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:)0 
 
 TRANSACTION No. j|^ gA 
 
 APRIL 22nd. 1897 
 
 The Historical and Scientific Society 
 
 of Manitoba 
 
 ■^^ ^ci, %::> 
 
 FARM LIFE in the SELKIRK COLONY 
 
 BY 
 
 REV. R. Q. HacBETH, M.A, 
 
 A riember of the Society. 
 
 ' WINNIPEG : 
 THE MANITOBA FREE PRESS COMPANY 
 1897 
 
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 \ 1 
 
 a. 
 
Farm Life in the Selkirk Colony 
 
 'v 
 
 
 Thf colonists brou^fht out from Scntlaiid \>y Lonl Selkirk 
 cliost' to settle along' the hanks of the Red River on narrow 
 farms (the <^^enerai width being' ten chains frontage on the 
 river) running back at right angles from it on the i»rairit'. 
 These farms extended back two miles as a freehold with an 
 additional two miles as a hay privilege. Ultimately those 
 outer two miles were given in fee simple to the owner of the 
 frontage except in cases wiu-re others by actual occupation 
 liad secured possession of them in }iai-t, in which case the 
 frontage owner got an eijuivalent elsewhere. These ten 
 chain lots owned l>y the head of the family were frequently 
 snt»divi(h'd amongst the .sons, so that when the Ontai-io people, 
 accustomed to scpiare farms, began to c-me amongst us, they 
 were greatly amused at ' our farnnng on lanes," and pointed 
 out the di.sadvantages of havino- to ijo a distance of two units 
 or more to the cultivated plots at the outlying eiid< of tiiesc 
 river strip.s. JUit there was much method in the madness 
 of hmg, nari-ow farms ; or, to be plainer, there were many good 
 reasons to justify' that i)lan of settlement. To begin witli, the 
 settlers Viuilt along the rivei' banks for convenience in obtain- 
 ing water. Outside the swamps and sloughs, the rivfii' was 
 j)ractically the cmly source of water supjily. Wells were little 
 known, suction pum})s were unheard of, and I lenieudier that 
 a " chain and wheel " pumj) which my father imported from 
 " the States " was looked ujjon as one of the seven wonders 
 of the time. Then again settlement l>y the river baids had 
 food as well as water supply in view, for Hsh, from "gold 
 eyes" to sturgeon, were then plentiful in the unpolluted stream, 
 and afforded a provision by no means to be <les]jised. As to 
 the narrow lots, it can be leadily seen that the colonists 
 settled together for mutual defence and the advantaires of 
 social life as well as for church and school facilities, and if the 
 
2 
 
 sons, settling on suhdivi.sioii.s, seem lacking in ambition, it must 
 he reniembered thut to go outside tlie settlement in the i-arly 
 days \v;is to go beyond the i)a]e of defence, with such possi- 
 bilities of social life and of ehurcli and school facilities as 
 were in view. 
 
 From the beginning of actual settlement farming was the 
 priiicij)al occupation of the colonists. The facilities for farm- 
 ing were not of the best. The implementir (the spade and 
 hoe for phmting and sowing) were as primitive as well could 
 l)e : but with these, l)y dint of great exertion, the settlers soon 
 managed to make a livelihood. The reaping was done with 
 the sickb and later (jn with tlie cradle. Then the age of 
 machineiy came in, and the hoe gave place to the old wooden 
 plough whose oaken mouldboard was j)ointed with a rudely 
 made iron siiare. The sickle and ci'adle gave way to the 
 first t'undirous reaper, behind whose phitform a stand was 
 placed for the able bodied man who forked off the grain in 
 sheaves as it fell, and to do this with regularity and neatness 
 in heavy croi)s tested even the brawniest Highlander of them 
 all. However the cutting of the wheat was only the first of 
 a series •)f difficult jn-ocesses through which finally bread 
 was reached. The thr(;shing was carried on first with Hails 
 and the use of great "fans" and winnownig riddles to separate 
 the wheat from the chatf, a process that enables us to under- 
 stand many scriptural figures. Shortly after this era of Hails 
 the two horse tread-mill was introduced, by which threshing 
 became a comparatively easy, if somewhat slow process, 
 varied only by the occasional fall backwards of a lazy horse 
 or the Hying oH' of the main band from the fly wheel. To get 
 the wheat into Hour was the next proljleu). First of all the 
 "(luern" was used, two Hat round stones (the upper and the 
 nethei), the upper one, having a handle, turned the stone upon 
 the wheat and brought it into some sendilance of Hour, not 
 over wliite luit in the best degree a health-pi'oducing sub- 
 stance. Orieuual customs iray not have prevailed in the 
 colony, but it was in view of such a scene as niight be seen at 
 these "(juerns" that our Lord spoke of identity in occupation 
 
3 
 
 and (livtisity of cliaractor in the .swift reparation " two women 
 hlmll 111" ^rin<iiii^f at the mill — tlie one shall he taken and the 
 other lift." In time the Hud.soii's Bay .sent out an e:q»ert 
 and liuijt a mill nt>ar Fort J)oUL,das, and one of the settlei.s 
 who was employed u|)ori it took snch careful ohservation of 
 the pi'ocess and such measurements that he was able to huild 
 one later on for himself and several at different points in the 
 settlement. These diil fair work, hut in seasons of protracted 
 calm flour famines had to he staved off hy a general sharing 
 U]) amono'st neighhcn-s. Next in order came water-mills, only 
 partinll}- snceessful, and finally the era of steam revolutionized 
 old methods antl gave the setth'i-s the somewhat douhtful boon 
 of Hour excelling the old commoility in whiteness but not in 
 wholesomenes.s. 
 
 Besiiles the raising of grain and root croj)s the settlers, as 
 the years ailvanced, went into stock raising, and had horses, 
 cattle, sheep and swine on their farm.s. In the days l)efore 
 the inconnng of machinery they raised horses principally for 
 the butf'alo hunteis from famous rumiing stock inqiorted 
 originally fron) Enulami. The "plain hunters" came in at 
 certain seasons around Fort Garry, when the settlers would 
 take to them .~uch horses as they had to sell. Trials of sjx'cd 
 followed, and the winning hoi-ses bj-ought good i)rices in cash 
 fi'om the hunters who had just disposed of their butlalo meat, 
 robes ami furs to the liurlson's Bay Company. Oxen 
 were used by the settlers very gener;dly in the opei'- 
 ations of the farm, and for the purposes of hay and wood 
 hauling were hitched single in the Red River cart or sled, 
 both of which in their primitiv(! state were made entirely of 
 of wood. Sheep were useful in the extreme as afibnling 
 clothing in " hodden grey." The processes from sheep shear- 
 ing to the home-made suit were slow and primative enough 
 in the light of to-day's machinery, but the article was good, 
 as we can testify fn^m ])er8onal experience. The spinning 
 wdieel, the weaver's loom, the " fulling " of the cloth by the 
 kicking of it liy bare-footed Ijoys all stand out in the memory 
 with many an incident gi'ave and gay interwoven. 
 
4 
 
 In tlu' suinnier time tlit- live stock of which we liix\e 
 spoken ran wild upon tlic prairie, horses especially I'eini; out 
 ot" si^dit and sound for nuailhi*, and we recall as a yreat 
 c(aistitution builder, days spent in the saddle in search of tlie 
 wandering stock. In the lonjjf winter of course they must lie 
 housed, and so luakinf; hay while the sun shont' was a <^freat 
 reality to us all. Hay cuttint^ beL;an on a certain day in July, 
 and, except for the "outei two miles" above referred to (and 
 on them only for a period), was done upcm pi'aiiie that was 
 free as air to everybody. The best hay meadows were 
 located in f^ood time before the date of conniiencement and 
 on the night previous people were camped all round them. 
 Eacli one knew pretty well the spot he was going to 
 strike the next mornin<f, and it' more than one had theii- eyes 
 on the same spof, it became the pi'o])erty of the one who got 
 there first and made a "circle" by outtin*; around the field he 
 wished to claim. When hay was scarce thei-e was consider- 
 able rivalry, but there was a code of unwritten camp law that 
 prevented difficulties, and mutual helpfulness rather than 
 opposition was the rule. Occasionally prairie tii'es swept 
 athwart the haystack (»f .some unfortunate settler, but in 
 such a case all the rest turned in and helped him out, and I 
 recall how, when this happened in the case of an uncle of 
 mine, the neighbors rallied aiountl and j)Ut a hundred cart 
 loads of hay into his Inirn yaid next day. The canip life 
 during the time o" hay making was a pleasant experience, 
 with the tents grouped like a villag<j and the huge eanip-tires 
 the centres of the social circles in the gatherini,^ ni^ht. On 
 Saturday evenings the way homeward was taken with the 
 younger men like a troop of cavalry and indulging in many a 
 race by the way. Hay was never placed under cover but in 
 long stacks in the hay-yard, and fi'om these stacks we pulled 
 the ha}' in the winter time with wooden hooks and carried it 
 within the .stables in our arms. By degrees imy)lements and 
 instruments of various kinds were unported from " the States" 
 and elsewhere and were handed round fiom one to the other 
 amongst the neighbors as if they were common )»roperty. 
 
we have 
 )eiii!4 out 
 
 a grt'tit 
 ch of the 
 ' must he 
 , ii great 
 ,• in July, 
 
 to (and 
 that was 
 )\vs were 
 uient and 
 nd tln-Hi. 
 o-oinu' to 
 .l>i'ir eyes 
 J who g<:)t 
 ic field he 
 
 c'onsider- 
 ) law that 
 ther than 
 res swept 
 n\ hut in 
 jut, and I 
 1 uncle of 
 adred cart 
 I camp life 
 experience, 
 camp-fires 
 li^ht. On 
 
 wit! I the 
 in many a 
 ^er but in 
 
 we pulled 
 I carried it 
 ;ments and 
 the States" 
 the otiier 
 )perty.