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Tenant Farmers
Near the end of the 1700s, The scottish landowners started kicking out their tenant farmers because they wanted to use the land for pastures for sheep because wool brought in more money then the rent paid by tenants. The tenant farmers could either migrate to cities and be factory workers or emigrate to British North America and be farmers. -
Making the Selkirk
By 1810, Selkirk made colonies in PEI and Upper Canada. He launched a more ambitious project in the Northwest. He learned the soil in the of the red river was very firtile, and that it was expensive for the HBC to ship food and suppliesfrom England. Selkirk felt he could help the tenant famers and the HBC by making a farming colony, The Selkirk Settlement in the red river vally. -
Getting land In Manitoba
In 1811, Selkirk got 300000 km in Manitoba and North Dakota from the HBC. They felt like they had a legal right to this territory because its part of Ruperts Land. They didnt think about what the people living there would think of the colonists. -
Red River Valley
They didnt arrive at the red river untill late August, Two months later over 100 men, women, and children arrived. They had to find shelter at Fort Pembina, surviving on pemmican. In the spring, Macdonell led the group back to the red river valley, where they cleared land and planted crops but the harvest failed. The colonists were forced to spend another winter at Fort Pembina. While a second group of 83 colonists went to Fort Churchill. -
Pemmican Proclamation
In january 1814, Miles Macdonell issued the pemmican proclamation. It banned the sale and export of pemmican from red river valley. his ban was to protect the colonists from starving, but it was a blow to the Metris of the area. The NWC relied on pemmican to supply its fur traders. they attempted to force NWC employees out of the red river valley. -
NWC strikes back
In summer 1814, The NWC ordered Alexander Macdonell and Duncan Cameron to drive the british colonists away. Cameron enlisted the Metis to carry out the NWC directive Curthbert Grant as Captain of the Metis. They harassed the colonists. -
NWC strikes back -again
In early 1815, more then 100 colonists had left, Miles Macdonell was arrested. They were taken to Fort Williams on Lake Superior. Soon afterthe ramaining colonists left for Norway House at the north end of lake winnipeg. The Metis were inspired to recognize their rights and fight for their land. -
Metis on the move†
In May 1816 a party of Metis led by Cuthbert Grant raided HBC York boats on the Assiniboine River. Pemmican was taken. Grant Moved the pemmican to Lake Winnapig, where they could supply the NWC fur traders. On June 19th they were seen by a lookout at Fort Douglas. -
bringing peace
In spring 1817, Selkirk negotiated a treaty with the local Anishinabe and Cree Nations to lease the land along both the Assiniboine red rivers. He distributed the land to the colonists and said that a church and school would be built. When He left he believe he had the colony at peace. -
Finding a place- Red river
Later in 1811, 36 scottish and irish labourers left Britain under the command of of Miles Macdonell, Their job was to go to the Selkirk Grant to find a spot for the colonists. But they got to the York Factory in summer and had to stay all winter.
