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The Red River Colony (or Selkirk Settlement) was a colonization project set up by Thomas Douglas, 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 on 300,000 km² of land granted to him by the Hudson's Bay Company under what is referred to as the Selkirk Concession. Thomas Douglas ( June 20, 1771 — April 8, 1820) was the 5th Earl of Selkirk, born at Saint Mary's Isle Kirkcudbrightshire Year 1811 ( MDCCCXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Selkirk Concession was a land grant issued by the Hudson's Bay Company to Thomas Douglas 5th Earl of Selkirk in 1811 The colony was never very successful, but changes during the development of Canada in the 1800s led to the colony forming the basis of what is today Manitoba. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116  sq mi of North America

Red River drainage basin

Selkirk had become interested in the concept of settling the area after reading Alexander Mackenzie's 1801 book on his adventures in exploring what is today the west of Canada. Sir Alexander Mackenzie (Alasdair MacCoinnich 1764 - March 12, 1820) was a Scottish-Canadian explorer. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page At the time, social upheaval in Scotland due to the introduction of sheep farming and the ensuing brutal Highland and Lowland Clearances had left a number of Scots destitute. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The Highland Clearances ( Scottish Gaelic: Fuadaich nan Gàidheal the expulsion of the Gael were Forced displacements of the population of the Scottish The Lowland Clearances ( Scottish Gaelic: Fuadaich nan Galltachd) in Scotland were one of the results of the British Agricultural Revolution, Selkirk was interested in giving them a chance at a better life in a new colony he called Assiniboia. Assiniboia refers to a number of different locations and administrative jurisdictions in Canada.

He then purchased a controlling interest in the Hudson's Bay Company and set up the land grant. His idea (apparently) was to gain firm control of the area in order to take control of the West from the company's bitter rivals, the Montreal-based North West Company. Montreal, or Montréal in French ( pronounced in French, in English) is the largest city in the Canadian province of Quebec For the grocery chain see The North West Company. The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal With a colony in place the Métis trappers supplying the North West's fur traders, the Nor'Westers, would be displaced, cutting them off from areas further west. The Métis are descendants of marriages of Cree, Ojibway Algonquin, Saulteaux, and Menominee aboriginals to Europeans,

The land grant included the portions of Rupert's Land or the watershed of Hudson Bay bounded to the north-east by the Rainy River, Lake of the Woods, Winnipeg River and Lake Winnipeg, to the north between Lake Winnipeg and Lake Winnipegosis by a line of 52°30'N latitude, to the north west by the 52°N parallel between Lake Winnipegosis and the Assiniboine River, and to the west by a line from the intersection of the Assiniboine River and the 52°N parallel running south to southern boundary of Rupert's Land. Rupert's Land, also sometimes called "Prince Rupert's Land" was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin, that Rainy River can refer to The Rainy River (Minnesota-Ontario that forms part of the United States-Canada border between Minnesota and Ontario Lake of the Woods (lac des Bois is a Lake occupying parts of the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba and the U The Winnipeg River is a Canadian River which flows from Lake of the Woods in the province of Ontario to Lake Winnipeg in the province Lake Winnipeg is a very large ( Lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, about north of the city Lake Winnipeg is a very large ( Lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, about north of the city Lake Winnipegosis ( see Lake Winnibigoshish) is a large (5370 km² Lake in central North America, in Manitoba, Canada Lake Winnipegosis ( see Lake Winnibigoshish) is a large (5370 km² Lake in central North America, in Manitoba, Canada The Assiniboine River is a long River that runs through the Prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Assiniboine River is a long River that runs through the Prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Rupert's Land, also sometimes called "Prince Rupert's Land" was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin, that This covered portions of present day southern Manitoba, north-eastern North Dakota, north-western Minnesota, in addition to small parts of eastern Saskatchewan, north-western Ontario, and north-eastern South Dakota [1] [2]. Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116  sq mi of North America North Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern and Western regions of the United States of America. Minnesota ( Native Americans demonstrated the name to early settlers Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec South Dakota ( is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America.

He sent out a small group of Scots in 1811 to the area, but they were forced to pause for the winter in York Factory. York Factory was a settlement located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada at the mouth of the Hayes When they finally arrived in 1812 they built a fort, Fort Douglas, but by the time it was done the growing season was over and they hastily set about hunting buffalo for food. Fort Douglas was a fort of the Hudson's Bay Company that was built by Scottish and Irish settlers in 1812 in what is today Winnipeg The American bison ( Bison bison) is a Bovine Mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo.

When farming started the next spring, the results were less than expected and Selkirk had to ban anyone from taking food out of the colony. It is not clear if this was simply a way to ensure food for the colony, or a business move intended to cut off the Nor'Westers. Either way, the move touched off the Pemmican War. The Nor'Westers, who relied on pemmican supplied to them by local Métis, were so upset that they destroyed Fort Douglas and burned down all the buildings around it. Pemmican is a concentrated mixture of Fat and Protein used as a nutritious emergency foodstuff The fort was later rebuilt and things settled down for a time. [3]

Selkirk heard of the problems and sent out a new governor, Robert Semple, to take over. Robert Semple ( 26 February 1777 in Boston Massachusetts, US &ndash June 19, 1816) was Governor of the Hudson's When he read a proclamation ordering the fighting to stop, the Battle of Seven Oaks broke out, Fort Douglas was destroyed for a second time, and the settlers were forced off their land. The Battle of Seven Oaks (known to the Métis as la Victoire de la Grenouillière, or the Victory of Frog Plain took place on June 19 1816 during the long Selkirk then sent in a force of about 100 soldiers from the British Regiment de Meuron to enforce the peace and eventually become settlers themselves, while also capturing the North West outpost at Fort William, Ontario. The Regiment de Meuron was a regiment of infantry originally raised in Switzerland in 1781. Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. This attempt worked, and peace was maintained. However it also left Selkirk almost bankrupt, and was one of the reasons the two companies were forced to merge in 1821, thus ending the problems for good.

The colony was never particularly successful agriculturally, but the lure of free land added new settlers every year. However the Hudson's Bay Company lost interest in paying for the settlement by the 1850s, and by the 1860s the Métis outnumbered the Scots. This led to a second period of unrest in 1869 and 1870 called the Red River Rebellion which led to the creation of Manitoba. The Red River Rebellion or Red River Resistance are names given to the events surrounding the actions of a Provisional government established by Métis [4]

Notes

  1. ^ The Canadian Encyclopedia
  2. ^ Morris, Alexander (1880) The Treaties of Canada with the Indians of Manitoba and the North-West Territories Including the Negotiations on Which They Were Based, and Other Information Relating Thereto, Chapter I
  3. ^ R. Douglas Francis, Richard Jones, and Donald B. Smith. "Origins: Canadian History to Confederation", 4th ed. (Toronto:Harcourt Canada ltd. , 2000), at p. 434-5.
  4. ^ Hargrave, Joseph James (1871). Red River. Montreal: Printed for the author by John Lovell, 506.  

See also

External links

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