa- sion, and anding on tha laat paga with a printad or illustratad impraaaion. Laa Imagas suivantas ont AtA raproduitas avac la plus grand soln, compta tanu da la condition at da la nattat* da raxamplaira film*, at an conformltA avac las conditions du contrat da filmaga. Laa axamplalras originaux dont la couvartura an paplar aat ImprlmAa sont fllmAs 9n commandant par la pramlar plat at an tarminant salt par la darnlAra paga qui eomporta una amprainta d'Impraaaion ou d'lllustration, soit par la sacond plat, salon la caa. Tous laa autras axamplalras originaux aont fiimAs an commandant par la pramlAra paga qui eomporta una amprainta d'imprassion ou d'lllustration at an tarminant par la darnlAra paga qui eomporta una talla amprainta. Tha last racordad frama on aach microficha shall contain tha symbol — »> (moaning "CON- TINUED "). or tha symbol ▼ (moaning "END"), whichavar appiias. Un das symboias suivants apparattra sur la darnlAra Imaga da chaqua microficha, salon la cas: la symbola -^ signifia "A 8UIVRE", la aymbola ▼ signifia "FIN". Maps, platas, charts, ate, may ba fllmad at diffarant raduction ratios. Thosa too larga to ba antiraly includad in ona axpoaura ara fllmad baginning in tha uppar laft hand cornar, laft to right and top to bottom, as many framas aa raquirad. Tha following diagrams illustrata tha mathod: Laa cartas, planchas, tabiaaux, ate, pauvant Atre fllmte A das taux da reduction diff Grants. Lorsqua la documant ast trop grand pour Atre raproduit an un aaui ciichA, 11 ast film* A partir da I'angla aupirlaur gaucha, da gaucha k droita, at da haut an baa, an pranant la nombra d'imagaa nAcaaaaira. Las diagrammas suivants illustrant la mithoda. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 TRANSACTION No. 46. FEBRUARY I3th. 1894. The Historical and Scientific Society of Manitoba. EARLY DAYS IN WINNIPEG. BY GEORGE BRYCE, LL.D., A WFE MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY. WINNIPEG. MANITOBA FREE PRESS PRINT. 1894. Purchased CANAWANA ctZt COLieCTiON Richardson qUeGN'S ^""Ci UNiveusiTT AT KiNQSTON ONTAnlO CANADA ne EDITH and LORNE PIERCE COLLECTION 0/ CANADIANA ^eert's University at Kingston .; ^^ ,< V; 4 <^ ir^ Early Days in Winnipeg. <: .i Paper read before the Historical and Scientific Society of Manitoba on the 13th of February, I894. ^ X The Historical Society, at its annual meeting in the City Council Chamber, was greeted by a large attendance of ladies and getlemen. In addition to the other busi- ness of the evening the Rev. Dr. Bryce read the following interesting paper, for which, on the motion of Rev. Prof. Hart, seconded by Mr. John Macbeth, he was given a hearty vote of thanks : — Mr. Chairtnan, Ladies and Gentlemen. Few of the citizens of the Winnipeg of today -the third commercial city of the Douilnton— know the days of its small beginnings. The writer, now in the twenty-third year of his residence in Win- nipeg recurs with pleasure to the early days, and desires to picture the features of that humble but interesting period. Though the village of Winnipeg bad an existence before the Biel rebellion of IH69-70,it was after that time that it came inOo note, and from that time that its in- fluence began. The present paper is a record of beginnings, and so will not pass the close of 1873, the time of the incorpora- tion of the city of the prairies. FORT (JARKY. The old Hudson's Bay company centre had of course been Fort Garry, on the banks of the Assiniboine. Here had centred for about half 'v century the trade of the Northwest. Here also was the headquarters of government, law, society and old association. From any part of the settlement on a pleasant autumn day or during a mild spell in winter, Scotch or French half-breed, Selkirk settler or retired Hudson's Bay company officer or servant delighted to journey to relieve the monotony of existence, and partake of the inspiration of social life. Five hundred acres about the fort,slnce known as the Hudson's Bay Reserve, afforded ample camping space for the plain traders, who came from the west to trade. Of them a former resident of Winnipeg has said : "These wild children of the prairie were won't to make their presence known in our midst, for with drinking,gambllng, flghtmg, dancing, laughing talking, swear- ing, horse-racing, trading, and singing, they made a perfect Babel of the place." THE V. V. W.'S. North of the reserve, beyond Notre Dame street, began in pre- Winnipeg days the strips of land of the settlers, with narrow frontage on the river, but running out for two miles upon the prairie. Here the first families of Winnipeg had their abode. First, claiming descent from Brian Boru was Andrew McDermott, a sturdy Irishman, who had come by way of Hud- son Bay in Lord Selkirk's first ship. He was a merchant, farmer, horse trader and cattle dealer. Of this man, who was well known to the writer as a perfect mine of information, Sheriff Ross said in 1836, "He engrossed the freighting business, acted as the company's right-hand man in all contracts and public undertakings, specu- lated In houses and lands, built mills, encouraged manufactures, and lately commenced forming a little colony, of which he is himself the head." McDermott avenue marks the estate and commemorates the name of this bustling leader of the olden time. North of Andrew McDermott was his son-in- law A. G. B. Bannatyne, one of the kind- est and best of the men of the former day. A leading merchant, a prominent man in public, social and church life, many a needy immigrant had reason to be grate- ful to hi;u for favors bestowed. Banna- tvne Avenue marks the Bannatyne estate. Next along the river were the Rosses. Head of the family was the sheriff who.as long ago as 1825, came from British Col- umbia, with his Indian wife, the daugh- ter of a chief of the Okanagans. William, James and Ross avenues commemorate this very infiuential family, whose home of Colony Gardens was a centre of hospi- tality in Red Rivev days. North of the Ross abode was that of the Logans. This was the site of Fort Douglas, Lord Selkirk's headquarters; but old bo^'j^^lb Robert Logan had purchased it. The present residence of Alexander Logan, formerly mayor of the city, is In the neighborhood of the old fort. Logan Avenue is a memorial of this well known family. As beyond this estate lay the Point Douglas common, these four families may be said to have the preeminence as our F. F. W's. WINN11'E(4. The investigation of Hudson's Bay com pany affairs by the Imperial Parliament in 1857, and the expedition sent by Can- ada under Dawson and Hindtoexplore the Northwest, led to a slow, but decided movement of outsiders to the hitherto W/% /fiQCXHLA. Q HoCy ' a f^om ifA/KHY TrAy^A^^ IN I^^:. sealed and unknown territories of the Hudson's Bay company. The prophecy of a city at the junction of the Red and Assini- boine rivers was made at this early date. There was great unwillingness on the part of the settlers to leave the banks of the rivers, but in 1862 the first house in the village of Winnipeg was erected by McKenny & Co. Connected with this enterprise was Dr. Schultz, who had come to Red River in 1860. This house, which until two or three years ago stood at the corner of Main street and Portage avenue, was on the site now oc- cupienby the handsome building of the Western Canada Loan and Savings com- nany. This was then a swampy corner, but by degrees a few buildings grew up, and the outline of our beautiful Main street of to-dav begun to be dimly seen. Once begun, the movement to build up a town li^d to division, and in 1871 a num- ber of houses were built on Main street opposite Point Douglas, now a short dis- tance on this side of the C. P. R. station. Thus there were three points. Fort Garry, Winnipeg and Point Douglas, three gan- glia or centres placed along Main street, and in their interests they were very far from responding to the same sympathetic throb. EARLY MAIN STREET MERCHANTS. The buildings, as they stood in 187U, may be easily mentioned, and the merch- ants of Main street have been called by a writer of that time the "original founders of Winnipeg." First there was the Red river hall building erected by Andrew McDermott, immediately south of the present Merchants' bank, a long building with several shops beneath, and a hall and several rooms above. The writer performed a marriaize in the upper E art of this building. This erection was urnt down in the early days. Mr. Ban- natyne had two buldings on the corner of Main and Lombard streets. Farther up the street on the corner of Main and Water streets, Dr. Schultz erected the brick block, a part of which still remains. Messrs. Lyon, Higgins and Gingras had occupied buildings further north on Main street, and Messrs. Fonseca, Barber and Hon. John Sutherland were the promo- ters of Point Douglas. To the list of founders may he added Wm. Drever, who had built a house near the southwest corner of Main street and Portage avenue. This became a fashionable headquarters known as the "Munro boarding house," in which the writer passed a winter. West of the Drever house, near the line of the present Fort street, was a branch store of the Hudson's Bay company used during the winter of 1871 by the late Gilbert McMicken as land office and dominion police headquarters. To the list of mer- chants of the earliest time may be added the names of H. S. Donaldson, R. Patter- son, J. H. Ashdown, Alexander Begg and Archibald Wright. THE LEADING HOSTEI.RT. Early in October, 1871, the writer re- members arriving in Winnipeg in the stage by which at that time, at a distance of 400 miles, the railway in Minnesota was reached. Our company alighted in front of the chief hotel of "VVinnipeg, on the west side of Main street, immediately north of the Mclntyre block. The writer had not expected to see in Winnipeg a beautiful or entrancing spot, but the sight of the western hamlet on that clear 8 re- the ance was mm autumn eveninK waM a little Vnore disap- polntingeventhan the picture imagined. A Htreet with n few irregular buildings, some of them log, with not aoldewalk, unleaa it were a log with a slanting Hurface requir- ing In muddy weather the skill of a Blon- dln to walk It, and the two story yellow stopping place with its dim and smoky lights ! Such was the Winnipeg of that day; such was the DavlH hotel. Its chief hostelry. At that time there was a large Intlux of Canadians. The hotel during that week had been giving 330 meals a day, and even sleeping room on the Hoor could not be had. With a companion who knew the way, finding no room In the Inn the journey was made by the writer to Klldonan, and the first night in Manitoba was spent In the hospitable manse ot the Scotch parish. POST OFFICE. In the early days Mr. A. G. B. Banna- tyne was the postmaster. The flrst build- ing entirely devoted to the purposesof the post office was used In 1870, and was on Lombard street, which was formerly called Post Office street. It was a log building and was situated nearly opposite the Hotel du Canada. It Is recorded as an event of considerable Importance that in June, '71, the postmaster "had boxes ar- ranged in the post office, for the use of merchants and others," and the name of the carpenter who accomplished thisfeatof skill is held up for joyful remembrance. The carrying of the mail was undertaken in 1871 by an American stage company. The stage arrived for the first time on the nth of September of that year. The arrival of the stage was a great event. One had the feeling that it was something like the clouds opening and letting In a rift of light. Sometimes In winter the stage was blockaded, and the writer re- members it getting through with eighteen days' mail aboard. Each cIMzen hod his half bushel of letters and papers on that occasion. The name of the post office for several years after the transfer was Fort Garry. The location of the post office was a burning question in those days. Early in May, 1872, there was a mass meeting to protest against the re- moval of the post office to tne neighbor- hood of Fort Garry, as it was thought that the Hudson's Bav Company was making an effort to have all the public buildings removed to the south of the city. Com- mend us to one of the indignation mass meetings of these early days 1 There was a freedom, a movement, and an elasticity about the meetings of those days that makes even a political meeting on the tariff question at the present day seem tame. FIRST TBLEGBAPH. The feeling of isolation before the days of the telegraph was very intense. In after days, when the telegraph lines were down for a day, the Free Press was in the habit of announcing that we bad the con- solation "that if we knew nothing of the outside world It knew nothing about us." Though when the telegraph did come the rates were very high, viz., upwards of 92 for ten words to l^ronto, yet it was greatly used. The first connection was made with the American lines by way of Pembina. This took place on Nov. 20,1871. Governor Archibald, in a lengthy dispatch to the governor-general at Ottawa, said : ' "The voice of Manitoba, collected this morning on the banks of the Assiniboine, will be heard in a few hours on the banks of the Ottawa, and we may hope before the day closes that the words of your ex- oellenoy's reply, -spoken at the capital the Dominion, will be listened to at Fort Garry, We may now count in hours the work that used to occupy weeks." Mr. Horace McDougall was at the beginning, and for many year-t after, In charge of the telegraph In this city. THE STEAMBOAT. The most exciting event that took place to a citizen of Winnipeg in the summer months was the arrival of the Red river steam boat. Should the hoarse sound of the whistle be heard on a Sunday morning before church there would be many a vacant pew that day. The flrst boat of the season was looked for as earnestly as was the Mayflower by the Puritans of Plymouth Rock, when the vessel departed "leaving them In the desert." For two mouths iwfore the open- ing of the river the merchants' sup- plies had run short. The first boat was to bring everything. Mathema- ticians computed that it would take a boat as large as Noah's ark to carry all the goods promised. These trips werelmmens- iyprofltable to the owners.It was comput- ed that the steamer Selkirk on her first trip in 1871 cleared the entire cost of her construction. The passage down the Red River was, however, very precarious, the boat at low water bemg liable to be caught in the shallow rapids for days together. Few regrets were heard when the uncertain steamboat was superseded Dy something more reliable. FIRST r.P.R. EXPEDITION. Canada was earnestly engaged in seek- ing to cross the continent by rail. The writer remembers well the exploring ex- pedition which passed through in 1872 to make general enquiries as to the route. It was led by SandfordFlemlng.and in the expedition was Principal Grant, while Ho- retzkyandMacoun belonged to the party. Governor Archibald, the first governor of Manitoba, was then at Fort Garry, and on the arrival of the distinguished party on Aug. 1 a number of Winnipeg people were invited to meet them. That first expedi- tion meant much for Manitoba and the Northwest. Governor Archibald did not remain much longer in Manitoba,but was always afterward a strong supporter of the policy of developing our Western Canada. A ( I 1 A I OOKH irP IN HMOKtO. One of the houses of the early day .hat attracted attention by itH size, if not by Its architectural beauty, was a building erected by Mr. Bannatvne on Main street on a spot no«v in rear of the store of Mr. R. D. KichardHon. This building was in the midst of a garden, and wan well sur- rounded by rows of thriving Ited Klver iiiapleN. In the haste to organize the government of the country, after the coming of Governor Archibald, a request was made to the owner to sell the house to the province, for the purpose of govern- ment otnces. It was purohased In Janu- ary. 1871, and here the first parliament of Manitoba was opened. Unfortunately the building was burnt on iird Dec, IXl'A, and with it the valuable nucleus that had been purchased for a Legislative Library. gust, 1H72, the drat manufactory of furniture was begun by the firm of Bishop & Shelton, and a bookcase still possessed by the writer was the first article turned out by them. In the year of the ofiening of Manitoba College (1H71) the writer found It Impossible to purchase a chair In Winnipeg. Benches were made for the college, and the newcomers in their houses often used trunks and boxes in place of chairs. These were matters for which no one was to blame, and slm- fily arose from the Influx of people and the mperfect transportation facilities. TUB PIKHT HANK. For many years the Hudson s Bay com- pany had been the medium for carrying on the business of the country. One of the most Interesting features of their WINNIPK8 Rev. Dr. Young came to Red River to begin the Methodist church in the settle- ment. In 1871 his house had been erected on the east side of Main street, somewhat south of where the Manitoba hotel now stands. Alongside of it he opened, on Sept. 17, 1871, the new Grace church. This was a neat structure, and occupied a fine position on Main street. These churches represented the religious life of Winnipeg, unless mention be made of services held by the Roman Catholic church in their smsU girls' school, near what is now the east end of Thistle street. It seemed then an impossibility that such religious development should take place as we see around us to-day. TO BE A CITY. The diminuitive Trade Review on its appearance in the beginning of 1872 in a vigorous editorial advocated the incor- poration of Winnipeg. To quote the words of its editor, "that arti- cle caused the death of the Trade Review. "The reason of this was that the Manltoban offloe,where the lively little sheet was published was controlled by the chief land holders of the place, and they refused to print the noisy disturber. However the agitation continued. The incorporation of the place became the battle cry for the opponents of the old regime If trade was dull, or amusements scarce a mass meeting of the oi izens was called, and resolutions were passed and com- mittees appointed to gain the end in view. These populargatherings werecalled every few weeks and kept up the agitation. At length after much newspaper discussion a bill was brouKht before the legislature in February, 1872. The legislators mangled the bill and proposed "Garry" and "Sel- kirk" instead of Winnipeg as the name of the new town. Again the mass meetings began, and the popular clamor against the house was loud. The upper bouse, the legislative council of seven was, it is said, intimidated. The bill was hrown out. The speaker of the house, at prominent medical gentleman and a most inoffensive citizen, was that evening mobbed and coated with tar, to the dis gust of all order-loving citizens. A sp'^cial session of the legislature was called in November, 1873, and at this the bill of incorporation was passed giving Winnipeg the rank of "city" from the beginning. Then came the civic elec- tion. The first mayor was Mr. F. Cornish, a well known lawyer, who de feated Mr. W. F. Luxton. 'Thus began the city of Winnipeg in January, 1874. Manyhave been its joysand sorrows hopes and fears, since that date. The story of these mnstbe reserved for other papers and other occasions. Su^ce it to say that the citizens of Winnipeg,