|
to the Trails!
see also
The French Canadians
 Until the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885, most of the
white settlers on the Canadian Plains were of French origin. One of the
first Catholic mission centres had been established at St. Albert as early as
1843. The first buildings, a church and a priest's residence,
were erected in 1861. In 1863, the Youville Convent was built, where the Sisters of Charity cared for orphan Indians and so-called "halfbreeds",
as well as for the victims of smallpox, scarlet fever, and typhoid
epidemics. This religious centre was the base for Catholic missions in the
north for more than 20 years. When the railway was finally completed,
the church helped to ease the Native populations and local Métis
into a more
agricultural lifestyle.
 With the success of the mission at St. Albert, Father Morin also brought a
number of French Canadians to Morinville, north of St. Albert, and then to Legal and
Riviere-qui-barre. Neither the French Canadians
nor the Natives and Métis were enthusiastic farmers and they were soon pushed
out by other colonists who possessed more advanced agricultural skills. Father Lacombe gathered a number of those who had failed at the farming
lifestyle and moved them to a new settlement at St. Paul des Métis.
However, lack of transportation facilities isolated these communities, which, out
of necessity, managed to become self-sufficient, their schools and churches
being financed from Quebec. In these early French Canadian communities
French remained the sole language in the schools until the new influx of
European settlers forced the establishment of English and Protestant schools as
well.
By 1911 St. Albert boasted a population of only 1,000 people - 761
of which were French, 151 British, and 87 of other
nationalities. By 1916, there were close to 25,000 French Canadians in
Alberta, many residing in Edmonton and the surrounding area.
The CKUAHeritage Trails:
To listen to the Heritage Trails , you need the RealPlayer,
available free from RealNetworks:
- Ethnic Settlement in Alberta: Francophones - Oblates from France
attempted to convert native and Metis peoples to the Catholic faith
beginning in the mid-1800s. Father Lacombe moved his mission to St. Albert,
which became a large enclave of francophone culture.
Read | Listen
- Ethnic Settlement in Alberta: Francophones- In the late nineteenth
century, francophone culture flourished in St. Albert and Edmonton. But when
the railway began to supply the community of south Edmonton with greater
commercial success, the surrounding francophone communities suffered.
Read | Listen
- Ethnic Settlement in Alberta Part 2: Francophones- In the late
nineteenth century, francophone culture flourished in St. Albert and
Edmonton. But when the railway began to supply the community of south
Edmonton with greater commercial success, the surrounding francophone
communities suffered.
Read | Listen
- Ethnic Place Names: French, Part One: Demicharge and Cassette Rapids on
the Slave River- Listen to hear of the voyageurs, French fur traders and
some of the first Europeans to enter western Canada. The rapids along the
Slave River provided one of the most difficult challenges to these brave
men.
Read | Listen
- Ethnic Place Names Part Two, French: Pierre au Calumet, La Crete,
Carcajou- Ever wonder how the French communities of Calumet, La Crete,
and Carcajou got their names? Listen, and find out!
Read | Listen
- French Oblate Names: Part One - The Petitot River was named after
the famous Oblate priest, artist, and scholar, Father Petitot, who came to
Alberta as a missionary in 1862. Listen to learn more about this amazing
man.
Read | Listen
- French Oblate Names, Part Two: Father Vegreville - Father
Vegreville was an Oblate priest and an expert linguist of native languages.
The original francophone community to the east of Edmonton named their town
in his honour in 1906, and Vegreville later became the center of Ukrainian
settlement.
Read | Listen
See also:
[top]
|
|
