The merger of the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821 saw a more permanent, year-round Métis community grow on the northern shore of Lake Superior, particularly at Fort William—a location that had long been the home of the “Great Rendezvous”.
A distinct Métis community soon became established at Fort William. By the time the government was preparing for the Robinson Treaties in the late 1840s, the distinct Métis community at Fort William was clearly identifiable to outsiders.
Jesuit missionary Nichols Frémiot, for example, attended an October 1849 meeting called by government officials Alexander Vidal and Thomas G. Anderson, who had been commissioned to meet with local Indigenous groups and prepare a pre-treaty report.
In a letter to his superior, Frémiot described the meeting’s attendees, identified the key individuals, and summarized what was discussed:
“The meeting began with a roll call, using a nominal list prepared the previous evening by HBC Chief Factor Mackenzie. Omitted from the roll call,” noted Frémiot, were the, “métis” who were present but denied the right to speak.
Comments