George McDougall
Encyclopedia
George Millward McDougall (1821-1876) was a Methodist missionary in Canada who assisted in negotiations leading to Treaty 6
and Treaty 7
between the Canadian government and the Indian tribes of western Canada.
).After attending Victoria College in Cobourg
, he was ordained in 1854. In 1860 he was sent to the Rossville near Norway House. In 1863 he established the Victoria Mission near Edmonton
, the earliest Methodist mission in the West, and was superintendent of Methodist missionary work in the Saskatchewan District. In 1871 he founded a permanent mission at Edmonton House, a Hudson's Bay Company
outpost at what is now Edmonton, Alberta. McDougall also helped prepare the Natives for the signing of Treaty 6 and Treaty 7. He died in a blizzard while on a buffalo hunt near what is now Calgary, Alberta.
He and his son (the Reverend John Chantler McDougall) served missions over a wide area, ministering to Indian groups at Pigeon Lake, Stoney Lake, Saddle Lake and Whitefish Lake.
George extended his ministry to southern Alberta, establishing a mission on the Bow River named Morleyville. It was on a hunting trip in January 1876 near the Nose Hill area that Rev. George McDougall was lost in a blizzard and was found dead several days later.
An indication of his influence in the creation of present-day Alberta can be found in the large number of memorials that have been established throughout the province, including hospitals, schools and other local landmarks.
Treaty 6
Treaty 6 is an agreement between the Canadian monarch and the Plain and Wood Cree Indians and other tribes of Indians at Fort Carlton, Fort Pitt and Battle River. The area agreed upon by the Plain and Wood Cree represents most of the central area of the current provinces of Saskatchewan and...
and Treaty 7
Treaty 7
Treaty 7 was an agreement between Queen Victoria and several mainly Blackfoot First Nations tribes in what is today the southern portion of Alberta. It was concluded on September 22, 1877. The agreement was signed at the Blackfoot Crossing of the Bow River, at the present-day Siksika Nation...
between the Canadian government and the Indian tribes of western Canada.
Biography
McDougall was born in Kingston, Ontario (then Upper CanadaUpper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
).After attending Victoria College in Cobourg
Cobourg, Ontario
Cobourg is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario 95 km east of Toronto. It is the largest town in Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is located along Highway 401 and the former Highway 2...
, he was ordained in 1854. In 1860 he was sent to the Rossville near Norway House. In 1863 he established the Victoria Mission near Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, the earliest Methodist mission in the West, and was superintendent of Methodist missionary work in the Saskatchewan District. In 1871 he founded a permanent mission at Edmonton House, a Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
outpost at what is now Edmonton, Alberta. McDougall also helped prepare the Natives for the signing of Treaty 6 and Treaty 7. He died in a blizzard while on a buffalo hunt near what is now Calgary, Alberta.
He and his son (the Reverend John Chantler McDougall) served missions over a wide area, ministering to Indian groups at Pigeon Lake, Stoney Lake, Saddle Lake and Whitefish Lake.
George extended his ministry to southern Alberta, establishing a mission on the Bow River named Morleyville. It was on a hunting trip in January 1876 near the Nose Hill area that Rev. George McDougall was lost in a blizzard and was found dead several days later.
An indication of his influence in the creation of present-day Alberta can be found in the large number of memorials that have been established throughout the province, including hospitals, schools and other local landmarks.