Saskatchewan Gen Web Project - SGW - Canadian Migrations Saskatchewan Genealogy Roots

Canadian migrations - Saskatchewan Genealogy Roots

The first explorer who was not native born to see the area now known as Saskatchewan in 1690 was Henry Kelsey (1667-1724). Since that time both French and English explorers have come to claim the new lands for France and England respectively, to map and to study the potential of the prairies opening up the fur trade. This initiated the forming of the Hudson Bay Company,the North West Trading Company and other smaller scale private trading companies. From the time of the Dominion Government offering homesteads in the west under the Dominion Land Act of 1872, there was migration from Eastern Canada to the prairies for farming land. As choice land was settled in Manitoba, settlers, rail lines, and branch lines would push the homestead frontier envelope further west. In the 1920's during the 4 weeks of harvest, rail fares were reduced to entice Eastern Canadians to the west to help with harvest.

1904-1905 Survey of Canada Map

1922 Maps The New World Atlas and Gazetteer - Canada

Canadian Mailing Lists
Canadian Posting Boards
Canada Gen Web

Manitoba-Saskatchewan	Ontario-Saskatchewan	Quebec-Saskatchewan
Manitoba-North West Territories	Lower Canada-Rupert's Land	Upper Canada-Rupert's Land

Quebec-Saskatchewan
Lower Canada (Southern Quebec) and the West: Rupert's Land (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta)
migrations 1760-1870

The North West company (1760-1821) (also called the XY company) headed in Montreal, Quebec by Scottish Directors used French Canadians for canoeman, commonly called engagés and voyageurs, the French 'courer' from Quebec would initiate the Canadian migrations between the east of Canada and the area now known as Saskatchewan (before 1870 is is known as Rupert's Land). The métis were mixed bloods of French descent and aboriginal women, mainly Ojibwa, and the North West Company encouraged intermarriages "Metissage" or to be wed "à la façon du pays". There was a Métis Red River Colony to the north of the settlement started by the Earl of Selkirk. The métis had settled in seignioral fashion along the Saskatchewan river front with long narrow strips expanding away from the river as the family size increased. The first internal migration between eastern and western Canada were these French voyageurs. The British Hudson Bay Company (1670-1870) had its head office in England, and the various indigenous tribes (mainly the 'Cree') brought furs for trade to the Hudson Bay Trading Post till 1774 when Cumberland House was built. The Hudson Bay then used Orkney Island men and orphans as 'pedlars'. The Hudson Bay Company did not approve of intermarriages so there did not develop into its own unique ethnoculture group of mixed bloods as did distinct community which arose of French métis. In 1821, the administration districts of the Northwest Company and the Hudson Bay Company are merged into the Hudson Bay Company.

Thomas Douglas, 5th earl of Selkirk whose philanthropist beliefs encouraged Scotland and Northern Ireland settlers to the The Red River Colony in 1812. The Red River Colony was on the St. Lawrence- Great Lakes- Saskatchewan River Route and was a major fur trading center for the North West company (1760-1821). By 1817, a treaty was signed, and Métis, settlers and Hudson Bay Company retirees live in Red River Colony till the sigining of the Manitoba Act of 1870. Surveyors came along marking out square 6 mile by 6 mile townships which were divided into quarter sections. From 1835-1890 the métis left the Red River Settlement to the area of Duck Lake, St. Laurent, Batoche in the provisional district of Saskachewan, North West Territories (These areas are in the Saskatoon Region Gen Web Region pages), as well as south to the U.S.A. and further west to Fort Edmonton. The French 'Boucher's settlement' of Manitoba moved to St. Louis, Saskatchewan.

Quebec, Acadian and French-Canadian Genealogy web links:

Welcome to the BELHUMEUR HOMEPAGE: A look into the BELHUMEUR family line at Red River Settlement and surrounding areas
Cyndi's List - Canada Quebec
Cyndi's List - Acadian, Cajun & Creole
The Franco-American Connection
Genealogy Acadian and French-Canadian Style
History of the Métis People
James Curtis Bird Family
Métis Culture 1812-1814
Pioneers and Prominent People of Saskatchewan

Quebec Gen Web

Ethnic origins and History | Top | Resources | Sask Gen Web

Ontario-Saskatchewan
Upper Canada (southern Ontario) and the west: Rupert's Land (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta)
migrations. 1760-1920

From the time of the Dominion Government's 1870 (finalized June 1873) purchase of Rupert's Land from the Hudson Bay Company(1670-1870) until the late 1800's, Eastern Canadians and Britains were the largest number of immigrants to the North West Territories. These 'Orangemen' were of the protestant faith, valued fealty to the British Empire, and Victorian belief systems. It wasn't until the late 1920's that the west no longer tried to use Ontario as a template to pattern Saskatchewan upon. Manitoba remained with the Ontario template, Saskatchewan generally showed a leaning towards British labourism to resolve rural Saskatchewan farming economics and politics and Alberta showed a tendency to follow in the footsteps of the American Midwest.

Ontario Methodists formed the Temperance Colonization Company and with the guidance of Commissioner John Lake paid a first installment $84,000.00 for the purchase 213,760 acres of even numbered sections at approximately $2.00 an acre and begin a Temperance colony named Saskatoon. The first 35 settlers arrived in 1882. By 1888 there were 13 thriving businesses and 101 settlers. In the year 2000, Saskatoon is a city with a population of approx. 230,000 and has amalgamated the smaller towns of Cory, Riversdale, Sutherland, Nutana, and Smithville.

The York Farmer's Colonization Company 1882-1888. purchased 61,220 acres of land and paid a first installment of $24,576.00 Settlers from York county, Ontario made many improvements to the land near Yorkton, Saskatchewan, but failed in their colonization duties and the settlers eventually dispersed. New settlers could not be attracted as the land grant turned out to be 70 miles north of rail line when it came through, new settlers feared uprisings after the 1885 rebellion and were rather enticed to settle in the 'mile belt' along the rail line once that opened up for farming. Location:( Included the past town of Chrysler, Saskatchewan.) Township 22,23,27, Range 2. Township 25,26,27, Range 3. Township 26, ranges 4 and 5. All west of the second meridian.

Minton, and Penzance, Saskatchewan were settled by Eastern Canadians. Downe (Glengarry county, ON), Dummer(Peterborough, ON), Crescent City (Toronto, ON), Edgeley and Huronville (Huron County, ON) were Saskatchewan towns of Ontario settlers.

Ontario Genealogy web links:

Cyndi's List - Ontario
From Ontario to Saskatchewan
Ontario Genealogy Society
Ontario Gen Web
Ontario Locator - Placenames, their townships and Counties

Orangeism - Orange Lodge of Canada
Pioneers and Prominent People of Saskatchewan

McDONALD: D. H.

Researching Ontario Wills & Probate: Global Gazette Roving Reporter: August 20, 2000, Vol. IV Number 14
Rootsweb Posting Boards > Topics > Research Resources > Lookups > Canada >Ontario Look Up Exchange
Upper Canada Mailing List
*--A mailing list for anyone with a genealogical or historical interest in Upper Canada (present day province of Ontario). This was the region split from the Province of Quebec after the American Revolution. List topics include its history and settlement by Loyalists and British and German soldiers, up to and including the year 1867.

Ethnic origins and History | Top | Resources | Sask Gen Web

Manitoba-Saskatchewan
Manitoba, Canada and provisional district of Saskatchewan North West Territories
migrations 1895-1886

The Harmony Industrial Pioneer Co-op 1895-1900 was a co-operative farming venture started by English families in Beulah, Manitoba. Approximately 50 people, families and bachelors moved to Hamona, 8 miles east of Tantallon, Saskatchewan. Every member passed an examination on "co-operatives" and they worked for hourly wages similar to other co-operatives which were the Ruskin Colony in British Columbia, Canada, and the one at Commonwealth, Georgia, U.S.A.

Natural increase at the Icelandic settlement of Gimli, Manitoba caused a migration of Icelandic-Manitoba settlers to eastern Saskatchewan in the late 1800's. The completion of the Manitoba and North West Railway in 1886 to Langenburg helped 100 immigrants reach Thingvalla, Saskatchewan. Tantallon, Saskatchewan was settled in 1902.

Manitoba, Red River Colony Genealogy web links:

Cyndi's List - Manitoba
Historiographical Study of Red River Settlement, 1811-1870
Manitoba Gen Web
Pioneers and Prominent People of Saskatchewan: PRUD'HOMME, Joseph Henry, D.D., D.0.L.

Pioneers and Prominent People of Saskatchewan: McKAY, The Honourable James, K.C., B.A..

Pioneers and Prominent People of Saskatchewan: TAYLOR, The Honourable George Edward

Pioneers and Prominent People of Saskatchewan: ORMOND, Col. (Hon. Brig.-Gen.)

Pioneers and Prominent People of Saskatchewan: BELL: George Melrose

Red River Settlement
Manitoba Act 1870
Red River Settlement The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth
Riel House National Historic Site
CAN-RedRiverSettlement Mailing List
War of 1812 - Red River Redcoats/Lord Selkirk

Ethnic origins and History | Top | Resources | Sask Gen Web