Home > Red River Colony

Selkirk had become interested in the concept after reading Alexander Mackenzie's 1801 book on his adventures in exploring what is today the west of Canada. At the time, social upheaval in Scotland due to the introduction of sheep farming had left a number of Scots destitute, and Selkirk was interested in giving them a "better life" in a new colony he called Assiniboia.

He then purchased a controlling interest in the Hudson's Bay Company and set up the land grant. His idea (apparently) was to gain firm control of the area in order to take control of the West from the company's bitter rivals, the Montreal-based North West Company. With a colony in place the Métis trappers supplying the North West's fur traders, the Nor'Westers, would be displaced, cutting them off from areas further west.

The land included the watersheds of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, up to Lake Winnipeg, covering areas in what is today southern Manitoba and northern North Dakota. He sent out a small group of Scots in 1811 to the area, but they were forced to pause for the winter in York FactoryYork Factory was a historic settlement and longtime headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company in North America, located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in present-day northeastern Manitoba, Canada. The depot overlooks the bay approximately 100 km (. When they finally arrived in 1812 they built a fort, Fort Douglas , but by the time it was done the growing season was over and they hastily set about hunting buffalo for food.

When farming started the next spring, the results were less than expected and Selkirk had to ban anyone from taking food out of the colony. This touched off the Pemmican War . The Nor'Westers, who relied on pemmicanPemmican is a concentrated food consisting primarily of finely pounded cooked red meat mixed with melted fat, similar to beef jerky. Pemmican often includes a number of other ingredients, flour, molasses, and suet being common. It was invented by the Nati supplied to them by local Métis, were so upset that they destroyed Fort Douglas and burned down all the buildings around it. The fort was later rebuilt and things settled down for a time.

Selkirk heard of the problems and sent out a new governor, Robert SempleRobert Semple born 26 February 1777 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, was Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company from 1815 until his death June 19, 1816 at the Battle of Seven Oaks. Semple, Robert Semple, Robert., to take over. When he read a proclamation ordering the fighting to stop, the Battle of Seven OaksThe Battle of Seven Oaks took place in 1816 during the long dispute between the Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company, rival fur-trading companies in western Canada. Because of a shortage of food in 1814, Miles Macdonell, had issued a proclamati broke out, Fort Douglas was destroyed for a second time, and the settlers were forced off their land. Selkirk then sent in a force of 100 SwissThe Swiss Confederation or Switzerland is a landlocked federal state in central Europe, with neighbours Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. The country has a strong tradition of political and military neutrality, but also of international c mercenaries to enforce the peace, while also capturing the North West outpost at Fort William, OntarioFort William, Ontario was a city in Northern Ontario which amalgamated with Port Arthur, Ontario and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the City of Thunder Bay in January 1970. At that time it was the largest city in Northwestern Ontario. Histo. This attempt worked, and peace was maintained until the Hudson's Bay Company purchased the North West Company and things settled for good. However it also left Selkirk almost bankrupt and was one of the reasons the two companies were forced to merge in 1821, thus ending the problems for good.

The colony was never particularly successful agriculturally, but the lure of free land added new settlers every year. However the Hudson's Bay Company lost interest in paying for settlement by the 1850s, and by the 1860s the Métis outnumbered the Scots. This led to a second round of fighting in 1870, and eventually, the creation of Manitoba.