Red Lake River--Grand Forks--The Ferry--Custom-house Officers at
Pembina--Mud and Misery--Winnipeg at last--A Walk through the
Town--A Hospitable Welcome--Macadam wanted--Holy Trinity Church--A
Picturesque Population--Indians shopping--An "All-sorts" Store--St.
Boniface and its Bells--An Evening Scene.
Red Lake River flows into Red River at Grand Forks, some twelve or
thirteen miles below Fisher's Landing. It is much the narrower stream,
with so many bends that when we were not running headlong into the left
bank we grounded on the right. The boat frequently formed a bridge from
one bend to the other, and heads were ducked down or drawn back suddenly
to avoid having eyes scratched out by the spreading boughs of beech and
hazel which stretched over the stream. It was nothing unusual to find our
course impeded by a large branch becoming so entangled in the wheel at
the stern, that men had to get down and chop it away before the boat
could proceed.
At Grand Forks, where there is a Hudson Bay Company's trading post, a
billiard saloon, hotel, general store, and post-office all in one, and a
few smaller houses, the ferry is a large flat-bottomed sort of platform,
railed on either side and fastened to a long thick rope stretched across
the river. When there is a load to ferry over, this platform is let loose
from the shore, and the current carries it across, the rope keeping it
from going down stream. The shores of Red River are almost bare; a few
miserable poplars here and there, one or two small log-houses and
mud-built huts from which wild, dirty Indians emerged to watch the boat
pass, were all we saw upon them. The banks are for the most part so high
that only from the upper deck could we see inland.
The frontier post, Pembina, is well known as the spot beyond which in
1869 the rebel Louis Riel, the "Little Napoleon" of Red River, would not
allow Mr. McDougall, the "lieutenant-governor of Manitoba," appointed by
the Canadian administration, to pass. Here we had a visit from the
custom-house officers. They were good specimens of their different
countries. The Canadian was a round, fat, jolly, handsome, fair man; the
Yankee was tall, slight, and black-eyed, with a cadaverous look,
increased by his close-fitting mackintosh and cowl. They did not give us
any trouble, and I felt sorry for their lonely life, and the pounds of
mud they had to carry with them everywhere.
Such mud! There is no wharf or planking of any kind, and all freight and
baggage is landed on (or into) the muddy bank. Barrels rolled through it
became unrecognizable, and were doubled in weight before they reached
their warehouse. Men worked on bare feet, with trousers rolled to their
knees, and the slippery, swashy look of everything was horrible. An
Indian (not of the Fenimore Cooper type) leant against an old
cooking-stove stranded on the bank, and an old squaw squatted on a heap
of dirty straw, watching with lack-lustre eyes the disembarkation. A mile
or two above Pembina is the American fort, with its trim barracks,
fortifications, mounted guns, sentries, and some military life about it.
Near it is the house built by Captain Cameron, when out with the
expeditionary force in 1867. The remainder of our journey up the Red
River of the North was uninteresting, and we hailed with delight our
arrival at Winnipeg, on Saturday morning, the 4th of June.
It took some time to disembark from the _Minnesota_. The emigrants
had been up at daylight, and after making haste to get their property
together, found that they had to wait the arrival of the custom-house
officer. At about eight o'clock, a waggon being procured to take our
luggage, we, carrying our travelling-bags and shawls, walked--for there
were no cabs nor omnibuses--into Winnipeg.
The _Minnesota_ had stopped at the old custom-house wharf, the bulk
of her freight being for that end of the town, and we had to traverse the
entire length of Winnipeg to reach Mrs. T----, who had kindly invited us
to remain with her until Mrs. C---- could find a suitable house. Up
narrow, rickety planks, through mud and mire, past two log-houses fast
falling into ruin--which were pointed out as having been the only houses
in Winnipeg, besides the Fort Garry settlement, ten years before, and
within three years used as custom-houses--we made our way to the broad
main street. This is lined on each side by large, handsome shops, one or
two banks, the new post-office in course of erection, and the large
square town-hall, also unfinished. Then follow the new custom-house, land
office, Canada Pacific Railway offices (square white brick buildings),
and the round turret-like bastions of Fort Garry, [Footnote: Fort Garry
stands at the confluence of the Assineboine with the Red River.] with its
massive wooden palisades, and low log buildings at the extreme end of the
street, where it terminates at the mouth of the Assineboine. We had to
cross a few yards of prairie in order to reach Mrs. T----'s house,
formerly the officers' quarters of the mounted police force, now removed
to Battleford and Fort McLeod. We were received very cordially, a welcome
being extended to me, although a total stranger.
The first thing that struck me in Winnipeg was the mud. I had heard that
Red River mud was the worst in the world, and I now for the first time
realized how bad mud could be. Not only was the roadway so soft that
every turn of a wheel loaded it inches deep with the sticky compound, and
made it so heavy that the driver had frequently to stop and clear his
wheels with a stick, but, trodden from the crossings into the side-walks,
it covered them with a slimy mixture very difficult to walk on. From the
windows I could see people slipping and sliding about so much, that any
one ignorant of the cause might, have attributed their unsteadiness to
the strength of their morning libations; the absence of women from the
streets making that solution appear possible, if not probable.
On Sunday we went to Holy Trinity Church, a pretty little frame building
with a full congregation. Part of the church was occupied by the regiment
of artillery quartered in Fort Osborne, a neat little barracks to the
west of the prairie. The choir was passable, and could boast of one
thoroughly good tenor. An energetic clergyman preached an excellent
sermon.
Towards the end of June, Mr. C---- and his party left for the line; and
we, having taken the house vacated by the T----s the week before, were
busy getting comfortably settled. Numbers of people called; many of them
old friends whom we had lost sight of for years; and every one was so
cordial and friendly, that we anticipated great pleasure during our stay
in Winnipeg.
It is a strange place, peopled with a strange variety from all quarters
of the globe. Tall Indians stand in groups at the street corners, wrapped
in long dirty-white, dark-blue, or scarlet blankets, held well about
their shoulders, and hanging below their knees. They wear beaded or
embroidered cloth leggings, blue, scarlet, or black, tied with gay
ribbons. Their feet are in mocassins, their long black hair is braided
with beads or ribbons, and a black silk handkerchief, in which either
feathers or a bunch of ribbons are fastened, is folded and knotted round
their foreheads. Young squaws with shaggy, flowing hair, short, coloured
merino skirts, and shawls over their heads, sit on the side-walks,
chattering in their guttural tongue, and laughing over some joke; fat,
glossy, half-breed ponies, in gorgeously beaded saddle-cloths, stand at
the edge of the road awaiting their masters--short, lithe, dark men, who
seem to touch the reins, vault into the saddle, and reach the end of the
street in the same instant. The speed and strength of these small horses
is wonderful; their glossy coats and well-kept manes testify to the care
taken of them. An Indian never beats his horse, nor drags at the reins in
the cruel way so common among more "civilized" riders, but sits his horse
as though it were part of himself. A long train of ox-carts is waiting to
be loaded for the distant prairie hamlets. The half-breed driver stands
by in trousers and checked shirt, a loosely knotted handkerchief about
his neck. He sometimes wears a hat, but oftener his short, shaggy black
hair is his only head-covering. His squaw sits in the bottom of the
waggon; his little brown papooses are peeping out from between the bars
at the side. Other children, laced up in queer, birch-bark cradles or
moss bags, leaving only their arms free, and the upper part of their
bodies visible, lean against shop-doors or scattered bales of goods.
I watched some Indians shopping, and was astonished to see how invariably
they waived aside inferior goods and chose such materials as merinos at a
dollar and a half to two dollars (7s. 6d. to 10s.) a yard. One of the
merchants told me it was useless to offer them anything but the best. An
Indian who could not speak English or French, and wanted five things,
divided his money according to his idea of their relative cost in little
piles on the counter, and going through a pantomime descriptive of his
wants, was handed first some silk handkerchiefs. Taking one up, he felt it,
held it up to the light, and throwing it aside, shook his head vigorously,
uttering an "Ugh!" of disgust. When shown a better one he was doubtful, but
upon a much superior article being produced he took it, and willingly
handed over one pile for it. This, however, was too much, and when given
the change, he put it on one of the other piles, and proceeded in the same
way to make the rest of his purchases.
"How easily they could be cheated!" I said to the clerk after the Indian
had left.
"No," he replied, "not so easily as would appear. They generally come in
from their camps in great numbers about once a year to sell their furs
and make purchases. They go to different shops, and on their return
compare notes as to the quality and cost of their goods. Then, if one has
paid more than another, or has been cheated in quality, he will never
enter the shop again, and the firm that gives the greatest bargains is
most patronized on their return."
A few minutes afterwards another Indian came to buy a blanket, and was
told to go upstairs where they were kept. Slowly and doubtfully he
ascended, feeling his way step by step, and holding closely to the
banisters till he reached the top; then he turned to look back and
express his astonishment in the "Ugh!" which, in different accents, means
so many different things.
The Mennonites and Icelanders interested me very much. The former, who
are all thrifty and energetic, make excellent settlers. They have a large
settlement some twenty miles south-east of Winnipeg. The dress of the
women is quaint, yet neat. They wear short, full skirts, just showing
their small feet; jackets, and becoming white caps, from under which
their round black eyes, small straight features, and intelligent
expression, greet one pleasantly. The men are taller, with a quiet,
unconscious air of superiority which is refreshing. The dress of the
Icelanders is somewhat similar, but they are more lethargic-looking. They
have bright "milk and roses" complexions, great opaque blue eyes, and a
heavy gait that gives them an appearance of stupidity, which is not a
true index of their character; they learn English rapidly, and are
teachable servants, neat, clean, and careful, but have not constitutional
strength to endure hard work, and when separated from their friends
become lonely and dispirited. There is a large settlement of them at
Gimli, about sixty miles from Winnipeg, on Lake Winnipeg. Some of the
authorities in Winnipeg told me that, as an emigration speculation, they
were not a success. The grasshopper plague which visited Manitoba during
two consecutive seasons destroyed their crops, and the ravages of
smallpox during the fall of '76 and spring of '77 told upon them so
severely that they have so far only been an expense to the Canadian
Government.
The Hudson Bay Company's store had a great attraction for me. It was a
long, low building within the precincts of Fort Garry, stocked with
everything either useful or ornamental, from a ship's anchor to a lace
pocket-handkerchief; a sort of curiosity shop of all the necessaries and
luxuries of life; an outfitting establishment where one could not only
clothe oneself from head to foot, but furnish one's house from attic to
cellar, at very reasonable prices. Whatever the charges may be at the
outlying posts, competition keeps them within bounds in Winnipeg. As a
rule the goods are excellent in quality, and to judge by the number of
carts, carriages, and saddle-horses always grouped about the door of the
store, a thriving business is done there.
The Red River at Winnipeg is much wider than at any other point, yet so
high are the banks, that until quite close to it one cannot see the
water. On the opposite or western shore is St. Boniface, the terminus of
the branch line from Selkirk, and the site of the Roman Catholic
cathedral, convents, and schools. The cathedral, a large square building,
has a musical chime of bells, and the ringing of the "angelus," whose
sound floated over the prairie unmarred by steam whistles, factory bells,
or any other of the multitudinous sounds of a large city, was always
welcome. Nowhere is evening more beautiful than in Manitoba. One instance
in particular I noticed. The sun was setting low down in the heavens as
in a sea of gold, one long flame-coloured line alone marking the horizon.
In the south-west rose cloud upon cloud of crimson and gold, crossed by
rapid flashes of pale yellow and white lightning, which momentarily
obliterated their rich colours. To the south was a great bank of black
thunder-cloud crested with crimson, reft to its deepest darkness by
successive flashes of forked lightning. Immediately overhead a narrow
curtain of leaden clouds was driven hither and thither by uncertain
winds; while below, the prairie and all its varied life lay bathed in the
warmth and light of the departing sun, throwing into bold relief the
Indian wigwam, with its ragged sides and cross-poles.
Squaws were seated round the camp fires, or dipping water from a pool
hard by; Indians were standing idly about; droves of cattle were being
driven in for milking; groups of horses, their fore feet tied loosely
together, were hobbling awkwardly as they grazed; tired oxen were
tethered near, feeding after their day's work, while their driver lay
under his cart and smoked. Above the low squat tent of the half-breed,
there rose the brown-roofed barracks, its lazy flag clinging to the
staff. Through the surrounding bushes, water gleamed here and there. In
the distance could be seen long trains of ox-carts, coming from remote
settlements, the low monotonous moan of their ungreased wheels making a
weird accompaniment to the muttering thunder; or a black-robed procession
of nuns, on their way to the small chapel on the prairie, whose tinkling
bell was calling them to prayers. An Indian on his fiery little steed,
his beaded saddle-cloth glistening in the sun, was galloping in mad haste
over the grass, away to the low hills to the north, which deserved their
name of Silver Heights as they received the sun's good-night kiss.
Then the clouds, losing their borrowed tints, closed in like a pall; the
low wail of the wind grew louder as it approached and swept them away to
the south, leaving night to settle down upon the dwellers of the prairie
city, starlit and calm, while the distant glow of the prairie fires rose
luridly against the eastern sky. But all night long the creaking moan of
the ox-carts went on, giving the prairie a yet closer resemblance to "an
inland sea."