Homesteading

Related Collection: Remembering CFB Rivers

Excerpt from Bradwardine & District, A Century & More, Bradwardine History Book Committee, 2003, p.10.

The District Homestead Office

In 1878, a district homestead land office was located at the newly established hamlet of Rapid City, jumping off point for settlers going to the then unnamed “Bradwardine” district.

Rapid City, or Farmer’s Crossing as it was originally known, was located on the south branch of the long established Hudson Bay Trail that led west from Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie to the trading post of Fort Ellice and beyond. The village is located on 20/29-10-20 W on the Little Saskatchewan River originally called the Rapid River. Freight was transported by Red River cart to Rapid City until the C.P.R. was constructed to Forrest in 1882.

At Rapid City, settlers could check available homestead locations and then travel on by foot or horseback to view the prospects. Once a suitable homestead site was located, and location was identified by the number on the survey mound left by the surveyors, the settler would return to the homestead office to finalize his claim. John Parr’s homestead and future “Bradwardine” post office were southwest of Rapid City, a trip of over 20 miles cross country.

Many of Rapid City’s first residents predicted that it would become the future metropolis that its name suggests. However, these hopes would not be realized. In 1881, construction of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway, with the establishment of a railway station at Brandon, settled the matter. Brandon quickly became the major trading centre in western Manitoba.

Manitoba Homesteads

After Manitoba became a province in 1870, the government proceeded with surveys establishing the base lines, section, township and range markers to facilitate settlement. At the same time, negotiations were proceeding between the Canadian government and the Native tribes, and the route for the transcontinental railway was being surveyed.

About 1879-80, the prairie lands were opened for settlement in western Manitoba and settlers rushed to the district to apply for homesteads. Not all land was available for free homestead applications. Two sections of land in every township were reserved for Manitoba schools, one and three-quarters sections for the Hudson Bay Company (HBC), and sixteen sections for the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). These reserved lands were then subsequently sold to settlers. The CPR initially sold its lands in the Tarbolton district for $2.50/acre in 1881, increasing to $3.00/acre or more in the 1890s and $6.00/acre in 1908. Price may have varied, depending on the land’s agricultural potential.

Homesteaders could apply to the government for a free quarter section of land (160 acres) for a $10.00 application fee. The application required a commitment that a house and barn be built and that the applicant reside on the property and break and cultivate 30 acres of land. After three years the settler could apply for a patent to the land if all conditions had been met. After the land patent was received, an application could be made to purchase an additional 160 acres for a $10 fee and payment of $1.00 per acre. This was known as “preemption”.

Most of the early settlers came from Ontario where all available land had previously been occupied. The population in Manitoba in 1870 was only 12,000 people, half English speaking and half French speaking. By 1891 the population had grown to more than 108,000 and of these, more than 46,000 were born in Ontario.

Ox Carts and Early Travel to Western Manitoba

Most early homesteaders hauled their possessions in Red River carts pulled by oxen, which were stronger and more durable than horses. However, oxen were extremely slow, 15 to 20 miles per day would be a reasonable distance. Some wagons were pulled by a yoke of two oxen, others by four. Most would have one or two cows tied behind the wagon and the usual dog.

Travel was often done in groups so that assistance could be offered when difficulties arose. Government guides were also apparently used in the early days. Snow, rain, mud, deep ruts on the trails as well as flies, mosquitoes, temperamental oxen, lost livestock, troublesome creek crossings and sand hills made travel difficult. If the wagons were heavily loaded, the problem sections of the trail in sandy, muddy, or hilly terrain might have to be travelled twice with the load split in half. One record indicates a time of three and a half days travel time from Winnipeg to Portage la Prairie, a distance of 60 miles, with two wagons and a yoke of oxen on each. This would be an average of 17 miles per day.

The Hudson Bay Trail from Winnipeg

The first settlers in Bradwardine district arrived about 1880. They travelled westward from Winnipeg on the Hudson Bay trail which followed the north side of the Assiniboine River through Headingley, Poplar Point, and High Bluff to Portage la Prairie.

The spring run-off in June of 1881 was exceptionally high, causing a flood on the Assiniboine which was at a 25-year high. The streets of Portage la Prairie that spring were reported to be virtual seas of mud and water. The flood caused major difficulties for the settlers traveling that year. Merchants and freight companies delivered goods of all to this boom town by steam boats travelling on the Assiniboine River. Settlers obtained their final provisions at Portage la Prairie, and many shipped their goods there by boat in order to save time, and to avoid the many problems with mud, broken down wagons and stubborn ox learns.

After leaving Portage la Prairie, the south branch of the trail passed by Rat Creek, Beaver Creek, McKinnon Creek, through the sand hills to Pine Creek (north of present Melbourne). It continued through more sand hills to Oberon, Fingerboard, Moore Park, and Rapid City. The south branch of the Hudson Bay trail continued northwest after leaving Rapid City and re-joined the north branch a few miles east of Salt Lake, near Strathclair.

There was some merit to travelling in the spring when the ground was frozen. There were no mosquitoes in the spring, and there would still be time to break land and plant a small crop during the first season on the homestead. Snow was a major disadvantage to travel in the early spring.

Some sections of the trail were difficult to traverse due to deep snow, sand hills or equipment damage and the heavy loads might then have to be split up and advanced in stages.

Stopping Places

Various locations along the trail had “stopping places” where very basic shelter for man and beast could be obtained and where food was available. After spending a night in one of the crowded stopping places, many pioneers claimed the experience of having a host of other “very small tavellers” joining them for the remainder of the trip. Some of the early stopping place names were:

• Rat Creek – Cook’s Stopping Place (SP)
• McKinnon Creek – Bryce’s SP
• Pine Creek (near Melbourne) – Flewellings SP
• Oberon – Nicol’s SP
• Fingerboard – Dodd’s SP

The location on the trail known as Fingerboard was near present day Brookdale, where branches led from the main trail to Minnedosa, Rapid City, and Grand Valley (near the future site of Brandon)