A trip to Manitoba

Front matter

A TEIP TO MANITOBA. BY MABY FITZGIBBON. "Manitoba, the great province which now forms part of the Canadian Dominion." The Et. Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P., at West Calder. LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY AND SON, in ©tUinarg to p>ct fflajcstg tfje ©unit. 1880. {All rights reserved.) PRINTED AT THE CAXTON PRESS, DECCLES. DEDICATED TO LADY DUFFERIN. PBEFATOBY NOTE. The Canada Pacific Railway, so frequently referred to in the following pages, is now almost an accomplished fact. It will, after traversing for over a thousand miles the great prairies of the Swan River and Saskatchewan territories, thread the Rocky Mountains and, running through British Columbia to Vancouver's Island, unite the Pacific with the Atlantic. Of the value of this line to the Dominion and the mother country there cannot be two opinions.

The system of granting plots of land on each side of the railway to the Company, with power to re-sell or give them to settlers, has been found most advantageous in, as it were, feeding the line and creating populations along its route. The cars which carry to distant markets the crops raised by the settlers, bring back to them the necessaries of civilized life. Readers who ask with the post-office authorities, " Where is Manitoba ?" * may be answered that Manitoba is a province in the great north-west territory of the Canadian Dominion, lying within the same parallels of latitude as London and Paris. It has one of the most healthy climates in the world — the death-rate being lower than in any other part of the globe, — and a soil of wondrous fertility, sometimes yielding several crops * Pages 58, 59. a Prefatory Note.

VI in one year. Immense coal-fields exist within the province ; its mountains abound with ore ; and its natural wealth is enormous. While the province of Manitoba formed part of the Hudson Bay Company's territory, its resources were undeveloped. But in 1869 it was transferred to the Dominion Government, and received a Lieutenant- Governor and the privilege of sending representatives to the Parliament at Ottawa. Under the new regime enterprise and industry are amply encouraged. The original population consisted chiefly of Indians and French half-breeds ; the abolition of the capitation tax on immigrants, however, has resulted in a large immigration of Europeans, who, with health and energy, cannot fail to prosper, especially as they are without European facilities for squandering their money in luxury or intoxication.

Chapter II

Saulte Ste. Marie — Indian Embroidery — Lake Superior — Preaching, Singing, and Card-playing — Silver Islet — Thunder Bay — The Dog River — Flowers at Fort William — " Forty Miles of Ice " — Icebergs and Warm Breezes — Duluth — Hotel Belles — Bump of Destructiveness in Porters

Chapter III

The Mississippi — The Rapids — Aerial Railway Bridges — Breakfast at Braynor — Lynch Law — Card-sharpers — Crowding in the Cars— Woman's Rights !— The Prairie—" A Sea of Fire "— Crookstown — Fisher's Landing — Strange Quarters — "The Express-man's Bed" — Herding like Sheep — On board the Minnesota...

Chapter IV

Red Lake River — Grand Forks — The Ferry— Custom-house Officers at Pembina — Mud and Misery — Winnipeg at last — A Walk Contents. VIII PACE 34 48 60 71 83 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

Chapter V

Summer Days — The English Cathedral — Icelandic Emigrants — Tableaux — In chase of our Dinner — The Indian Summer — Blocked up — Gigantic Vegetables — Fruitfulness of the Country — Iceland Maidens — Rates of Wages — Society at Winnipeg — - Half-castes — Magic of the Red River Water — A Happy Hunting-ground — Where is Manitoba ?

Chapter VI

Winter Amusements — A Winnipeg Ball — Forty Degrees below Zero — New Year's Day — "Saskatchewan Taylor" — Indian Compliments — A Dog-train — Lost in the Snow — Amateur Theatricals — Sir Walter Raleigh's Hat — A Race with the Freshets — The Ice moves ! — The First Steamer of the Season — Good-bye to Winnipeg

Chapter VII

A Manitoban Travelling-carriage — The Perils of Short Cuts — The Slough of Despond — Paddy to the Rescue ! — " Stick-in-the- Mud" and his Troubles — McQuade's — An Irish Welcome — Wretched Wanderers ...

Chapter VIII

Faithless Jehu — The " Blarney Stone " — Mennonites in search of News—" Water, Water everywhere "—A Herd of Buffaloes — A Mud Village— Pointe du Chene and Old Nile — At Dawson Route — A Cheerful Party — Toujours perdrix — The "Best Room " — A Government Shanty — Cats and Dogs — Birch River —Mushroom-picking — The Mosquito Plague — A Corduroy Road — The Cariboo Muskeg Contents. IX FAGB OS 110 122 136 150

Chapter IX

The "Nor'- west Angle"— The Company's House— Triumph of " Stick-in-the-Mud "—On the Lake of the Woods— A Gallant Cook — Buns a I'imprevu — A Man overboard! — Camping out — Clear Water Bay — Our First Portage — A Noble Savage — How Lake Rice and Lake Deception won their Names — At our Journey's End ...

Chapter X

Making a New Home — Carriere's Kitchen — The Navvies' Salle-a- Manger — A Curious Milking Custom — Insect Plagues — Peterboro' Canoes — Fishing Trips — Mail-day — Indian dread of drowning — The Indian Mail-carrier and his Partner — Talking by Telegraph— Prairie Fires

Chapter XI

Irish Wit — Bears ? — Death on the Red Pine Lake — A Grave in the Catholic Cemetery — The First Dog-train — A Christmas Fete — Compulsory Temperance — Contraband Goods — The Prisoner wins the Day — Whisky on the Island — The Smuggler turned Detective— A Fatal Frolic—" Mr. K 's Legs "...

Chapter XII

Birds of Passage — An Independent Swede — By Sleigh to Ostersund — A Son of the Forests — Burnt out — A Brave Canadian Girl — Roughing it in the Shanty — The Kitchen-tent — Blasting the Rock — The Perils of Nitro-glycerine — Bitter Jests ...

Chapter XIII

We lose our Cows — Cahill promoted — Gardening on a New Principle — Onions in Hot-houses — Cahill is hoaxed — Martin the Builder — How the Navvies lived — Sunday in Camp — The Cook's Leap— That "Beautiful Skunk !"— Wild Fruits— Parting Contents. X PAGE 162 177 190 202

Chapter XIV

For Ostersund — Lake Lulu — Giant Rocks and Pigmy Mortals — The Island Garden — Heaven's Artillery — Strange Casualty at the Ravine — My Luggage nearly blown up — The Driver's Presence of Mind — How to carry a Canoe — Darlington Bay — An Invisible Lake — Lord and Lady Dufferin — A Paddle to the Lakes — The Captain's Tug — Monopoly of Water-carriage — Indian Legends— The Abode of Snakes ...

Chapter XV

Clear Water Bay transformed — Cahill's Farewell — Ptarmigan Bay — A Night under Canvas — " No more Collars or Neckties ! " — Companions in Misfortune — Cedar Lake — " Lop-sticks " — An Indian Village — Shashegheesh's Two Wives — Buying Potatoes — Seniores Priores — Excellent Carrots ! — Frank's Flirtations with the Squaws — The Dogs eat Carriere's Toboggan

Chapter XVI

Falcon River — An Unlucky Supper — The Fate of our Fried Pork — A Weary Paddle — A Sundial in the Wilderness — A Gipsy Picnic — " Floating away " — The Dried Musk-rats — Falcon Lake — How can we land ? — Mr. M " in again " — Surprised by Indians — How we dried our Clothes — The Last Night in Camp

Chapter XVII

Indian Loyalty — A Nap on Falcon Lake — A False Alarm — The Power of Whisky — " Magnificent Water Stretches " — A Striding Contrast— Picnic Lake — How we crossed Hawk Lake — Long Pine Lake — Bachelors' Quarters at Ingolf — We dress for Dinner— Our Last Portage — A Rash Choice — " Grasp your Nettle " — Mr. F 's Gallantry — Cross Lake— Denmark's Ranche — A Tramp through the Mire Contents. XI

Chapter XVIII. Page

Tilford — Pedestrians under Difficulties — The Railway at last — Not exactly a First-class Carriage — The Jules Muskeg — White mouth and Broken-Head Rivers — Vagaries of the Engine- Driver — The Hotel at St. Boniface — Red River Ferry — Winnipeg— " A Vagabond Heroine "—The Terrier at fault ... 219

Chapter XIX

The Min n esota again — Souvenirs of Lord and Lady Dufferin — From Winnipeg by Red River — Conipagnom du Voyage — A Model Farm — " Bees " — Manitoba a good Field for Emigrants — Changes at Fisher's Landing — A Mild Excitement for Sundays — Racing with Prairie Fires — Glyndon — Humours of a Pullman Sleeping Car— Lichfield ... ... ...230