Wow! Just wow! This is an extraordinary piece! You're putting faces on the people who implemented the encroachment. It was not just an abstract process. These are real people. This piece stands as a tribute to your substantial research work. It may be longer than your usual post, but the research warrants sharing.
I've always wondered what happen to the rest of the rebels after Riel was "martyred".
Thanks, George, for reading this longer piece. Digging these human stories out from under the dust of the archives brings these abstract concepts into focus on a human scale.
Is "encroachment" on the reservations formalized as a specific "concept" anywhere in the literature or is it mainly a thread that runs through a large number of case studies or reservation histories?
My limited understanding of US history is that the encroachment period during the late 19th and early 20th century runs across the continent. Trespassing on lands not open to settlers by treaty was widespread.
All of this writing keeps bringing me to deeper and for me really troubling questions. Of course the reappearing words like encroachment and "half-breed" cause inside of me these inquiries. I want to climb inside the head and hearts of people who made certain decisions, and of course that is impossible. For me, manifest destiny is a horrible worldview. I recognize that many of the encroachers identified as Christians who were able to look at indigenous people and see them as sub-human and somehow justified their taking of others' lands as acceptable and heroic behavior. I will forever be amazed by my contemporaries who simply say they personally were not around at the time these atrocious acts were committed and therefore they bear no responsibility for all that unraveled. As if they want me to believe, they wouldn't have themselves participated in the violence, theft, and sustained abuse.
Thanks for reading this much longer post today. The reasons settlers arrived on Lake of the Woods when they did (after the fur trade ended, the buffalo were gone, and commercial fishing had depleted the sturgeon) varied in ways I hadn't anticipated. The cast of characters who filed homestead claims here represent a diverse range of motives and personal histories I am only beginning to appreciate.
Lots to unpack here. I’m a little familiar with Riel, Warroad and Winnipeg because I lived in Grand Forks and both my father and first husband loved to fish and I love geography and history. I happened to date a Métis man, they are handsome people.
I would think there would be readers of the Winnipeg Free Press that would be interested in your work. Especially this post.
Appreciate your interest, Josh. Maybe you can see the influence of my close reading of Willa Cather's MY ANTONIA I did with you earlier this year. My previous post about Mr. Moody resembling Babbitt is one I thought might elicit a comment from you. I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say about Babbitt as it appllies to the state of higher education.
Wow, for some reason l also wasn't aware of this aspect of Canadian history. I'm so interested in the history but also the personal details of these people's lives. That Mary Ann Morwick was considered a spinster at 18 is astonishing. Also interesting is the fact that later they divorced, which l so rarely hear about from that time period. Albert Monkman had quite a life! My dad was an avid ham radio operator - l would love to know if he ever made contact with Denis Monkman. I suppose the chances are small but l love the notion that it's a possibility.
I found it interesting to read of the divorce, too. In that particular newspaper issue, there were two divorces reported, which had surprised me. That your dad might have been in touch with Dennis Monkman as ham operators is not so far-fetched. It was the first real social media network.
Considering how hard travel must have been, I'm amazed by all the comng and going. I assume you'll let us know what you think of Chris La Tray's book. I'm glad publishers are interested in sharing information about our borderland history, and it comes at an interesting time politically.
Travel in the Red River Valley required ox-carts like these, as the region was prone to flooding and the red clay made for a heckuva muddy mess especially in spring. Cattle, sheep and horses could get mired in the muck easily and die. Thanks for reading!
Riel was elected to Parliament several times to represent Manitoba, but he never actually sat as a Member in Ottawa because the House considered his elections illegitimate.
(I am a lifelong Manitoban and know this stuff very well...).
Thanks for chiming in. All of this is relatively new to me and reveals how limited my education has been about my neighbors to the north and their history. I appreciate the additional context.
Substack recommended I check out your publication this morning and I’m glad I did. Enjoyed your telling of a complicated history. I appreciate your including so much history and not assuming what the reader knew. Every area of the US is very different and you captured some of that here.
The research is remarkable! You have the patience of a saint and the way you put it together does bring it to life. Readers feel like they know these people from the descriptions and actual documents you provide.
ha! my impatience is what pushes me the hardest. And I am constantly reminded I am writing about real people whose ancestors may be reading. I am finding the finds quite remarable and it is a joy to share my discoveries that the past is more interesting and complicated than the history we think we already know.
Wow! Just wow! This is an extraordinary piece! You're putting faces on the people who implemented the encroachment. It was not just an abstract process. These are real people. This piece stands as a tribute to your substantial research work. It may be longer than your usual post, but the research warrants sharing.
I've always wondered what happen to the rest of the rebels after Riel was "martyred".
Thanks, George, for reading this longer piece. Digging these human stories out from under the dust of the archives brings these abstract concepts into focus on a human scale.
Is "encroachment" on the reservations formalized as a specific "concept" anywhere in the literature or is it mainly a thread that runs through a large number of case studies or reservation histories?
My limited understanding of US history is that the encroachment period during the late 19th and early 20th century runs across the continent. Trespassing on lands not open to settlers by treaty was widespread.
All of this writing keeps bringing me to deeper and for me really troubling questions. Of course the reappearing words like encroachment and "half-breed" cause inside of me these inquiries. I want to climb inside the head and hearts of people who made certain decisions, and of course that is impossible. For me, manifest destiny is a horrible worldview. I recognize that many of the encroachers identified as Christians who were able to look at indigenous people and see them as sub-human and somehow justified their taking of others' lands as acceptable and heroic behavior. I will forever be amazed by my contemporaries who simply say they personally were not around at the time these atrocious acts were committed and therefore they bear no responsibility for all that unraveled. As if they want me to believe, they wouldn't have themselves participated in the violence, theft, and sustained abuse.
Thanks for reading this much longer post today. The reasons settlers arrived on Lake of the Woods when they did (after the fur trade ended, the buffalo were gone, and commercial fishing had depleted the sturgeon) varied in ways I hadn't anticipated. The cast of characters who filed homestead claims here represent a diverse range of motives and personal histories I am only beginning to appreciate.
Lots to unpack here. I’m a little familiar with Riel, Warroad and Winnipeg because I lived in Grand Forks and both my father and first husband loved to fish and I love geography and history. I happened to date a Métis man, they are handsome people.
I would think there would be readers of the Winnipeg Free Press that would be interested in your work. Especially this post.
I agree there is a lot to unpack. This is the longest piece I’ve published here. So thanks for reading the whole thing!
Fascinating, Jill. So many place names have histories like this.
Appreciate your interest, Josh. Maybe you can see the influence of my close reading of Willa Cather's MY ANTONIA I did with you earlier this year. My previous post about Mr. Moody resembling Babbitt is one I thought might elicit a comment from you. I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say about Babbitt as it appllies to the state of higher education.
Wow, for some reason l also wasn't aware of this aspect of Canadian history. I'm so interested in the history but also the personal details of these people's lives. That Mary Ann Morwick was considered a spinster at 18 is astonishing. Also interesting is the fact that later they divorced, which l so rarely hear about from that time period. Albert Monkman had quite a life! My dad was an avid ham radio operator - l would love to know if he ever made contact with Denis Monkman. I suppose the chances are small but l love the notion that it's a possibility.
I found it interesting to read of the divorce, too. In that particular newspaper issue, there were two divorces reported, which had surprised me. That your dad might have been in touch with Dennis Monkman as ham operators is not so far-fetched. It was the first real social media network.
So true about the ham radio! That's such an interesting way to look at it!
Considering how hard travel must have been, I'm amazed by all the comng and going. I assume you'll let us know what you think of Chris La Tray's book. I'm glad publishers are interested in sharing information about our borderland history, and it comes at an interesting time politically.
Travel in the Red River Valley required ox-carts like these, as the region was prone to flooding and the red clay made for a heckuva muddy mess especially in spring. Cattle, sheep and horses could get mired in the muck easily and die. Thanks for reading!
Riel was elected to Parliament several times to represent Manitoba, but he never actually sat as a Member in Ottawa because the House considered his elections illegitimate.
(I am a lifelong Manitoban and know this stuff very well...).
Thanks again for the correction. I've edited the piece to reflect these facts about Riel elected but not allowed to be seated.
Thanks for chiming in. All of this is relatively new to me and reveals how limited my education has been about my neighbors to the north and their history. I appreciate the additional context.
Substack recommended I check out your publication this morning and I’m glad I did. Enjoyed your telling of a complicated history. I appreciate your including so much history and not assuming what the reader knew. Every area of the US is very different and you captured some of that here.
Thanks for checking it out! This special place to which I have fierce attachment is revealing a lot of history I had not known about or appreciated.
The research is remarkable! You have the patience of a saint and the way you put it together does bring it to life. Readers feel like they know these people from the descriptions and actual documents you provide.
ha! my impatience is what pushes me the hardest. And I am constantly reminded I am writing about real people whose ancestors may be reading. I am finding the finds quite remarable and it is a joy to share my discoveries that the past is more interesting and complicated than the history we think we already know.