Codex Battleford
Transcription: 2
Transcription:
{Chapter I.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [crossed out] Dissatisfaction amongst the Battleford’s Indians.
________________
At the Fall of 1877, Battleford became the metropolis of the North-West Territories .Here the first legislative buildings for the North-West were erected.But as long as the plan of the town was not laid out, Batteford [sic] retained its primitive and tumbledown appearance;nobody dared to undertake a costly building,fearing to be obliged to leave it or to remove it elsewhere.The Roman Catholic Mission of St.Vital had to submit to the common lot and remained in the condition of a shack.
The survey of the xxx [crossed out] town did not take place until the autumn of 1882. “At the present moment, “writes Fr.Lestanc,the 16th od [sic] September 1882, “the aurveyors [sic] are busy laying out the town of Battleford.That future town is on the same side as our building.It encloses Mr.Forget’s house,all the hill and the flat as far as the first scoulée [s is crossed out] on the Carlton road.I hope that next Spring the missionnaries [sic] can begin some decent xxxx [crossed out] buildings.”
The people had faith in the future of their town and dreamed already of a brilliant metropolixtan city with luxurious residences,splendid Government buildings,parks and playgrounds,palatial schools and colleges,where there had been until then but sod-xcovered log-buildings.However all this was but a pleasant dream which vanished at the end of a few months. The following Spring,it was learned that the projected railway would not pass through Battleford and,consequently,the metropolis of the NorthLWest Territoties was to be transferred elsewhere.
The disppointment [sic] was great,but the settlers were not discouraged.The fertility of the soil and commercial standing of the rown [sic] was a sure warrant for the future.Nothing however could henceforth retain the population on the hilly banks of the Battle river or in the flats so frequently flooded by the rising waters.An enterprising citizen,named Alexander McDonald conceived the idea of laying out a village on a piece of his own property xx [crossed out] between the two rivers, about 800 yards to the west of the Mounted Police Barracks.The people of the old town moved eagerly to the new site.The Catholic population decided to erect on the new town a frame church which was ready for use at Christmas 1883.
During the xxxx [crossed out] year 1884,the New Battleford progressed rapidly and took rank among the chief cities of xxx [crossed out] St.Albert Diocese.Already forty houses had been erected:two hotels,two general stores,telegraph office, livery stables and many other prosperous concerns.Miss Dorval assembled in a little room of the rectory about sixty pupils whom she taught every day.Father Louis Constant Cochin who was exerting all his xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [crossed out] strength ministering the surrounding Indian Reserves,was familiar host at St.Vital’s mission where he found the rest and x [crossed out] support so greatly needed to continue his thankless work.
After the complete disappearance of the buffalo,misery was the dismal [s written in pencil above the word] lot of these Indians.Fr.Lestanc in 1881 wrote:“The poor Crees! xxxxxx[crossed out] They are far too much tortures by hunger to think of religion.Not only have they about half of what is necessary,but what they receive in flour and bacon is of the poorest quality to say the least.They must be truly famished to attempt to eat it.To crown their distress,these ill-starred Crees are almost naked,shoeless,without proper shelter,without horses and often without means of earning a cent during the winter.They are certainly displeased with the government, xxx [crossed out] disgusted with their farms where they are dying of hunger and xxxx [crossed out] distrusting the officers with whom they have to deal.They are xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx[crossed out] utterly xxxxxxxx [crossed out] fed up with the sweet words and the nice promises from Morris,Dewdney,and others.
[last paragraph has vertical line in the margin with a “2” added besides it in pencil]}
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [crossed out] Dissatisfaction amongst the Battleford’s Indians.
________________
At the Fall of 1877, Battleford became the metropolis of the North-West Territories .Here the first legislative buildings for the North-West were erected.But as long as the plan of the town was not laid out, Batteford [sic] retained its primitive and tumbledown appearance;nobody dared to undertake a costly building,fearing to be obliged to leave it or to remove it elsewhere.The Roman Catholic Mission of St.Vital had to submit to the common lot and remained in the condition of a shack.
The survey of the xxx [crossed out] town did not take place until the autumn of 1882. “At the present moment, “writes Fr.Lestanc,the 16th od [sic] September 1882, “the aurveyors [sic] are busy laying out the town of Battleford.That future town is on the same side as our building.It encloses Mr.Forget’s house,all the hill and the flat as far as the first scoulée [s is crossed out] on the Carlton road.I hope that next Spring the missionnaries [sic] can begin some decent xxxx [crossed out] buildings.”
The people had faith in the future of their town and dreamed already of a brilliant metropolixtan city with luxurious residences,splendid Government buildings,parks and playgrounds,palatial schools and colleges,where there had been until then but sod-xcovered log-buildings.However all this was but a pleasant dream which vanished at the end of a few months. The following Spring,it was learned that the projected railway would not pass through Battleford and,consequently,the metropolis of the NorthLWest Territoties was to be transferred elsewhere.
The disppointment [sic] was great,but the settlers were not discouraged.The fertility of the soil and commercial standing of the rown [sic] was a sure warrant for the future.Nothing however could henceforth retain the population on the hilly banks of the Battle river or in the flats so frequently flooded by the rising waters.An enterprising citizen,named Alexander McDonald conceived the idea of laying out a village on a piece of his own property xx [crossed out] between the two rivers, about 800 yards to the west of the Mounted Police Barracks.The people of the old town moved eagerly to the new site.The Catholic population decided to erect on the new town a frame church which was ready for use at Christmas 1883.
During the xxxx [crossed out] year 1884,the New Battleford progressed rapidly and took rank among the chief cities of xxx [crossed out] St.Albert Diocese.Already forty houses had been erected:two hotels,two general stores,telegraph office, livery stables and many other prosperous concerns.Miss Dorval assembled in a little room of the rectory about sixty pupils whom she taught every day.Father Louis Constant Cochin who was exerting all his xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [crossed out] strength ministering the surrounding Indian Reserves,was familiar host at St.Vital’s mission where he found the rest and x [crossed out] support so greatly needed to continue his thankless work.
After the complete disappearance of the buffalo,misery was the dismal [s written in pencil above the word] lot of these Indians.Fr.Lestanc in 1881 wrote:“The poor Crees! xxxxxx[crossed out] They are far too much tortures by hunger to think of religion.Not only have they about half of what is necessary,but what they receive in flour and bacon is of the poorest quality to say the least.They must be truly famished to attempt to eat it.To crown their distress,these ill-starred Crees are almost naked,shoeless,without proper shelter,without horses and often without means of earning a cent during the winter.They are certainly displeased with the government, xxx [crossed out] disgusted with their farms where they are dying of hunger and xxxx [crossed out] distrusting the officers with whom they have to deal.They are xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx[crossed out] utterly xxxxxxxx [crossed out] fed up with the sweet words and the nice promises from Morris,Dewdney,and others.
[last paragraph has vertical line in the margin with a “2” added besides it in pencil]}
