|
Home
Social Landscape
Featured Articles
Searching for
Robert Rundle
by
Gerald Hutchinson
Page 1 |
2
In 1950 I discovered, to my amazement, that Robert Rundle had initiated a
mission on the north shore of Pigeon lake, in the area now identified as Mission
Beach. The prominence of Mount Rundle in Banff, and the prevalence of his name
elsewhere in that region, left me with the casual assumption that his work and
influence were centred there. So began the merry chase that has claimed my
attention ever since.
The first information was easily found. He was one of the four British
Wesleyan missionaries appointed as chaplains to the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC),
and his base was Fort Edmonton. He arrived in October 1840, and departed for
England in 1848. In 1858, the Palliser Expedition was searching for favourable
mountain passes. Along the Bow River they met the Stoney Indians who had been
strongly influenced by Robert Rundle. Presumably either Captain John Palliser or
Dr James Hector or both named Mount Rundle. The name appears on the Palliser map
of 1863. In 1914, the Banff Chapter of the IODE wanted to name its chapter
after Robert Rundle and were able to correspond with Rundle's daughter, who
provided them with "extracts from Father's jottings." This information was not
widely known, but fortunately was preserved in the Legislative Library. Some
English Methodists who had known Rundle in England after his return, settled in
Fraser Flats, Edmonton, in 1910, and named their church in his honour. In 1940,
the Alberta Conference of the United Church met in Edmonton, at which time a
pageant was prepared depicting his arrival in Fort Edmonton in 1840. In 1941,
the United Church in Banff was officially designated the Rundle Memorial Church.
Despite this honouring of his name, little was known about his ministry, his
travels or the response of Indians to his ministry. Since the HBC mission was
British, and all reports were sent to England, little information could be found
in Canadian archives, but interest was rising steadily on the north shore of
Pigeon Lake, and the Rundle's Mission Society was formed in 1956. A two-storey
lodge was constructed in 1959-60, and the mission was recognized as a National
Historic Site in 1965. The dedication service, centred on the newly constructed
monument, was offered by the Government of Canada and the United Church of
Canada. Also in 1965, my search for Rundle himself suddenly yielded results.
My work in the United Church of Canada involved considerable travel, so I was
constantly exploring any possible sources. Shortly after the dedication service
I had a meeting in Toronto, so I made a side trip to Ottawa to present pictures
of the dedication service to the Hon. Arthur D. Laing, then Minister of Northern
Affairs. Then I went to the Public Archives of Canada and spent hours in my
first search of the microfilm of the Hudson's Bay Archives. This was a profound
revelation, for the letters of Governor George Simpson over a period of eight
years gave information and interpretation of the British Wesleyan Mission that I
had never imagined, including charges of scandal and the recall of the
Superintendent, Reverend Mr. James Evans. This provided me with a new background
and perspective for understanding the work of Rundle when at last it became
available.
I also learned, however, that the Chief Factor at Norway House, Donald
Ross, lived daily with Superintendent Evans and his family, and with Reverend
Mr. William Mason and his family. Ross reported regularly, and often privately,
to Governor Simpson, but the Ross papers were in a separate collection held by
the Public Archives of British Columbia. So I had to await a trip to Victoria to
get into this exciting material. Many of us were searching, and sharing our
results. Hugh Dempsey, archivist of the Glenbow Museum, Reverend Mr. John
Travis, of Rundle Memorial Church, Banff, Reverend Mr. J. Ernest Nix, and others
were all involved, and each contributed to the dramatic recovery of the
documents. Very shortly after my return from Ottawa, Ernie Nix and I were
attending a conference in Banff. John Travis telephoned to ask us to hurry down
to the church. A young man had just introduced himself as a great-grandson of
Robert Rundle, and delivered the long-sought diary and journals of Rundle's
eight-year ministry. He also gave us the address of his mother, who had the rest
of Rundle's papers. The journal, a heavy, bound book, was placed in the Glenbow
Museum, and I began to anticipate a trip to Britain.
[continue>>] |
|