1885 in Canada
Encyclopedia
Events from the year 1885 in Canada
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Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
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Events
- March 26 - Louis RielLouis RielLouis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
and the MétisMétis people (Canada)The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
battle the North-West Mounted Police at Duck LakeBattle of Duck LakeThe Battle of Duck Lake was a skirmish between Métis soldiers of the Provisional Government of Saskatchewan and Canadian government forces that signalled the beginning of the North-West Rebellion.-Prelude:... - April 24 - North-West RebellionNorth-West RebellionThe North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
: Battle of Fish CreekBattle of Fish CreekThe Battle of Fish Creek , fought April 24, 1885 at Fish Creek, Saskatchewan, was a major Métis victory over the Dominion forces attempting to quell Louis Riel's North-West Rebellion...
fought between Canadian forces and the Métis - May 2 - North-West RebellionNorth-West RebellionThe North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
: Battle of Cut KnifeBattle of Cut KnifeThe Battle of Cut Knife, fought on May 2, 1885, occurred when a small force of Cree and Assiniboine warriors were attacked by a flying column of mounted police, militia, and Canadian army regulars... - May 9-May 12 - North-West RebellionNorth-West RebellionThe North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
: Battle of BatocheBattle of BatocheThe Battle of Batoche was the decisive battle of the North-West Rebellion. Fought from 9 May to 12 May 1885 at the ad hoc Provisional Government of Saskatchewan capital of Batoche, the greater numbers and superior firepower of Middleton's force could not be successfully countered by the Métis ,...
the Métis are defeated in battle - May 28 - North-West RebellionNorth-West RebellionThe North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
: Battle of Frenchman's ButteBattle of Frenchman's ButteThe Battle of Frenchman's Butte, fought on May 28, 1885, occurred when a force of Cree, dug in on a hillside near Frenchman's Butte, was unsuccessfully attacked by the Alberta Field Force.-Background:... - June 3 - North-West RebellionNorth-West RebellionThe North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
: Battle of Loon LakeBattle of Loon LakeThe Battle of Loon Lake concluded the North-West Rebellion on June 3, 1885 and was the last battle fought on Canadian soil. Led by Major Sam Steele, a force of North-West Mounted Police, Alberta Mounted Rifles and Steele's Scouts caught up with and dispersed a band of Plains Cree warriors and...
. The last Cree resistance is shattered. - July 2 - Big BearBig BearBig Bear or Mistahi-maskwa was a Cree leader notable for his involvement in the North-West Rebellion and his subsequent imprisonment.-Early life and leadership:...
captured. - September 15 - Northwest Territories electionNorthwest Territories election, 1885The Northwest Territories election of 1885 was the first major election in the history of the territory. The election took place on 15 September 1885....
- October 31 - Newfoundland electionNewfoundland general election, 1885The 16th Newfoundland general election was held on 31 October 1889 to elect members of the 15th General Assembly of Newfoundland in the Dominion of Newfoundland...
: Robert ThorburnRobert ThorburnSir Robert Thorburn was a Newfoundland merchant and politician who served as the colony's Premier from 1885 to 1889.Born in Scotland, Thorburn emigrated to Newfoundland in 1852 when he was sixteen...
's ReformsConservative parties in Newfoundland (pre-Confederation)For the modern Conservative Party see Progressive Conservative Party of Newfoundland and LabradorThe Conservative Party of Newfoundland was a political party in the Dominion of Newfoundland prior to confederation with Canada in 1949....
win a majority - November 7 - The transcontinental railway is completed. John A. MacdonaldJohn A. MacdonaldSir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
receives a telegram announcing that the first train from MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
is approaching the Pacific. - November 16 - Riel is executed in Regina, SaskatchewanRegina, SaskatchewanRegina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
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Full date unknown
- Banff National ParkBanff National ParkBanff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
, the first national park in Canada is established - A head tax on Chinese immigrantsChinese Immigration Act of 1885The Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 placed a head tax on all Chinese immigrants coming to Canada, forcing them to pay a fifty dollar fee to enter the country. In 1900, the fee was raised to one hundred dollars...
is imposed by the federal government - Canada outlaws the potlatchPotlatchA potlatch is a gift-giving festival and primary economic system practiced by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States. This includes Heiltsuk Nation, Haida, Nuxalk, Tlingit, Makah, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Coast Salish cultures...
ceremony among Northwest Coast tribes. The law, often ignored, is repealed in 1951.
January to June
- January 11 - Gordon Daniel ConantGordon Daniel ConantGordon Daniel Conant, KC was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and the 12th Premier of Ontario.-Early life:...
, lawyer, politician and 12th Premier of OntarioPremier of OntarioThe Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
(d.19531953 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Vincent Massey*Prime Minister – Louis Saint Laurent*Premier of Alberta – Ernest Manning*Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C...
) - January 13 - Alfred FullerAlfred FullerAlfred Carl Fuller was a Canadian-born American businessman. He was the original "Fuller Brush Man."...
, businessman (d.19731973 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch - Elizabeth II*Governor General - Roland Michener*Prime Minister - Pierre Trudeau*Premier of Alberta - Peter Lougheed*Premier of British Columbia - Dave Barrett*Premier of Manitoba - Edward Schreyer...
) - February 4 - Cairine WilsonCairine WilsonCairine Reay Mackay Wilson was Canada's first female senator.-Early life:Born Cairine Reay Mackay in Montreal, she was the daughter of Jane Mackay and Robert Mackay, a Liberal Senator and personal friend of Sir Wilfrid Laurier. She attended Elmwood School and was "head girl" in her graduating year...
, Canada's first female Senator (d.19621962 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Georges Vanier*Prime Minister – John Diefenbaker*Premier of Alberta – Ernest Manning*Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C...
) - April 3 - Allan DwanAllan DwanAllan Dwan was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:...
, film director, producer and screenwriter (d.19811981 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch - Elizabeth II*Governor General - Edward Schreyer*Prime Minister - Pierre Trudeau*Premier of Alberta - Peter Lougheed*Premier of British Columbia - Bill Bennett*Premier of Manitoba - Sterling Lyon then Howard Pawley...
) - May 8 - Thomas B. CostainThomas B. CostainThomas Bertram Costain was a Canadian journalist who became a best-selling author of historical novels at the age of 57.-Life:...
, journalist and historical novelist (d.19651965 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch: Elizabeth II*Governor General: Georges Vanier*Prime Minister: Lester B. Pearson*Premier of Alberta: Ernest Manning*Premier of British Columbia: W.A.C...
) - June 27 - Arthur LismerArthur LismerArthur Lismer, CC was an English-born Canadian painter and member of the Group of Seven.-Early life:At age 13 he apprenticed at a photo-engraving company. He was awarded a scholarship, and used this time to take evening classes at the Sheffield School of Arts from 1898 until 1905...
, painter and member of the Group of SevenGroup of Seven (artists)The Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley...
(d.19691969 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch - Elizabeth II*Governor General - Roland Michener*Prime Minister - Pierre Trudeau*Premier of Alberta - Harry Strom*Premier of British Columbia - W.A.C...
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July to December
- July 23 - Izaak Walton KillamIzaak Walton KillamIzaak Walton Killam was one of Canada's most eminent financiers.-Early life:Born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Killam rose from paper boy in Yarmouth to become one of Canada's wealthiest individuals.-Business ventures:...
, financier (d.19551955 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch: Elizabeth II*Governor General: Vincent Massey*Prime Minister: Louis Saint Laurent*Premier of Alberta: Ernest Manning*Premier of British Columbia: W.A.C...
) - July 31 - Charles Avery DunningCharles Avery DunningCharles Avery Dunning, PC was born in Croft, Leicestershire, England. During his career, he was a successful businessman, a Canadian politician , and a university chancellor.-Early life:...
, politician, Minister and university chancellor (d.19581958 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Vincent Massey then Georges Vanier*Prime Minister – John Diefenbaker*Premier of Alberta – Ernest Manning*Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C...
) - October 23 - Lawren HarrisLawren HarrisLawren Stewart Harris, CC was a Canadian painter. He was born in Brantford, Ontario and is best known as a member the Group of Seven who pioneered a distinctly Canadian painting style in the early twentieth century. A. Y. Jackson has been quoted as saying that Harris provided the stimulus for the...
, Group of SevenGroup of Seven (artists)The Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley...
painter (d.19701970 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch - Elizabeth II*Governor General - Roland Michener*Prime Minister - Pierre Trudeau*Premier of Alberta - Harry Strom*Premier of British Columbia - W.A.C...
) - November 5 - Edgar Sydney LittleEdgar Sydney LittleEdgar Sydney Little was a Canadian politician.The son of Colonel John William Little and Kate Nicholson Little, he was born in London, Ontario, Canada. He was the fifth boy out of seven. The family lived at 245 Dufferin Avenue, across from Centre Park, now known as Victoria Park. Their home is...
, politician (d.19431943 in Canada-Events:*January 8 - Stuart Garson becomes premier of Manitoba, replacing John Bracken, who had governed for 21 years*May 11 - J. Walter Jones becomes premier of Prince Edward Island, replacing Thane Campbell...
) - December 5 - Ernest CormierErnest Cormierthumb|Église Sainte-Marguerite-Marie-Alacoque, Montréal, thumb|Église Saint-Ambroise, Montréal, Ernest Cormier, OC was a Canadian engineer and architect who spent much of his career in the Montreal area, erecting notable examples of Art Deco architecture.-Life and career:He was born in Montreal,...
, engineer and architect (d.19801980 in Canada-Incumbents:* Monarch - Elizabeth II* Governor General - Edward Schreyer* Prime Minister - Joe Clark then Pierre Trudeau* Premier of Alberta - Peter Lougheed* Premier of British Columbia - Bill Bennett* Premier of Manitoba - Sterling Lyon...
) - December 24 - Abraham Albert HeapsAbraham Albert HeapsAbraham Albert Heaps was a Canadian politician and labour leader.Born in Leeds, England, Heaps immigrated to Canada in 1911 and worked in Winnipeg as an upholsterer. He was one of the leaders of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 and was a Labor alderman on the Winnipeg City Council from 1917...
, politician and labor leader (d.19541954 in Canada-Incumbents:*Monarch – Elizabeth II*Governor General – Vincent Massey*Prime Minister – Louis Saint Laurent*Premier of Alberta – Ernest Manning*Premier of British Columbia – W.A.C...
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Deaths
- January 13 - Gilbert Anselme GirouardGilbert Anselme GirouardGilbert Anselme Girouard was a general merchant and political figure in New Brunswick, Canada. He represented Kent in the Canadian House of Commons from 1878 to 1883 as a Liberal-Conservative member....
, politician (b.18461846 in CanadaSee also:1845 in Canada,other events of 1846,1847 in Canada.----Events from the year 1846 in Canada.-Events:*January 29 - Many persons in the Eastern Townships are arrested on charge of counterfeiting, being afterwards tried before Sir James Stuart and other Judges. Hon L. T. Drummond and Edward...
) - February 23 - Joseph Edouard CauchonJoseph Édouard CauchonJoseph Édouard Cauchon, PC was a prominent Quebec politician in the middle years of the nineteenth-century...
, politician (b.18161816 in Canada-Events:* January 5 - Sir George Prevost dies before consideration of Commodore Yeo's charges; but the Duke of Wellington says: "He must have returned, after the fleet was beaten, I am inclined to think he was right...
) - April 8 - Susanna MoodieSusanna MoodieSusanna Moodie, born Strickland , was an English-born Canadian author who wrote about her experiences as a settler in Canada, which was a British colony at the time.-Biography:...
, writer (b.18031803 in Canada-Events:*Thomas Jefferson completes Louisiana Purchase extending U.S. control west of the Mississippi River; federal plans to resettle Eastern tribes beyond the Mississippi soon begin....
) - May 8 - James Colledge PopeJames Colledge PopeJames Colledge Pope, PC was a land proprietor and politician on Prince Edward Island , Canada. He served as premier of the colony from 1865 to 1867, and from 1870 to 1872. He was premier of PEI in 1873 when the island joined Canadian confederation.He was born in Bedeque, Prince Edward Island, the...
, politician and 5th Premier of Prince Edward IslandPrince Edward IslandPrince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
(b.18261826 in CanadaSee also:1825 in Canada,other events of 1826,1827 in Canada.----Events from the year 1826 in Canada.-Events:*June 8 - A mob of the ruling party, the Family Compact, destroy the Colonial Advocate's press at York...
) - June 8 - Ignace BourgetIgnace BourgetIgnace Bourget was a French-Canadian Roman Catholic priest who held the title of Bishop of Montreal from 1840 to 1876. Born in Lévis, Quebec in 1799, Bourget entered the clergy at an early age, undertook several courses of religious study, and in 1837 was named co-adjutor bishop of the newly...
, bishop of the Diocese of MontrealRoman Catholic Archdiocese of MontrealThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montréal is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of Quebec. The Archbishop of Montréal is Metropolitan of a province that includes the suffragan dioceses of Joliette, Saint-Jean-Longueuil, Saint-Jérôme, and Valleyfield...
(b.17991799 in Canada-Events:* David Thompson marries Charlotte Small* North West Company establishes a fur post at Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. The nearby Hudson's Bay Company fur post which is also established at this time is called Acton House....
) - July 17 - Jean-Charles ChapaisJean-Charles ChapaisJean-Charles Chapais, PC was a Canadian Conservative politician, and considered a Father of Canadian Confederation for his participation in the Quebec Conference to determine the form of Canada's government....
, politician (b.18111811 in Canada-Events:* John Jacob Astor's Pacific Fur Company establishes a post at mouth of the Columbia River.* David Thompson follows Columbia to Pacific and finishes charting entire length of the river....
) - August 18 - Francis HincksFrancis HincksSir Francis Hincks, KCMG, PC was a Canadian politician.Born in Cork, Ireland, he was the son of Thomas Dix Hincks an orientalist, naturalist and Presbyterian minister and the brother of Edward Hincks orientalist, naturalist and clergyman.He moved to York in 1832 and set up an importing business...
, politician (b.18071807 in Canada-Events:* The slave trade is abolished in the British Empire, although slavery continues in the colonies.* The Embargo Act aims at keeping US ships out of European conflicts.* David Thompson crosses Rockies and builds a trading post at headwaters of Columbia River...
) - November 5 - David AndersonDavid Anderson (bishop)David Anderson was a Church of England priest and bishop.Born in London, England, Anderson was educated at University of Edinburgh and Exeter College, Oxford. He was the vice-principal of St. Bees College, Cumberland and an incumbent of All Saints', Derby...
, Church of England priest and bishop of Rupert's LandRupert's LandRupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
(b.18141814 in Canada-Events:* March 3 - The Governor refuses to suspend Chief Justices Sewell and Monk, on suggestion of one branch of the Legislature. James Stuart moves, affirming the Assembly's right to inform the Governor of irregularities, without concurrence of the Council; and that the Governor has violated the...
) - November 16 - Louis RielLouis RielLouis David Riel was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political and spiritual leader of the Métis people of the Canadian prairies. He led two resistance movements against the Canadian government and its first post-Confederation Prime Minister, Sir John A....
, politician and MétisMétis people (Canada)The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
leader (b.18441844 in CanadaSee also:1843 in Canada,other events of 1844,1845 in Canada.----Events from the year 1844 in Canada.-Events:*March 5 - The Toronto Globe is founded by George Brown*May 10 - Government moves from Kingston to Montreal....
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