The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-02-21
A BIG MATRIMONIAL BUREAU.
How Settlers in Manitoba We're Supplied
with Wives Years Ago.

How Settlers in Manitoba We're Supplied
with Wives Years Ago.
'Not many years ago l was in the
wholesale matchmaking business - said
an ex-officer of the army to a Washington
Star reporter. sit was matchmaking OF
the matrimonial kind. At that time-in
1879 and 18S0-Manitoba was being opened
to settlement, and there was rush OF
colonists thither from Ontario and Que
bee and from Great Britain. The settlers
were mostly men. Some of them had
families and would send for them as soon
as they had got somewhat fixed, but very
many were bachelors. They were max
ing homes for themselves, and naturally
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 i'm
ported for them. Young women guar
anteed as to responsibility were brought
over from England in great numbers, and
this business rapidly grew to be an i'm
portant branch of the immigration traffic.
One philanthropic lady in England de-
voted her attention to exporting homeless
but worthy girls by the ship load to Que
bee, whence they were forwarded to Man
itoba. Trains would come into st. Boni-
face, across the river from Winnipeg,
bringing two or three carloads of avail
able wives at time. They were chaper-
oned with due regard to propriety, and
were consigned to the land and and min
ing agents, who conveyed them to VIM
nipeg, where suitable quarters were pro-
vlded for their temporary accommodate
tions. The accommodation was very tenn
dorary because they were soon disposed OF.
'The settlers who were bachelors ap-
piled 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
Winnipeg from q 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 800 horses, was
sound and kind and so forth. On making
formal application for wife John Smith
was asked what sort of woman ne pre-
ferred-whether blonde or brunette, tall
or thin, etc. Having stated his prefer
ences he was introduced to one of the
available ladies, whereupon matters were
quickly arranged. A remarkable point
duced to a second girl. Invariably he
was content with the first one and i'm
mediately married her. Apparently the
men considered when they had gone so
far as an introduction they had COM
mitted themselves irretrievably. -
In this way, by a process of artificial
selection, myself and other persons offic-
tally in charge at Winnipeg made matches
by wholesale. The young women were
given free transportation, of course, the
object being to make homes in Manitoba
and thus secure the permanent settlement
of the country. Incidentally the natural
increase of the population was provided
for. | remember one man who drove over
700 miles to get wife. He was present
when train load of girls arrived and
spotted the yonng 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 a blackboard
wagon