The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-03-18
MATCHES BY THE WHOLESALE.
An Officer Whe Supplied Manitoba
Settlers With Wives.

"Not many years ago I was in
the wholesale matchmaking busi-
ness" said an ex-officer of tho
armv to a Washington Star report
er. at was match making OF the
matrimonial kind. AT that time,
in 1879 and 1880, Manitoba was be-
ing opened to settlement, and there
was a rush of colonists thither from
Ontario and Quebec and from Great
Britain. The settlers were mostly
men. Some of them had families
and would send for them as soon
as they got somewhat fixed, but
very many were bachelors. They
were making homes for themselves,
and naturally they found that they
needed wives. Not few of them
were sons of English farmers, and
nearly all were respectable and
hard working fellows. They could
not afford to go and get wives, and
so helpmates had to be imported for
them. Young women, guaranteed
as to respectability, were brought
over from England in great num-
bers, and this business rapidly
grew to be an important branch of
the immigration traffic. One phi
lanthrophic lady in England de-
voted her attention to exporting
homeless but worthy girls by the
shipload to Quebec, whence they
we're forwarded to Manitoba. Trains
would come into St. Boniface, across
the river from Winnipeg, bringing
two or three car loads of available
wives at time. They were chap
eroned with a due regard to propri-
ety and were consigned to the land
and mining agents, who conveyed
them to Winnipeg, where suitable
quarters were provided for their ac-
commodation. The accommoda-
ton was very temporary, because
they were soon disposed of.
"The settlers who were bachelors
applied for the girls as fast as they
were brought in. Their applications
were not considered unless they
were properly guaranteed as to
character and ability to support
wife. Few of them came to Win
nipeg from shorter distance than
$50 miles. Most commonly they
were certified by letters from land
agents, stating that John Smith, for
example, was located on such and
such a tract of land, was the owner
of 1900 horses, was sound and kind
and so forth. On making formal
applications for wife John Smith
was asked what sort of woman he
Observation-Disclosures blonde or bru-
nette, tall or short, plump or thin,
etc. Having stated his preferences
he was introduced to one of the
available ladies, whereupon matters
were quickly arranged. A remark
able point was that no suitor had
ever to be introduced to a second
girl. Invariably he was content
with the first one and married her.
Apparently the men considered that
when they had gone so far as an
introduction they had committed
themselves irrctrievably. In this
way, by process of artificial selec-
ton, myself and other persons otii-
cially in charge at Winnipeg made
matches by wholesale. The young
women were given free transporta-
ton, of course, the object being to
make homes in Manitoba and thus
secure the permanent settlement of
the country. Incidentally, the nat
ural increase of the population was
provided for. l remember one man
who drove over 700 miles to get a
wife. He was present when train
load of girls arrived and spotted the
young woman he wanted off hand.
Within seven minutes after the
train came in the pair were united
in matrimony, and the bridegroom
started away with his bride in q
blackboard wagon"
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