Belfast, Prince Edward Island, founded in August 1803, owes its existence to Lord Selkirk. Its bicentennial is a timely reminder of Selkirk’s work in Canada, which extended beyond Belfast to Baldoon (later Wallaceburg) in Ontario, as well as to Red River, the precursor to Winnipeg. Aptly named "The Silver Chief" by the five Indian chiefs with whom he negotiated a land treaty at Red River, the fifth Earl of Selkirk spent an immense fortune in helping Scottish Highlanders relocate themselves in Canada.
Selkirk has been well observed through the eyes of the rich and powerful, but his settlers have been neglected. Why did they leave Scotland? Which districts did they come from? Why did they settle in Canada? Why did Selkirk help them? How successful were their settlements? What impact did they have on Canada’s early development? Did Selkirk realize his ambitions for Canada?
In answering these questions, Lucille H. Campey presents a new and powerful case for re-assessing the achievements of Selkirk and his settlers. Using a wealth of documentary sources, she reconstructs the sequence of emigration from Scotland to the three areas of Canada where settlements were founded. She shows that emigration took place in a carefully planned and controlled way. She reveals the self-reliance, adaptability and steely determination of the Selkirk settlers in overcoming their many problems and obstacles. They brought their rich traditions of Scottish culture to Canada and, in doing so, helped to secure its distinctively Canadian future. Together, Selkirk and his settlers succeeded against overwhelming odds and altered the course of history.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-215) and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 971/.00491/63
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Originally published: Toronto, Ont. : Natural Heritage/Natural History, c2003 Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- n-cn---
- ISBN
- 9781770704381 1896219888
- LCCN
- F1063.S47
- LCCN Item number
- C36 2003eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- DLC
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xiv, 241 p.)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00603336 (OCoLC)288134306 (CaOOCEL)410696
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- DLC
Table of Contents
- Contents 6
- Tables and Figures 8
- Acknowledgements 10
- Preface 12
- Abbreviations 15
- 1 Lord Selkirk: Philanthropist & Colonizer 18
- 2 Emigration Frenzy in the Highlands & Islands 27
- 3 Success at Belfast, Prince Edward Island 39
- 4 Initial Setbacks at Baldoon, Upper Canada 66
- 5 Early Conflict at Red River 92
- 6 The Silver Chief Arrives 121
- 7 The Scottish Settlers of Red River 135
- 8 Later Developments at Belfast, Baldoon & Red River 158
- 9 Selkirk & his Settlers 172
- APPENDIX A: Thomas Douglas, fifth Earl of Selkirk: A Genealogical Table 183
- APPENDIX B: Men selected by Miles MacDonell to go to the Red River settlement, who were in Seal Islands, near York Factory in October, 1811 184
- APPENDIX C: The first arrivals at the Red River settlement who came in August, 1812 186
- APPENDIX D: List of people recruited in 1812 by Charles McLean, in Mull, for the Red River settlement and the Hudson's Bay Company 187
- APPENDIX E: Owen Keveny's list of the settlers and Hudson's Bay Company workers who sailed on the Robert Taylor from Sligo in June, 1812 189
- APPENDIX F: Red River Inhabitants whose names appear in a petition asking for protection following the Seven Oaks Battle of 1816 192
- Notes 193
- Bibliography 222
- Index 231
- A 231
- B 231
- C 233
- D 234
- E 234
- F 235
- G 235
- H 236
- I 237
- J 237
- K 237
- L 238
- M 239
- N 244
- O 245
- P 245
- Q 246
- R 246
- S 247
- T 251
- U 252
- V 252
- W 252
- Y 252
- Cover Credits 254
- About the Author 255