A Homesteader Family Perspective
This is a continuation of the Metis Nation History.
It is one view of the mixing pot for my Metis, Indian and
European cultures.
The quest for my Garneau family roots began in 1953 in Alberta, Canada.
Our multicultural family is shaped by those who went before us so a
brief pre-history is included.
ALBERTA covers an area of 661,848 square km, of
which 16,796 square km is water.
It's forest covers 381,000 square km
It measures 1,200 km from north to south and 699 km at its widest point.
It’s boundaries are marked by the 49° and 60° north latitude lines
and 120° west longitude lines
Alberta in terms of year-round comfort was ranked as
the best in Canada in 2005 by Environment Canada
It is the only Province in Canada to be debt free and rat free, not including
human rats.
It has the most sunny days year round in Canada.
11/22/2010
ALBERTA HISTORY pre-history to 1799
ALBERTA HISTORY 1800-1829
ALBERTA HISTORY 1830-1849
ALBERTA HISTORY 1850-1859
ALBERTA HISTORY 1860-1869
ALBERTA HISTORY 1870-1872
ALBERTA HISTORY 1873-1874
ALBERTA HISTORY 1875-1877 ALBERTA HISTORY 1878-1882 ALBERTA HISTORY 1883-1886
ALBERTA HISTORY 1887-1894
ALBERTA HISTORY 1895-1998
ALBERTA HISTORY 1899-1904
ALBERTA HISTORY 1905-1907
ALBERTA HISTORY 1908-1909
ALBERTA HISTORY 1910-1917
ALBERTA HISTORY 1918-1921
ALBERTA HISTORY 1922-1932
ALBERTA HISTORY 1933-1937
ALBERTA HISTORY 1938-1944
ALBERTA HISTORY 1945-1949
ALBERTA HISTORY 1950-1969
ALBERTA HISTORY 1970-1989
ALBERTA HISTORY 1990-1999
ALBERTA HISTORY 2000-2008
DIRECTORY
Return to MAIN HISTORY index
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The Garneau family trek into Alberta is dated between 1871 - 1875.
The actual arrival of Lawrence Garneau (1840-1921) into the Fort Edmonton, North West Territories area, is shrouded in mystery. It is known he sold his homestead at Red River, District of Manitoba in 1870 to avoid losing it to claim jumpers. He attended a baptism November 1, 1870 in Red River. We know he was in the Fort Edmonton area, North West Territories in summer of 1874. To complicate matters he was in the process of changing religions from Anglican, at Red River, to Roman Catholic in Fort Edmonton. It is highly likely he spent this missing period (1871-1874) on the prairies involved in the bison (buffalo) hunt and freighting from Fort Edmonton to Red River, then on to Saint Paul, Minnesota, wintering at various Metis towns. It is equally possible they wintered near Fort Edmonton or Devils Lake (Lac St. Anne), or more likely Tail Creek des Metis. He was a free trader and not in the employ of the Hudson Bay Company. He was known to freight to the Peace River region.
The Garneau District of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is named after my great grandfather, Lawrence Garneau a Metis. A number of attempts have been made to erase his contribution to the history of Edmonton.
Lawrence Garneau the Metis was caught up in the Dakota Resistance Movement of 1861-1863, and the Louis Riel Resistance Movement of 1869-1870. He was involved in a Vigilance Committee to stop illegal squatters, namely Joe Bannerman M.P., the not so Honorable Minister of the Interior (1882-1883). He was almost hung in Fort Edmonton during the second Riel Resistance Movement (1885), and was involved in the defense of St. Paul de Metis, Alberta from the Roman Catholic Church infamous Father Therien claim jumping of (1908). He considered the grand bison (buffalo) hunts of the Prairies as the highlight of his life.
See
OBJECTIVES OF THIS SITE
for a first had account of Lawrence Garneau
Do I Hafta? by Richard Freeman
You don't have to journey into your past,
but if you do have a great day!
The following web site has copied most of my Alberta Section
They didn't even have the courtesy to provide a link to the original.
Or even to acknowledge the source of the material.
This is ignorant and reflects on the integrity of Jasper Alberta