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From rumor the found little basis in fact early Canadian explorers dreamed
of the discovery of the Western Sea, a short way to the advantageous trade
from the east. Jacques Cartier had sought it, followed by Samual Champlian
who reachign the Lake Nipissing and descending the French River, was the
first white man to gaze upon the waters of Lake Huron. After him came others
who discovered the remainig Great Lakes, Michigan and Superior, but still
neither fo these was the western Sea. And sohistory unfolded untill the
spring of of the year 1731, a little more than two hundered years ago. The
scene is the banks ofthe mighty St. Lawrence River near Montreal.
A band of men and a little fleet of birch-bark canoes are setting out on
an expedition to this Western Sea, daring to venture into this unknown west,
hardy and dauntless, willing to gamble against the daily menace of savage
foes, the Indians, the danger of unknown waters, the possibility of starvation,
the scourge of mosquitoes and flies, the cold of winter. This band comprises
the first expedition of Pierre Gaultier de LaVerandrye, the former soldier,
the ex-fur-trader of Lake Nipigon, who since he first saw the light of day
at Three Rivers, Quebec, had been imbued with the spirit of adventure, the
desire of discovery coursed in his blood as it had in the viens of his French
predecessors, Radisson Nicolt and Etienne Brule, Marquette and LaSalle.
At last he had been able to abtain a fur monopoly abd the financial backing
tof the merchants of Montreal to advance him the cost of the expedition.
With him were his three sons, Jean- Baptiste, Pierer and Francois and his
nephew, La Jemeraye. Now- a-days one makes use of outboard motors for long
canoe trips and well may webe awed by the long ardious LaVerandrye accomplished
at the back breaking task of paddle and portage. From the St. Lawrence up
the Ottawa River past the rapids of the Long Sault where a hundred years
before that brave band of French under Dollard had died at their posts fighting
off an attack by the Indians, by a series of portages across land to Lake
Nipissing down what is now the French River to Lake Huron. Now along the
shore of the Lake, to Fort Michilmackinac, where now stand Mackinaw City
and St. Ignace on either side of the Straits of Mackinac connecting Lakes
Huron and Michigan. By Julyof that year the expedition was forcing it's
way through the cold waters of Lake Superior and by Late August had reached
Grand Portage over the hieght of land near the mouth of Pidgeon River about
20 miles southwest of Fort Kaministikwia, where now stands Fort William.
Sit-Down Strike
Here dissention broke out among the party, a modern sit-down strike, ending
in the refusal of some of the party in pressing on into the region of Lac
la Pluie, of Rainy Lake, before winter set in. Finally it was decided that
La Jemeraye should puch onto Rainy Lake with a few of his faithful men,
establish himself for the winter by building a Fort, and carry on trade
with the Indians. Thus it was that Fort St. Pierre was erected in the fall
of 1731 at the foot of a series of rapids which emptied into a river of
the same name. la Jeremaye reports that he built in a meadow among a grove
of oaks and most investigators agree that the most likely spot is the grove
at what is now called Pither's Point.
The elder LaVerendrye visited this Fort the following spring and before
pushing on to The Lake of the Woods, and establishing Fort St. Charles and
later Fort Maurepas on Lake Winnipeg. In a few years he had strung a series
of Forts, like beads, to the edge of the Great Plains.
Attacked By the Souix
Now disaster threatend. Lack of supplies forced and finacial pressure forced
hime to return to Montreal when now he was on the edge of the Prairies accross
which according to the Indians was the Great Water. During his abscence
La Jeremaye literally worked himself to death establishing friendly relations
among the savage tribes. He was the first victim of the search for the Western
Sea. Further misfortune was also imminent. Jean de LaVerendrye at the head
of a small band bring supplies to Fort Maurepas on Lake Winnipeg fell fould
to a band of warring Souix who reached Lake of the Woods by a narrow stream
called the Road of War, now known as the Warroad Creek, at the mouth of
which is the town of Warroad. This was the route followed on invasions from
the south into the lands of the Crees and Chippewas. Souix Narrows was a
part of this route. The small party under the young LaVerendrye, ambushed
in the morning mists, outnumbered, were wiped out to a man. Jean, Father
Aulneau and a dozen voyagers fell under the first shower of arrows. Cut
off from their canoes the other retreated and in desparation tried to swim
to a neighbouring island, but exuasted and wounded, they fell beneath the
waves one by one, the Souix standing on the shore not even bothering to
shoot an arrow at them. The ferocious Indians scalped, hacked and mutiliated
the gallant party before continueing on their warring path.
Keeps the Peace
With difficulty Pierre de LaVerendrye kept peace among the tribes of the
friendly Crees and Chippewas who wanted to avenged the death of Jean and
and attack the Souix. This would have started a series of Indian wars which
could only cumulate into more loss of life and attain no useful end. Would
that present day leaders follow this line of reasoning, the subjugation
of personal revenge for the betterment of the general good.
Mandan Village
Subsequently the Dakotas were explored and the Mandan Villiage where now
stands Bismark was visited. From the Mandans it was learned of tribes that
rode horses, the Apache and Snake Indians, of white men who who wore beards
and lived in houses, the Spaniards. However this exploration was lef to
the remainig LaVerendrye brothers who travelled as far west as the headwaters
of the Missouri River opposite the city of Pierre in South Dakota, indicating
beyond a doubt, the authenticy of the trip a 170 years before. On this voyage,
the LaVerendrye brothers were the first white men to gaze upon the inspiring
beauty of the snow-capped peaks of the Rocky Mts. The accompaning tribe
of Indians, fearful of attack, forced them to turn back, leaving the mystery
of the Western Sea stil unsolved. Although told that the Great Water lay
only over the mountain range,little did the brothers realize the long aurdous
trip still separating them from their goal even if they did surmount the
range.
Restored to Leadership
In the meantime, attempts were made to discredit the work of Pierre de LaVerendrye
but eventually the real worth of his endeavors was realized and in 1749
he was restored to his leadership in the west.
But this acknowledgemtn came to late. While making preparations for an extended
trip up the Saskatchewan River and over the mountains to the long dreamed
of goal, he was taken ill and before the close of the year LaVerendrye had
set out on that journey from which no man returns.
Little more remains to be said os the LaVerendrye family. Prejudice, emnity
and jealousy le the remainig two brother to be discredited and in spite
of devoted efforts the promises.extended to their father did not pass to
them, and ruined in purse and denied opputunity, they fell into obscurity
and soon were forgotten.
Canada's Sons
Such injustice the worthy Grey Nuns, I feel, are striving to rectify in
naming our new hospital LaVerendrye Hospital. What more fitting than that
a House of Mercy, opewn to all people, Jew and Gentile,Protestant and Catholic,regardless
of colour, black, yellow or white, what more fittign than such an institute
be named after a family who gave their all to open a region and bring the
benefiets of Christain faith to a savage people. What more fitting in this
day of greed for power, whe death rather than the soccur of men back to
health predominates, that there be named a hospital after a father and his
sons who forgot personal gain and agrandizment to devote their lives to
their country. The time at my disposal does not permit me to dwell more
fully into the lives of these great men. The passing centuries have changed
the area as they knew it. Erosion and the work of man has changed the river
that carried them onto the unknown west; a town with it's many buildings
has risen on the banks where they once trod; the woodsman's axe has levelled
the forests whos stillnes they were first to disturb; the Indians they knew
have long since vanished into reservations as wards of the government. But
out of all these changes their name will still live on the white brick of
the hospital tha bears their name, standing close to that water route that
knew the sound of their paddle as it was losed from the grip of winter.
The white cross above reaching to the heavens, silent reminder of the Faith
that was theirs and the Almighty Father that guided their destinies. My
friends, let the name of Pierre Gaultier de LaVerendrye, of his sons, Jean,
Pierre, and Francois, be drawn out of obscurity and let us in this community
give full credit to these, four of Canada's greatest sons.
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