New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-03
UNDER WHICH FLAGS
NORTHWESTERN CANADA AND IT'S DESTINY.


VALLEY AND THE MACKENZIE BASIN,
TOGETHER WITH GLANCE AT DANA.
DIAN SENTIMENT UPON THE
QUESTION OF THE FUTURE.
rvrox STAFF CORRESPONDENT THE rRBuSEl
w,nn,pes. Man., Oct. os.-curious,y enough that
mart ~ the American Northwest of which the least is
Known today is that part Of which the most was
known q hundred years ago. When the entire country
west Of the Mississippi and south Of the Canadian
borier line dark and mysterious iaho gwen
over to wild and Wild beasts there were HUNDREDS
Of white settlers along the Red River OF the North'
and many more had penetrated even into the far-away
wilderness drained by the Arctic rivers, the Athaoasca
and the Mackenzie These were lusty ahVenturers
Of scotch, French and English natonaiities' sent
bitber by commercial companies organized In LONDON
and Montreal for traffic in frs. Scarcely thought
Gas Given to the imperial domain 10 the soush out OF
which American enterprise has carved score OF
,-b,v States The West that was shown with any
r,r,ence Of detail upon the charts drawn century
-, was the present Canadian Northwest, and so well
xas then known that the charts OF
today are not very much truer 70 the
oountrv's topography than were those used
bv Lord sekirk when he planted his Red River colony
~ 1872 Winnipeg as Winnipeg, is, indeed, new
,oxn IN the newest of the word but the homo
n civilized people who speak the language Of London
ord Paris II is older than the Declaration Of hide
pendence.
II is popuarly thought, even by that educated rev
who know the early history Of the ftrade1s, that the
tnbosntablc character Of the climate and the sterile
hsracter Of the soil in all this vast expanse OF coun
try extending for $500 miles northwest from this
civ 70 tho eastern limits of Alaskan domihons,
furnishes the real why it has lain so long dle
and why It can never be of much account. There
rever was a notion more completely at variance Win
fact In the few sentences that complete this para
rraph shall doubtless be stating what 20 the vast
majority of readers will be strange and surprising
fc calling on them for the Reorganization Of all their
n-obtained IDEAS about the home Of their Northern
neicbbors Winnipeg is eQuidistant from the TWO
oceans that wash the shores Of our continent IL Is
the capital Of a province as large as our TWO Dao
kotas or three times as large as New-ferR e'a'e'
which though upon latitudina parallel with coun-
fry in Eastern Canada Of bleak and barren character,
ts nevertheless wonderfully productive The arabic
land Of Quebec and Ontario is strip bordering on to
lakes and the ST. Lawrence together with q sman
district south Of HudsOn'e Bay. The country Deyohu
these watcred lands Is rocky woodland where hothns
but pines and frs can live But the arabic lahu Vi
Western Canada extends for fully 1900 miles due
north Of what in Eastern Canada is the remoest limit
OF possible civilization. Turn to your atlas and
will show you exactly what is the great agricultural
country OF Western Canada. 1t reaches almost 10 tho
Arctic Ocean It's western boundary Is the ROCKY
Mountains. It's eastern boundary Is the great chaih
OF lakes beginning with the Great Bear Lake ana eA-
tending In . southeastern course 70 Lake Winnipeg
1t is al that region drained by the Mackenzie RIVER
and its aluents and within it are over 100000 square
miles upon which wheat be proftably grown
while nearly three times that tremendous area may
properly be described as arabic land.
The one hundred and fifty years during which the
feet Of white men have wandered up and down this
beautiful plain have developed wealth OF romance anu
tradition In which another Cooper and another Long
fellow will some day find themes for songs and stories
that viii be fitting companions TO Leather-StocKlng
and Hiawatha" The main population Of the cana
dian Northwest is a race OF French ana Scotush
hafbreeds the descendants from Cree. BlacRfoot ana
Oiibway or Chippewa mothers and of the furhuntmg
pioneels 1t only within very recent years, prac-
tically since the completion of the Canadian Pacific
Railroad that the whites have come along In numbers
and have made themselves masters. Prior TO 1870
the country belonged 10 Or better, was claimed by
the HudsOn's Bay Company under their ancient cner
ter. That once gigantic and powerful monopoly IS
today. though sun wealthy. but shadow Of its
former self Its original grant gave II all that IN
certain territory drained by Hudsons Bay and IT came
westward into what IS now Manitoba In pursuit Oh
what IL regarded It's rights Another furseeNhs
company French In nationality, from Montreal, was
I'm posses sion between the followers OF the TWO
organizations many bloody battles were fought.
rival and from then until 1862 the Hudson's Bay
Company was lord and master Of Manitoba and the
Northwest. But its claim TO the actual ownership OF
the soil was no, conceded by the Dominion Govern
ment and its English stockholders began 10 feel them
selves unable TO that claim effectively, or even
10 defend their right, already much evaded TO
monopoly Of the fur trade They made terms with
Canada Tor consideration Of S1,5OOOOO they
transferred 10 the Dominion their right and title TO all
except two square miles in every block of thirty
six and in these their rights and title were con-
frmed.
1t was from this agreement that the first half.breed
rebellion that of 1870, arose. The half breeds who
were the people refused recognize Canadas right TO
govern them. They refused to receive the officials
sent out from Ottawa TO be their rulers With that
mott picturesque Indian, Louis Rel, at their head
and backed more less openly by the Catholic Church.
they drew up bill of rights and defed the Dominion
authorities. Colonel Wolseley with an English army
was sent out 10 subdue them, and they were finally
half persuaded. halfbeste into obedience not how
ever until their demands were largely compiled with.
At Ills time Winnipeg little hamlet Of less than
200 souls clustered about Fort Garry at the forks of
the Red and Assiniboine rivers 1t had been one Of
the Hudsons Bay COmpany's posts, an inlet for sup
plies received year from London, and an outlet
for hides. is altogether startling when one stands
as ! am now. looking out upon splendid city Of
10000 Inhabitants with its wide and stately avenues
paved with stone. asphalt macadam. its buildings
Of brick, granite and marble bowling along
In every direction, handsome equpages drawn feetly
10y Wen-groomed and stylish horses, footpassengers
moving in steady throngs wherever their thousand
business calls demand, while dozen trains of cars
are coming in and going forth every day-it is startling
TO think that there men here now who re
member when the coming of mall was an annual
event, looked forward to by the whole country for
months ahead.
II.
Winnipeg as II is the result OF a boom Cut
from Eastern Canada by a Thousand rrYas 20. hona