Joseph La France: Coureur de bois Marie-Anne Lagimodiere Jerry Potts

Marie-Anne Lagimodiere, Pioneer

Marie-Anne Lagimodiere was the first European woman in Alberta. In 1807 she married Jean-Baptiste Lagimodiere, a voyageur with the Hudson's Bay Company in Quebec City. Following the wedding they began the 5,000 km trek to Fort Edmonton. Together they spent their first winter at a camp near Red River where Lagimodiere had their first baby. Lagimodiere's second child came at Fort Edmonton where her husband was working as a fur trader. Life was often hard and dangerous but she won the respect of many people. Many years later her grandson, Louis Riel, would lead the Métis in rebellions against the federal government. Lagimodiere lived to be 95 and no doubt witnessed many changes in the West over her lifetime.

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