Riding Mountain House
Encyclopedia
Riding Mountain House was a Hudson Bay Company trading post set up to the south of what is now the Riding Mountain National Park
, on the Little Saskatchewan River
.
It was built in 1860 and maintained until 1895, by which time there was little remaining trade in furs.
It was near to modern-day Elphinstone, Manitoba
.
The Hudson's Bay Company established the post for the purpose of trading with the Ojibwe people led by Chief Okanase and then by Chief Keeseekoowenin
.
The Keeseekooweenin First Nation
owns the reserve where Riding Mountain House once stood.
In 1875 the band was offered the choice of staying at Riding Mountain House or moving to Dauphin Lake
, with fourteen heads of families voting to stay and nine to move to Dauphin Lake. The advantage of Dauphin Lake was that it had better hunting and fishing, and was more isolated from European settlement.
However, those who wanted to stay had built houses, cleared and fenced land and were raising good crops of potatoes, wheat, barley and garden vegetables. A Presbyterian Mission under the Rev. George Flett
was set up nearby.
Riding Mountain National Park
Riding Mountain National Park is a national park in Manitoba, Canada. The park sits atop the Manitoba Escarpment. Consisting of a protected area , the forested parkland stands in sharp contrast to the surrounding prairie farmland. The park is home to wolves, moose, elk, black bears, hundreds of...
, on the Little Saskatchewan River
Little Saskatchewan River
The Little Saskatchewan River is a river in western Manitoba. It originates in Riding Mountain National Park at Lake Audy and flows about south through the communities of Minnedosa and Rapid City. Its approximate length is 185 km. It joins the Assiniboine River about west of Brandon. The...
.
It was built in 1860 and maintained until 1895, by which time there was little remaining trade in furs.
It was near to modern-day Elphinstone, Manitoba
Elphinstone, Manitoba
Elphinstone is a community in the rural municipality of Strathclair in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is located northwest of Brandon, Manitoba and is on Highway 45.It is on the west bank of the Little Saskatchewan River....
.
The Hudson's Bay Company established the post for the purpose of trading with the Ojibwe people led by Chief Okanase and then by Chief Keeseekoowenin
Keeseekoowenin
Keeseekoowenin was a First Nations leader during the period when Canada was expanding into the prairie provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.-Origins:...
.
The Keeseekooweenin First Nation
Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation
Keeseekoowenin Ojibway First Nation has their main population located near Elphinstone, Manitoba on 61which is located south of Riding Mountain National Park. They are sometimes referred to as the Riding Mountain Band. They have IR 61A located within the National Park. There is also a third and...
owns the reserve where Riding Mountain House once stood.
In 1875 the band was offered the choice of staying at Riding Mountain House or moving to Dauphin Lake
Dauphin Lake
Dauphin Lake was named for the heir to the French throne in 1739 by Francois de La Verendrye. It is in western Manitoba near the city of Dauphin, Manitoba. The lake covers an area of and has a drainage basin of about . The Mossey River drains the lake into Lake Winnipegosis. The basin is drained...
, with fourteen heads of families voting to stay and nine to move to Dauphin Lake. The advantage of Dauphin Lake was that it had better hunting and fishing, and was more isolated from European settlement.
However, those who wanted to stay had built houses, cleared and fenced land and were raising good crops of potatoes, wheat, barley and garden vegetables. A Presbyterian Mission under the Rev. George Flett
George Flett
George Flett was a Presbyterian missionary in what is now Manitoba, Canada. Flett was of Orkney and Cree descent. As a young man he farmed on the White Horse Plains, led a gold exploration party to Edmonton and then became the first post master for the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Victoria, Alberta...
was set up nearby.