This Website is owned and maintained by the Keeseekoowenin First Nation History Committee and published under the authority of the Chief and Council of Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation.
The images and text contained in this website are the property of the Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation
©Keeseekoowenin 1998
Natives of Riding Mountain
Page 6
Lord Vivian had renamed the ranch "Riding Mountain Ranch" and initially rented it to the Hyde family. However, when Walter Scott arrived broke from the Yukon, Vivian hired him to run the ranch. Two regular hands there were Fred James Clarke and Ted Hodges, as well as Walter Scott's nephews: Alex and Solomon Flett, and McKay and Walter Burns. Fred Clarke married Walter's daughter, Annie, in 1912. Two of the native families, Joe Mentuk and Maneseese lived at the Kennis' Creek Crossing and helped with hay and feeding stock in the winter.
Lord Vivian would arrive early each summer with friends and relatives, especially two nieces. They spent the summer months there, usually with a group of friends. Vivian usually employed David and Solomon Burns as his guides. Up McDonald's Creek and on the north shore of what is now known as Stewart's Lake was a favourite hunting spot for the Vivian parties.
The Riding Mountain Ranch was well-known for its horses -- Clydesdale-Hackney and thoroughbred horses were raised, broke and trained. Every fall a big auction sale was held, and farmers and settlers bought workhorses, drivers, and saddle-horses from the Ranch. The Scotts had some cattle, hogs, and poultry, but chiefly for the Ranch's own use.
About 1908, a big modern barn was built with box stalls, feed bins, a huge hayloft with hay fork and sling-track. In 1910, the house was jacked up and a basement dug under it so a modern wood furnace could be installed. The walls were lathed and plastered. When World War I broke out, the ranch was sold to various farmers, including Frank Hyde. The Ranch House built by Robert Campbell in 1882 was destroyed by fire in 1944.
Walter Scott was my father, and I spent the first ten years of my life at the Riding Mountain Ranch. My Mother managed the Ranch household. There was a great deal of visiting among the Scott, Campbell and Burns families. Glen's family home was in the Big Grass Country of Gilbert Plains. There were camps at Lake Audy and Kennis Creek where Walter and Glen wintered their livestock
The McKay family from Rolling River were among the hunters who hunted moose and elk from the little reserve. McKay's wife was the daughter of Gambler, a great buffalo hunter. Gambler had three daughters: one lived on the Riding Mountain Reserve at Elphinstone, Mrs. John Lauder Bone; one married Billy Bone who spent a lot of time in the Riding Mountain. The Gambler was a fine-looking tall broad-shouldered man who had a lot of experience as a warrior and Buffalo hunter.
The people of the Riding Mountain Reserve in the early 1900-1930 were quite independent. They kept their identity. They were Indians, and quite equal to their white neighbours and were respected by the white settlers. Their houses were very much the same as the settlers' hewn log house, lumber floors, and board and shingle roofs. They had large gardens and root houses for winter storage, and store houses for cured meats and fish. They had no need for the Indian Agent, and saw him at Treaty time when council elections were held. Jim Muir, the business man of Elphinstone, a general merchant and cattle buyer, would commonly have Sunday dinner at "the Red House", as the Chiefs' home was known.
Around 1905 around the 1st of July was the time for recreation, conferences, and visiting the Plains just north of the village of Elphinstone that is now all torn up by removal of gravel for highways. It would be covered with tipis and tents, horse racing and foot races. Soccer and baseball was the order of the day.
The band had their own threshing outfit and steam engine. Threshing was a community affair. When the reserve grain was threshed, the outfit did custom threshing for settlers around the reserve. John Bone owned his own threshing outfit, a small gas tractor running the separator.
Some of the women had milk cows, and sold milk to the cheese factory. Later they made butter for sale and also sold cream, eggs, and poultry. Mrs. Cook, Mrs. George Flett, Maria and Eliza Burns all lived very well until they were too old to work. There was no old age pension then, nor welfare or family allowance. They raised several grandchildren.
The first school was a community affair with white and Indian children, and the teacher was J. Cunningham and John Lauder, who later bought the Hudson's Bay store. Lauder married Ann Ross, niece of Rev. George Flett, first missionary. Then, children were sent to the boarding school at Regina which seemed to have turned out some good tradesmen. Some of the successful were Solomon and Alex Flett.
Until 1930, the Okanase Band were quite self-supporting and lived a good life. Everyone seemed to have the necessities of life. They seemed very happy and there was a lot of community work or projects. The churches were quite active. There were lots of house parties with lots of good food and singing and dance. There were many good musicians who played the fiddle and organ, and many who could do "the Red River jig". Seldom was any liquor at these functions, although a quart of rye whisky could be bought for around a dollar at Strathclair.
The one great hardship the people of these times encountered was the lack of health services that are known today. Tuberculosis ran rampant among the Native people and some families were literally wiped out by this dreaded disease.
In the late 1920's, the status of the Indian seemed to go down. George Bone, Joe Boyer, John Bone, Solomon Burns, the Fletts had either passed on or were too old to work. The grain fields were no longer. Also the herds of cattle and horses were gone. Then the depression of the 1930's seemed to finish the happy life that was known among the people of the Okanase Band.
When it was decided to make Riding Mountain a National Park and Clear Lake Resort established, they wanted the Natives out of there. After much heartache and sorrow, these people lost their cause and were moved to other reserves. All that's left is their little cemetery. With the removal of the Natives from the little Okanase Reserve, it just about spelled the end of the Natives' way of life in the Riding Mountain.
{Page 1} {Page 2} {Page 3} {Page 4} {Page 5} {Page 6}
