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Natives of Riding Mountain
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Horses were of great value to these people, and there were many famous horse owners in this band. The Riding Mountain provided good forage for these horses. The plains of Lake Audy and along Clear Creek were excellent wintering grounds for livestock.
At this time, the Okanese trappers had to trade either at Fort Ellice or Manitoba House on Lake Manitoba. Since the fur-trapping and hunting was good in the nearby area, so about 1850 the Hudson's Bay Company had a winter outpost on the east side of "Lake Audy", where James Audy was in charge. In the Spring of 1868, the Okanese trappers had arrived with a good winter catch of fine fur, only to find the post closed and the trader gone. They burnt the post to the ground.
Robert Campbell, chief factor of Swan River District and John Archie McDonald from Fort Pelly arrived at Fort Ellice to discuss a year-round post at Riding Mountain. Walter Traill, a clerk at Fort Ellice, volunteered to establish the post. He set out on September 15, 1868, with the men and equipment for the buildings. Traill met two American prospectors at the junction of the Carlton and Fort Ellice trails, and when he learned they were house-builders, he hired them. When the crew arrived at Riding Mountain, Traill chose a location at a beautiful part of the Little Saskatchewan River valley near where Chief Okanese was camped -- in fact, it was the Chief's favourite camping spot.
Okanese was not at all pleased with the idea of a post, since the memory of the previous spring's experience was still fresh in his mind. Traill entered into negotiations, ending up with an agreement that higher prices would be paid on Riding Mountain fur. Traill and his American carpenters went about their work, and by winter, the post was ready. Traill remained in charge for the next three years.
In the early years, Riding Mountain House was supplied from Fort Ellice. The trail ran southwest from the Post past Glen Forsa, past Menzie, south past Ipswich to the south end of Shoal Lake. Here it joined the main trail west through Fort Ellice on west to Fort Carlton.
With settlement, the new post could get supplies from Rapid City. When lumber camps were established about six miles to the north of the post, they too looked to Rapid City for supplies. The main freighter was a man named Jack Hales. He would haul the freight overland to the HBC Post, and from there the cargo would move up the Little Saskatchewan River. In the spring, piles of winter-cut logs were rolled into the river to float down to sawmills when the ice broke up.
The Rapid City trail began about the same as the CNR route to near Moline, then ran northwest to Newdale across the Little Saskatchewan, and along Wolf Lake to Riding Mountain House up the river to the camps by Jim Prout's place. Jack Hales would board at the Prouts, and stop at Jordy Jackson's stopping house at the south end of Wolf Lake to rest his horses.
When Okanese died about 1870, he was buried on a knoll about a half-mile south of the post. His son Mekis became chief, and in 1871, it was Mekis who signed Treaty Nº2 entered into on behalf of Queen Victoria. Mekis died in 1874, and his younger half-brother, Keeseekoowenin (also known as Moses Burns) took over as chief until his death in April, 1906, at age 87. He was a strong man, quiet and kind, 6'1", slim, broad shoulders, an excellent athlete as a youth. He was known as a great buffalo hunter and horseman. Robert Campbell called him "one of Nature's gentlemen".
With the coming of the settlers and the settling of the region around Riding Mountain and the forming of the Riding Mountain Reserve, the Okanese Band seemed to do very well, especially the family of Chief Keeseekoowenin. Although the Treaty called for a reserve at Lake Dauphin, Okanese' Metis and Orkney sons tended to prefer land to the south of the Mountain. Keeseekoowenin himself had chosen the southeast corner of the reserve where a small creek ran into the river. There were good meadows, plenty of hay for his cattle and horses, and a good field for grain.
George Flett Burns, his eldest son, and Solomon, his brother, helped their father to build a fine big house on the southeast corner of the reserve. The house was in three parts -- one part was a two-story dwelling where his daughters Maria, Eliza, Harriet, Victoria and Isabelle lived. Another part was working and eating, the third part was another two-story dwelling for the Chief and his wife. The daughters did most of the farm work with the help of their brothers. There were many happy times putting up hay, harvesting grain.
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