There is no family record of Lawrence Garneau losing his Metis claim although he held much land outside the reserve including a district in Edmonton and he stayed on in his beloved St. Paul de Metis until his death in 1921. Some Metis would claim he sold his soul to the Devil by not condemning his beloved Roman Catholic Church and using his extensive resources to remove these evil men from their unholy offices. Louis Laframboise 160 head cattle, threshing machine. Louis Lariviere, one hundred acres cultivated land, John Ross, one hundred and twenty five head cattle and the lists go on and on. Many of the inhabitants of the reserve held land outside the reserve.
Family photos suggest they are farming.
Lawrence Garneau operated a land office, a machinery agency and Telegraph office north of the later Smyl Motors at St. Paul des Metis. He operated a store, three saw mills and a stage coach service to Vegreville. Lawrence Garneau the Metis held and farmed over 3,000 acres of land in and around Saint Paul des Metis including a trashing machine. The real motivation is that the Roman Church wanted to replace the Metis with the more obedient and racially acceptable French Catholic settlers from Quebec. The Church, using Father Joseph Adeodat Therein an Oblate at St. Paul from 1896 to 1918, had been conducting a systematic process to defraud the Metis of their lands and rights.