The Chicora Incident, the Necessary Railway and the Western People

A previous post regarding the railway bridge at Sault Ste Marie made mention of the Chicora Incident and my intention to produce a short post using one reference has become longer than originally intended.

Many readers familiar with Pierre Berton's The National Dream will recall the North-West Rebellion of 1885 - led by Louis Riel. CPR General Manager W.C. Van Horne used his US Civil War railroad experience, and applied it to his almost-complete transportation system ... to speed troops west to quell the Rebellion. 

Many Canadians will be familiar with what Berton refers to as 'the most famous photograph in Canadian history' - Donald Smith driving the last spike on the CPR at Craigellachie, British Columbia. As well as being a 'silent partner' in the CPR Syndicate, Smith previously had an extensive career with the Hudson's Bay Company and he was also involved in the birth of the postage stamp-sized province of Manitoba. 

Before the North-West Rebellion of 1885 was the Red River Rebellion of 1869-70. The latter resulted in Prime Minister Macdonald and Ottawa negotiating with Riel to establish Manitoba. 

From 'the first map of Manitoba' from 1871 - shown near the end of this post - come these statistics:

from: Manitoba Historical Atlas; Warkentin & Ruggles; 1970; Manitoba Historical Society.

Note the ratio of 'Whites' to what Canadians today refer to as 'First Nations'. 

1565 : 10398

To make a long story short, the first Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories-designate (William McDougall, 1822-1905) was appointed by Ottawa. He was kind of a racist bigot from Ontario and he brought in some workers with a similar outlook to survey the whole place for a massive influx of settlers. Hopefully the latter would all be good anglo-Protestants from Ontario. Some well-established residents near the Red River (including Riel's family) owned houses and plots of land surveyed with a French river-frontage system ... but apparently this would be thrown out the window ... and the new survey would be based on a grid system.

However ... the Hudson's Bay Company had not yet sold/ceded the area marked 'Hudson Bay Territory' (map below) to Canada - so Lieutenant Governor-designate McDougall and his crews were acting prematurely.

As suggested by the 1871 statistics above, many people were living out there who had never seen the key British HBC shareholders who apparently owned all the land under their feet - from horizon to horizon - and the bison which many of them hunted. Riel and company set up a government for themselves, waved guns around and exercised the authority of a government on their own land.

Acting reasonably under the circumstances, Prime Minister Macdonald and Ottawa dealt in good faith with Riel and his fellow Metis ... initially. However, a good show of military strength was clearly indicated ... to send a message to the people aroused by McDougall's blockhead actions and designs ... and also to impress expansionist Americans, who might north walk across the flat land along the Red River and set up their own territorial government in middle of the HBC's fertile prairie.

... The Americans had completed their Union Pacific Rail Road in 1869 and they had recent experience and transferable skills ... when it came to clearing off and taking over an area of fertile plains for agriculture.

from: Canada's Five Centuries; W Kaye Lamb; 1971 McGraw-Hill.

The Red River Rebellion - this was to be the western rebellion WITHOUT a railway. 

It was during this attempt to project military strength that the Americans put a stick in Macdonald's spokes with the 'Chichora Incident'.

Some, like James J Hill and Hugh Allan, might have thought that running the mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway south of Lake Superior and then north to the North-West Territories would be a smart idea from a business standpoint. Below, two contemporary sources will help illustrate why the 1880s saw a national railway pushed through the 'wasteland' west of today's Sudbury.

The first printed reference will describe the Chicora Incident - this is from Donald Smith's 1915 biography. 

The second describes the effort to get Ottawa's Red River Expedition (troops) beyond the lakehead and through to Manitoba.

from: Canada's Five Centuries; W Kaye Lamb; 1971 McGraw-Hill.

To understand the scale and type of settlement before Winnipeg existed:
Above is a sketch of Fort Garry of the Hudson's Bay Company in 1867.

This was located at the confluence of the Assiniboine (foreground) and Red Rivers.
Part of the track of Winnipeg's Union Station would probably be visible in a modern view of this area.

*  *  *

from: Railway Steamships in Ontario; Dana Ashdown; 1988; Boston Mills Press.

Above: The Letter B, was built in 1864 in England. It was intended for use in running the Civil War blockade ... Union military forces blockaded the south but Britain generally supported the Confederacy. The ship arrived too late for this use and was eventually sold to The Lake Superior Royal Mail Line and renamed the Chicora. 

This photo shows the Chicora much later - in the early 1900s near Toronto after resale and an 1877 rebuilding.

*  *  *

Below is Donald Smith's account of the Chicora Incident and part of the Red River Rebellion.

from: The Life of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal; Beckles Willson; 1915; Cassell and Company.

from: The Life of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal; Beckles Willson; 1915; Cassell and Company.

from: The Life of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal; Beckles Willson; 1915; Cassell and Company.

from: The Life of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal; Beckles Willson; 1915; Cassell and Company.

The images above were photographed from my copy.

Here is a link to the entire book on archive . org.

The life of Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, 1820-1914

from: Canada, A History in Photographs; Hall & Dodds; 1981; Hurtig Publishers.

Above: Soldiers of the Red River Expedition.

from: Manitoba Historical Atlas; Warkentin & Ruggles; 1970; Manitoba Historical Society.

The map section above is taken from the large map near the top showing the Hudson's Bay Territory.
The troops were travelling from Fort William to Fort Garry through the wilderness.

from: Canada's Five Centuries; W Kaye Lamb; 1971 McGraw-Hill.

The map above shows the settlement pattern at the time of the Rebellion.
Notice all the trails approaching from the American side.

*  *  *

Here is a partial account of the Red River Expedition as experienced by three participants.

from: Thunder Bay District, 1821-1892; ed: Elizabeth Arthur; 1973; University of Toronto Press.

from: Thunder Bay District, 1821-1892; ed: Elizabeth Arthur; 1973; University of Toronto Press.

from: Thunder Bay District, 1821-1892; ed: Elizabeth Arthur; 1973; University of Toronto Press.

from: Thunder Bay District, 1821-1892; ed: Elizabeth Arthur; 1973; University of Toronto Press.

from: Thunder Bay District, 1821-1892; ed: Elizabeth Arthur; 1973; University of Toronto Press.

from: Thunder Bay District, 1821-1892; ed: Elizabeth Arthur; 1973; University of Toronto Press.

*  *  *

Below, the 'first map' of the province of Manitoba, 1871.

from: Manitoba Historical Atlas; Warkentin & Ruggles; 1970; Manitoba Historical Society.

Further to the 1871 'census' figures indicated on the top right corner of the map above ...

There was no record for Manitoba, British Columbia or 'the Territories' in the actual 1871 Census of Canada.

It is interesting to imagine the efforts the census surveyors had to make to find and enumerate those living in Canada - particularly those in the west. The CPR was not yet complete and travel by US railroads, by water and by horse would have been necessary ... to enumerate, and to forward the data (on paper) back to Ottawa for analysis.

In recent years, some people worked very hard to discredit the 'long form' Census of Canada. It may feel anachronistic for many of us to be asked for our ethnicity or religion. In 2001, in many countries, there was a movement to have people record their religion as 'Jedi' ... and this was subsequently cited by those later working to discredit the Census of Canada. 

However, new immigrants to Canada have often arrived with a strong sense of who they (still) are. It is human nature that some newcomers would not want to suddenly shed their life-long identity as they would clothes. For example: Many new British immigrants to the Prairies quickly returned to fight in the Great War - they did not fight as members of Canada's armed forces.

Today, there are people whose families have lived here for generations who still want to have their long-standing religious beliefs tallied. The fact that many of us have 'no ethnicity other than Canadian' and/or 'no religion' is significant in itself. These new data series can be compared with the old historical data series to see how the citizens of the country have changed how they 'self-identify' over successive generations.

Considering our tale of the Red River Rebellion and the politics of Canada at the time ... those ethnic, religious and linguistic identities were very important to many citizens 'out there' and many were ready to fight to protect them. It is essential to understand the importance of these identities to better understand the history of Canada. 

*  *  *

Below are my photographs of the most applicable pages from the 1881 Census of Canada ...

Helpfully for us, sadly, and typically for that era of history: 'Indian' was translated to 'Sauvages' - so we are certain that the column does not refer to people from South Asia.

There is no category for 'Americans' who moved north - they must generally be included in 'English' or perhaps under their original country of origin (e.g. German).

There is no category for Metis. 

Below, Manitoba data starts below Ontario's totals:

General Report of the Census of Canada, 1880-81; 1885; Government of Canada.

Below, Manitoba data completes with totals, and British Columbia data begins part-way down the page.

General Report of the Census of Canada, 1880-81; 1885; Government of Canada.

Below, data for 'The Territories' is shown. Below that, the grand totals for Canada appear.

General Report of the Census of Canada, 1880-81; 1885; Government of Canada.

Portage 1987, Fourth Section - A Last Look at Churchill

At Cape Merry (named for John Merry, deputy-governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, 1712-1728), the door at the right led to the powder magazine for the Cape Merry cannon battery - constructed in the late 1740s. The frame at the left is a benchmark for dredging of the harbour.

*  *  *

Unless otherwise noted, black and white images and diagrams are from:

  Province of Manitoba Royal Commission Inquiry into Northern Transportation; Arthur V Mauro; 1969; Government of Manitoba.

*  *  *

Above, Fort Prince of Wales in a partially restored state in the 1960s.

The Cape Merry battery, on the east bank of the Churchill River is in the foreground.

Fort Prince of Wales is seen beyond it on the far side of the Churchill River.

Churchill on Hudson Bay; Angus and Bernice MacIver; 1982; The Churchill Ladies Club.

The map above comes from a self-published local history of Churchill's long period of human settlement. 'Fort Churchill V' marks the location of the large American military base which was operated by various American and Canadian units between 1942 and the mid-1960s. At a local museum we were told that during the World War II 'boom years' there were about 7000 people on the US base and about 4000 residents at Churchill itself.

The MacIvers were a couple who trapped in the area and spent their vacations 'down south' researching local history. I asked about the MacIver name because I had seen an employee timetable with a station named 'MacIver'. This may have been a flag stop near their trap line. ... The museum interpreter replied that she had applied to the Geographical Names Board of Canada to name a place after them. As a result, a lake on their former trap line was named MacIver.

Churchill on Hudson Bay; Angus and Bernice MacIver; 1982; The Churchill Ladies Club

Above: Angus and Bernice MacIver in the 1960s.

Location of MacIver Lake.

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Some Local Details from the Royal Commission

The isotherms on the map above show how Hudson Bay affects local land temperatures.
You can also see how short the shipping season is on average.

*  *  *

Whether it be tundra or taiga, here is a map of 'Forest Inventory Sections' near Hudson Bay.

*  *  *

Detail on the Port of Churchill in the 1960s

The Port of Churchill in the mid-1960s.

In 1987, we were told that 15-25 ships were docking there per season with the port's financial break-even point being 18 ships. The terminal elevator operators came from the southern prairie provinces. Two barges and a tug boat were used to supply local Inuit settlements with fuel oil, etc during the shipping season.

The Montcalm is a Canadian Coast Guard ship.

*  *  *

A Few More Photos from Our Trip in 1987

This shows part of the 'Eskimo Museum' which was set up by the local Catholic diocese
to preserve and display carvings and other art and artifacts of the area.

This is our tour gang with our brand new school touring bus. 

The facility here is used for holding local polar bears 

who become 'too friendly' with human habitation ... 

until the ice forms and then can depart to hunt for seal.

Pens inside are designed to accommodate mother bears and cubs.

Some of the barrel trap trailers can be seen at the left.

In 1987, we were told that 80-120 cubs were born annually in the denning area located along the railway, 40 miles south of Churchill.

Our tour ran from about 09hr until 17hr.

The other photos below were taken between about 19hr and 20hr.

The Churchill station is at the extreme left.
To the right is the informal settlement along the Churchill River estuary known as 'The Flats'.
Originally, its residents were mainly local aboriginal people, including 'Metis'.

Two flatcars form the piggyback ramp at Churchill.
The second one is blocked-up on sections of ties.
The provincial highway ends at Thompson - where these special TOFC cars are lifted and set off.

An auto transporter appears above in 1987.
Below is a section from the 1969 Royal Commission report about transporting autos
to Churchill and other settlements along the railway.

Anywhere else, our consist would be complete and ready to go.
However, there is still some work to do ...

... some detail of the rear of the station.

Our passenger crewman is lifting those intermodal cars with our passenger power.

The conductor who joined our train at Thompson,
whom we code-named 'Cornelius' (as in WCvH)
leads the movement back to the train - we will be departing very soon.
You can see the steam connections beneath the flatcars to supply train heat.
We boarded around 2030hr for the return trip to Portage la Prairie.

*  *  *

As we prepare to depart, here is the 1969 Royal Commission section about Churchill
- from the Executive Summary.

Portage 1993 - Last Section

During an evening tour of the local facilities,

my uncle stands beside the standard grain car of the late 1900s in Canada.
Location 1 the on map looking south-east.

Earlier, it had been 'custom loaded' on this CP track at the west end of Portage.

After turning the camera, here is the CP yard in the west end of Portage at sunset.
Notice the 'old style' fish plate (rail connector) with four spike holes.
You can see the 'high steel' of the CP main line .. and far beyond are the signals at CN Kearns.
Location 1 on map - looking south-west.

The Can-Oat plant at the west end of Portage.

The modern wooden country elevator at Burnside.
The elevator track employs heavy rail to handle those cylindrical hopper cars.

As on other trips, the evening CP westbound intermodal rolls by.

*  *  *
Another day ...

In the mid-morning light, here is the east end of CP's east yard at Portage.
Location 2 on the map - looking west.

You are seeing the same CP intermediate signal gantry again, but from near the CN main line.
A summer tie renewal program is in progress.
The ties fresh from the plant (right bulkhead flat) fit in more nicely
than the ties pulled from the road (left bulkhead flat).
Location 3 on map - looking north-east.

In Search of the Great Northern

At one point, I heard an CN engineer say that he put a car 'in the old Great Northern'. 

This yard seems to have been missed by the major upgrades and standardization of equipment made to the Canadian National Railways which were undertaken after Henry Thornton took over in the 1920s. It has the CN bolt pattern. Could this yard be part of the former Great Northern or Canadian Northern yard? 

Another post will look at information from circa 1915.

Location 4 on the map - looking west.

Here is another view of the track of this yard.

Location 5 on the map - looking west.

*  *  *

There were fewer Portage trains photographed during this visit because, as we travelled during our short vacation period together, we documented elements of the National Transcontinental Railway, the former Canadian Northern Railway Port Arthur station, and Port McNicoll and the former site of the Hog Bay trestle.

*  *  *

At 'The Manitoba Museum' 

The master's quarters of the Nonsuch.
This is a replica of a famous ship in Hudson's Bay Company history.
It is inside the Manitoba Museum.

Our class was taught this by teacher Hope Maclagan during Grade Five at Lachine. Working solely from my memory ...

Médard Chouart Sieur de Groseilliers and Pierre-Esprit Radisson were adventurers and fur-traders who had illegally traded and explored in New France's 'west end', particularly in the region of Lake Superior. 

Governor of New France, the Marquis d'Argenson, had snubbed them and their tales of the riches to be found in the interior ... and their recounting of the even better stories told by indigenous people ... of the wealth of furs available in the 'Bay of the North'. This was around 1660.

.. For the record, it was Radisson who said of their solitary authority deep in the bush:
We were Caesars, being nobody to contradict us ..

Thus rebuffed, they peddled their story in New England and were duly encouraged to repeat it in merrie, plague-stricken Olde England.

King Charles II gave them a hearing, and his cousin, a 'systems and ideas guy' by the name of Prince Rupert, Duke of Cumberland, Count Palatine of the Rhine and Duke of Bavaria, was particularly interested.

On June 3 1668, two English ships and crews - the Eaglet with Radisson aboard, and the Nonsuch with Groseilliers aboard - left for that bay. Damaged by a storm shortly after the voyage began, the larger Eaglet turned back.

Having reached their destination, Groseilliers and the Nonsuch gang set up shelter and security arrangements, and negotiated a trading relationship with the indigenous people who had gathered there to see the circus. With lemon juice and Sir G's Spruce Beer, they managed to avoid most of the ill-effects of scurvy over the winter. They returned to England in October 1669. 

Their bartered goods had cost £650 - the furs received in trade sold for £1379 at the London fur market.

King Charles II granted a Royal Charter in 1670 to the 'Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Tradeing into Hudson's Bay'. The area covered by the charter was 1.5 million square miles and was to be known as 'Rupert's Land'.

Three hundred years later, the Hudson's Bay Company had a replica of the Nonsuch built using the same old techniques and types of tools.

They put the Nonsuch onto the deck of a modern freighter to bring it across the Atlantic Ocean to Canada, where it sailed around - including a tour of the Great Lakes.

The Nonsuch was steered with a tiller - not a wheel. Here, it is pushed 'full right'.

Every year, people come from all over the world to bump their head on that door frame.

This enables other visitors to photograph the ship's speedometer above the bumped head ...
it is that line of string on a wooden spool.

With a wooden drogue attached to the loose end the line ...
and the drogue dropped behind the moving ship  ...
and knots tied about every 50 feet  ...

The number of knots played out in 30 seconds
(timed using a sand glass)
gave the ship's speed in nautical miles per hour.

Tiller to the right: rudder to the left.

The rigging above.

from: Empire of the Bay; Peter C Newman; 1989; Penguin.

As you can see from these photos - using people for scale - this was a small ship to sail on the North Atlantic.

by Allison Gagnon

It visited Kingston, Ontario in 1970 (actual date not recorded).

by LC Gagnon

.. we never did find out who 'Tim' was, or why he warranted clemency ..


*  *  *

To Finish 1993 in Portage ...

 At CN Kearns, looking east along the CP (left) and CN (right).
Smelling the warm creosote of summer, this was a great place to relax.

During the evening shown at the top, the 5171 led an eastbound by the same location.

Portage 1993 - The End.