Legare Family and Metis History

Canada or Rupert’s Land

The family name, Ouellette, Oullette, Oulette, or Willett, were some of the first Metis originating in Red River Manitoba, close to current day Winnipeg Manitoba.

The Metis or mixed as it is translated in French were a verging culture and peoples.

The western territories of Rupert’s Land were hard traveling, hard navigating and hard surviving on and in winter they were impossible without instinct, learned skills and toughness.

There is a historical event that changed the country of Canada or Rupert’s Land, two competing cultures and people were divided primarily between north and south for the fur trade. The Hudson’s Bay Company was primarily an English company, closely held by British ties, money and politics. The second company vying for the fur trade was the North West Company.

The HBC built trading posts throughout the north, and a group of French adventurers and explorers Started a company NW Company, in 1779 and formalized it in 1784, the original founders were Scottish Highlanders, however being based in Montreal the French “Courier de bois” runners of the woods were the pioneers and adventurers who headed west in search of furs and fortune. Most of these early fur traders had little or no experience in the harsh conditions and navigation that awaited them.

The “Wintering Partners”

While the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was run by “London Gentlemen” who stayed in England, the North West Company was famous for its “Wintering Partners.” These were the men—many of them Scottish like McTavish or French-Canadian—who actually lived in the Northwest, married Indigenous women, and fathered the first generations of Métis families.

The 100 or so years after the NWC was formed and flourished the Metis culture grew, formal marriage was not recorded in most cases however the Metis family unit was strong. In 1869, Dec. 8 the Louis Riel Provisional government was formed formalizing the Metis Peoples.

All the inhabitants of Canada west of Red River were European settlers or natives or Indigenous peoples. The Metis culture and nation grew out of these peoples living, working and mostly surviving together.

In 1869 there was infringement on the western territories and The Red River Resistance was strong. Initially, the Métis formed a committee to stop the Canadian surveyors and prevent the entry of the newly appointed Lieutenant-Governor, William McDougall.

A group of 12 French-speaking and 12 English-speaking representatives met to discuss a “Bill of Rights.” primarily for the preservation of the land for the Metis.

(December 8, 1869): This was the formal declaration of a provisional government to negotiate Manitoba’s entry into Canada. John Bruce was the first president, but Louis Riel was the primary strategist and became president shortly after in early 1870.

All these negotiations were in some ways conflicting with Manitoba entering in to Canada, The Metis were negotiating for their position and treatment in the area to be respected.

The Promise (1870)

Following the Red River Resistance of 1869-70, the Manitoba Act was passed. This officially “gave” or promised 1.4 million acres of land to the Métis.

The Goal: To protect Métis land rights as Manitoba joined Canada.

The Result: The government was incredibly slow to actually hand over titles. Many Métis families in Red River felt pushed out by new settlers and “reign of terror” violence from soldiers.

The distribution of land to the Métis in the Red River region was a complex and controversial process that grew out of the Manitoba Act of 1870. This Act was negotiated by Louis Riel and the Métis provisional government as a condition for Manitoba joining Confederation.

The whole Red River land allotments, is a full blog in itself as many things of this period in time could be. However I am just setting the stage for our Grandparents to be identified. The misappropriation of the Red River land was well documented, many of the Metis were not English speaking or understanding and many did not understand the documents and processes of the land allotments, so in many cases they were duped or robbed of the land.

The Move to Batoche (1870s–1880s)

Frustrated by the lack of land security in Manitoba, many families (including many Ouellettes) moved west to the South Saskatchewan River area (near Batoche). They started over, building new farms in their traditional river lot style.

The patriarch of our Metis heritage and our family on my Great Great Grandmother’s side was her Grandfather Joseph Ouellette Sr, an early fur trader born 1765 and married an Assiniboine woman given the French name Angelique, Indigenous women were typically given these French names after they were baptized that was a tradition before being married. (Most likely a Catholic thing).

Historical Significance: Joseph Ouellette, was a famous buffalo hunter and is often cited as a hero of the Battle of Batoche (1885), where he fought and died at the age of 86.

My Great Great Grandmother was Marie Ouellette, Granddaughter of Joseph and Angelique and daughter of Francois Ouellette and Josephte Bottineau.

Sadly our Great Great Grandmother died as a result of a fall off a horse while she was on a trip to visit her father near Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan.

Marie Ouellette was married to our Grandfather Jean-Louis Legare, April 15, 1873 at the St. Florent Mission near Lebret. The marriage was a very big event, I’ll talk more about it in a future post. Marie did have a son with Jean-Louis, Albert Joseph Legare.

Jean-Louis never remarried, losing his young wife was a tragedy one of many that Jean-Louis endured.