Lac La Biche - History - Aboriginal Descendants

Fosseneuve | Terror at the Mission | Trading Post | Pioneers

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TERROR AT THE MISSION

The St. Albert Mounted Rifles were stationed at Lac La Biche throughout the Northwest Rebellion of 1885. However they did not provide much comfort to the inhabitants, as there were few of them, and the mission had no walls for a rifleman to shoot from. Fortunately, although the Mission was threatened, it was never attacked.

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St. Albert Mounted Rifles

A word as to St. Albert Mounted Rifles. This little squadron of about sixty, all ranks, rode to the Mission at Lac La Biche by way of Victoria and Whitefish Lake. The men provided their own horses and saddlery and were issued with “Snider” rifles. No uniforms were issued. Transport consisted of Red River carts. The march from Edmonton occupied about a week. They used one of the Mission building at Lac La Biche as a barracks. The time was occupied with patrols, picquets, drill and rifle practice. The reserves were patrolled and watched. It appears that before their arrival, Big Bear had sent a half dozen emissaries to excite the Indians at Beaver (near Lac La Biche) to rise and the news was speedily passed to the Lac La Biche Indians who looted the Hudson’s Bay Company’s store. The leading half breeds went the west end of the lake for safety. Later Big Bear’s messengers and some Indians from Beaver Lake Reserve picked up anything that was left at the Company’s store. When Mr. Harrison Young of the Hudson’s Bay Company arrived from Edmonton some of the goods were returned.

There were several rumors that Big Bear’s band was heading for Lac La Biche, and the little garrison was constantly kept on the alert.

The St. Albert Mounted Rifles returned to Edmonton early in July and their arms were to the store at Fort Saskatchewan in September.

Acknowledgements:Taken from an item in “The Alberta Field Force of ‘85” by Colonel F. C. Jamieson

For those you who still question the arrival of the St. Albert Mounted Rifles at Lac La Biche, the following article may prove of interest. “The cheque in payment of the St. Albert Mounted Rifles for the Lac La Biche trip was received by Captain Cunningham at Regina, but the amount was considerably reduced from what appeared on the payment sheet.

From the Edmonton Bulletin, 1885

Île à la Pêche, May 3, 1885

Terror has relegated us to one of the islands, Île à la Pêche , where we are frightened to death. We are here with three Metis families who are not very reliable.

Mr. Young has come for his family and then they will proceed to Tawatina, then to Edmonton. We remained with Indians and Metis people who are very unstable. Our only hope is in Mary, our Heavenly Mother. Monsignor Faraud, the Reverend Father Callignon, plus the five brothers are at the mission; one of the brothers has given us cause for grave anxieties. He was about six miles away; this young boy reached the mission last night, alone, with the look of Holy Terror on his face - he said that he was rounding up the horses by Montagnais Lake. Brother Milsens was going around the lake in the other direction.

The boy said he saw an Indian without a gun who asked him, “Are you alone here?”
“Yes I am.”
“Are the Indians at the mission yet?”
“I don’t know.”
“You had better run away fast or I’ll kill you.”

The boy did not wait for a second order. He just ran as fast as he could and he gave us this news.
One man with this young boy took off to search for the Brother, and at this time (2 p.m.) we have not any news.

The ice on the lake is now at a dangerous stage, we will be isolated with no communication and who knows if we will die of fright and starvation on this island. The Reverend Father Letreste is our chaplin. Brother J. Marie goes fishing for us. We are a pitiful group of 21 people, Priest, Brother, 8 Sisters, 2 young ladies, plus 9 orphan boys and girls.

I had written to Reverend Sister St. Roch, through Mrs. Young, telling her about our plight, and now I’ve just found my letter after Mr. Young’s departure. I was so very sad and not seeing another such chance, I burned the letter. Today, I have no time nor energy to write Sister again, so please see that she gets part of this letter. And, how about all of you. Have you had these sorts of problems? Oh, my dear Father, I implore you... if at all possible, please come to our rescue. We are dying. Monsignor Faraud is very cheerful believing in divine intervention; Father Collignon is ready to collapse of overwork.

When I learned that Mr. Young was taking his family to Tawatina, I lost all courage, the police does not come to rescue Lac La Biche people. What will become of my dear sisters and all the children? The fort has been ransacked and plundered since (Sunday) April 26. Since our Metis (not all, thank goodness) took part at the mission, they would do the same here.

We escaped during the night of April 27 to 28 with a north wind blowing mercilessly. At dawn, we started walking on the lake, it was snowing, the wind blowing very strongly. Everyone was walking with the exception of Sister Niquette, two sick orphans and myself. The horse and sleigh carrying me sank a bit twice, just breaking the ice the size of a horse’s hoof. We finally arrived at this deserted fisherman’s cabin. We settled down and this is where I am writing these lines, from this refuge... maybe my last ones.

Extract from “Codex Historicus” of the Rev. Oblate Fathers, Sister Youville St. Albert, Alberta - 1905 - and Grey Nuns, Montreal

Terror at Lac La Biche April 17 to May 22, 1885

On April 17, 1885 about 3 p.m. Mr. Young of the Hudson’s Bay Post in Lac La Biche arrived at the Mission, very much under stress. With him were five persons: Mr. Alexander Hamelin, a Metis living close to the Mission, Chief Pakan, Reverend Steinhauer, and an interpreter named Erasmus, the last three persons from White Fish Reserve.

Mr. Young explained to Mgr. Faraud the purpose of his visit. On April 2, day of the Frog Lake Massacre, an Indian messenger had come to tell Chief Pakan of the Metis Rebellion, the battle at Duck Lake, the looting and ransacking at Battleford, and the success of the Crees at Frog Lake. This messenger begged Chief Pakan to attend the grand council which was being held at Fort Pitt. To this, Chief Pakan replied: “I am not interested.” Meanwhile, this news brought anxiety among the Saddle Lake Indians, who all came to be under his (Chief Pakan) protection, except one family (non-believers) who chose to loot and steal at the government farm, then run away and take refuge with Chief Big Bear.

A few days later Chief Pakan again received a new appeal. This time Wandering Spirit advised him that if he persisted in his same direction, at least get a fast horse and take off immediately for other regions. To this he replied in the same previous fashion.

But then he thought it wise to have a gathering of the Beaver Lake Indians and find out about their reactions. Because their Chief Piyesis was absent at the time, a second meeting was called upon his return. He asked all those in favor of peace to come to his side, and they all did and they also promised allegiance to the Queen. He then wrote to the Indian Agent, Mr. Anderson, assuring him of his people’s decisions and he also asked the agent for ammunition which would permit the Indians to go on a hunting expedition.

The latest letter from Wandering Spirit was accompanied by another one addressed to Hamelin, the most influential Metis in the area. The letter gave accounts of the brilliant victory at Frog Lake, where all the whites perished while the Indians didn’t even have a scratch. It invited Wandering Spirit to bring all his Metis from Lac La Biche to Fort Pitt so as they could see the spot where the victory had taken place. If he could not decide what to do, then he should at least give the guns and ammunition from his store to the Indians or else these articles would be taken by force. Chief Pakan had no desire to join the ranks of the rebels so he never did answer the letter. It was now becoming evident that all of these acts of defiance against the powerful Big Bear’s orders would would certainly bring attack by his warriors on this colony (Lac La Biche Mission).

Mr. Young also came to warn Mgr. Faraud and his missionaries to be ready for any eventuality. “Metis and Cree Indians want to imitate Chief Pakan,” he said. “They want to defend themselves and all of us; this is why I have summoned everyone to a general meeting at the fort so as to organize an all-out resistance.”

“The day that Mr. Young came to announce this bad news,” wrote Mgr. Faraud, “he believed his duty (without consulting me) was to pay the Sisters a visit. Being under great strain himself, he informed them of the worst events that could happen, and with conviction, he said that if the Crees came, surely they would be taken hostage, kept captive and eventually sold for the price of a horse or a gun, etc. Have I got to tell you how these poor Sisters felt and how they still feel?”

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