Early Days in Winnipeg. 



A Paper read before the Historical and Scientific Society of Manitoba on the 18th 



of February, I894. 



The Historical Society, at its annual meeting in the City Council Chamber, was 

 greeted by a large attendance of ladies and getlemen. In addition to the other busi- 

 ness of the evening the Rev. Dr. Bryce read the following interesting paper, for which, 

 on the motion of Rev. Prof Hart, seconded by Mr. John Macbeth, he was given a 

 hearty vote of thanks : — 



Mr. Chainnan, Ladies and Gentlemen. 



Few of the citizens of the Winnipeg of 

 to-day —the third commercial city of the 

 Dominion — know the days of its small 

 beginnings. The writer, now in the 

 twenty-third year of his residence in Win- 

 nipeg recurs with pleasure to the early 

 days, and desires to picture the features 

 of that humble but interesting period. 

 Though the village of Winnipeg had an 

 existence before the Riel rebellion of 

 1869-70,it was after that time that it came 

 into note, and from that time that its in- 

 fluence began. The present paper is a 

 record of beginnings, and so will not pass 

 the close of 1873, the time of the incorpora- 

 tion of the city of the prairies. 



FORT GARRY. 



The old Hudson's Bay company centre 

 had of course been Fort Garry, on the 

 banks of the Assiniboine. Mere had 

 centred for about half a century the trade 

 of the Northwest. Here also was the 

 headquarters of government, law, society 

 and old association. From any part of 

 the settlement on a pleasant autumn day 

 or during a mild spell in winter, Scotch 

 or French half-breed, Selkirk settler or 

 retired Hudson's Bay company officer or 

 servant delighted to journey to relieve 

 the monotony of existence, and partake 

 of the inspiration of social life. Five 

 hundred acres about the fort,since known 

 as the Hudson's Bay Reserve, afforded 

 ample camping space for the plain traders, 

 who came from the west to trade. Of 

 them a former resident of Winnipeg has 

 said : "These wild children of the px'airie 

 were won't to make their presence known 

 in our midst, for with drinking,gambling, 

 fightmg, dancing, laughing talking, swear- 

 ing, horse-racing, trading, and singing, 

 they made a perfect Babel of the place." 



THE F. F. W. S. 



North of the reserve, beyond Notre 

 Dame street, began in pre-Winnlpeg days 

 the strips of land of the settlers, with 

 narrow frontage on the river, but running 

 out for two miles upon the prairie. Here 

 the first families of Winnipeg had their 

 abode. First, claiming descent from Brian 

 Boru was Andrew McDermott, a sturdy 

 Irishman, who had come by way of Hud- 

 son Bay in Lord Selkirk's first ship. He 

 was a merchant, farmer, horse trader and 

 cattle dealer. Of this man, who was well 

 known to the writer as a perfect mine of 

 information, Sheriff Ross said in 1856, "He 

 engrossed the freighting business, acted 

 as the company's right-hand man in all 

 contracts and public undertakings, specu- 

 lated in houses and lands, built mills, 

 encouraged manufactures, and lately 

 commenced forming a little colony, 

 of which he is himself the head." 

 McDermott avenue marks the estate 

 and commemorates the name of this 

 bustling leader of the olden time. North 

 of Andrew McDermott was his son-in- 

 law A. G. B. Bannatyne, one of the kind- 

 est and best of the men of the former day. 

 A leading merchant, a prominent man in 

 public, social and church life, many a 

 needy immigrant had reason to be grate- 

 ful to him for favors bestowed. Banna- 

 tvne Avenue marks the Bannatyne estate. 

 Next along the river were the Rosses. 

 Head of the family was the sheriff who, as 

 long ago as 1825, came from British Col- 

 umbia, with his Indian wife, the daugh- 

 ter of a chief of the Okanagans. William, 

 James and Ross avenues commemorate 

 this very influential family, whose home 

 of Colony Gardens was a centre of hospi- 

 tality in Red River days. North of the 

 Ross abode was that of the Logans. This 

 was the site of Fort Douglas, Lord 

 Selkirk's headquarters; but old 



