288:, Alberta. In September 1862 Flett wrote from Edmonton that some young men were earning $ 4 to $ 5 per day with the rocker, and an old American miner expected to get $ 10 when he had a sluice built. In May 1863, Flett wrote that after overwintering the party had reached "Mud Fort" about 55 miles (89 km) above Edmonton the previous month, and were finding gold in the river beds worth between 6s and 10s each day. Five hundred miners had crossed the mountains from the west and were said to have found gold in great quantities. There was a shortage of supplies however, and Flett was planning to plough for wheat. He saw a great future for agriculture in the rich soil of the region.
300:
glass windows. Flett soon succeeded in obtaining a supply of good-quality furs, which he and his assistants took by horse and dog train to Fort
Edmonton. While at Victoria, Flett made friends with both Methodist and Roman Catholic missionaries, and helped them understand the customs and the language of the Cree. He left this post in the spring of 1866.
299:
from
Winnipeg to Edmonton, taking three and a half months on the journey. As clerk in charge of the Victoria trading post, Flett had to arrange for construction of the buildings and open up trade with the local Indians. The Clerks Quarters survives, one of the first buildings west of Winnipeg to have
376:
had 137 people. Some were farmers but most lived by hunting. The school had 21 children. George Flett held services every Sunday on the reserve. Flett worked at the mission for over twenty years. Towards the end of his career he became involved in various squabbles with other church members, finally
324:. At first the local Cree were unwilling to grant permission for the mission, which they felt would attract European settlers and drive away the buffalo, but Flett managed to persuade them to accept the missionaries' right to settle there, pointing out that both he and his wife had native relatives.
31:
371:
In
November 1878 Flett wrote the first of a series of letters to the Canadian Woman's Foreign Missionary Society (WFMS) in Toronto, drawing their attention to the work being done in native Indian missions. In later letters he listed educational needs, and by 1884 the society was providing financial
340:
in 1870 Flett said: "For my part, I am a half-breed, but far be it for me to press any land claim I may have against the poor Indian of the country. We have taken the position, and ask the rights, of civilized men. As to the poor Indian, let him by all means have all he can get. He needs it, and if
327:
The Fletts stayed at the Prince Albert mission for only a year. Flett disagreed with Nisbet's plan to found an agricultural settlement, feeling that an itinerant mission would be more useful. The Fletts returned to Red River during a time of political upheaval. He was appointed a delegate in the
368:, Flett's cousin, had signed a treaty with the government in 1871, and moved with his family and band to a reserve beside Flett's mission in 1875, where he was baptised as Moses Burns. Keeseekoowenin did not entirely abandon his traditional beliefs, but blended them with Christianity.
283:
Flett farmed in the
Winnipeg area for several years. He grew wheat and maize successfully, turnips and potatoes with more difficulty. In 1862 he was one of the leaders of a large party that explored for gold in the area around
268:
On August 7, 1838, Flett married
Frances Cook. She died while giving birth to their daughter Letitia on August 4, 1839. On November 26, 1840, he married Mary Ross, the daughter of noted fur trader
276:
chief. In later years, Mary's familiarity with Indian languages and customs was to prove an advantage in their mission work. In 1861 their daughter
Letitia married
332:, and was involved in debates over the terms on which Red River should join Canada. He had become a respected man, trusted by Europeans, Indians and
721:
Narrative of the
Canadian Red river exploring expedition of 1857: and of the Assinniboine and Saskatchewan exploring expedition of 1858, Volume 1
320:
valley. He asked Flett to act as interpreter to the mission, and Flett accepted. The site chosen was about 30 miles (48 km) downstream from
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859:
277:
316:
while Flett was in
Victoria. In 1866, Nisbett was given permission to open a mission for the Cree in the north of the
797:
776:
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349:
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mission to the northwest between 1866 and 1867. After serving as a delegate in the provisional government of
427:
280:, who was to be elected to the Manitoba parliament in 1874 and to have a distinguished career in politics.
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353:
309:
356:. The mission, which he called "Okanese" (meaning "Little Bone" in the Ojibwa language), was at the
246:
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237:. His mother, Margaret Whitford, was the daughter of an English man and a native woman, probably
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173:(10 February 1817 – 28 October 1897) was a Presbyterian missionary in what is now
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186:
48:
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In June 1874 Flett was appointed a
Presbyterian missionary for a large territory from
793:
772:
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687:
639:
594:
364:. At the age of fifty-seven, Flett was ordained on 18 August 1875. The native leader
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750:
291:
In 1864 Flett was given the job of opening a Hudson's Bay
Company trading post in
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218:
365:
296:
230:
843:
810:
A political manual of the province of Manitoba and the North-west Territories
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564:
321:
202:
824:
The Home and foreign record of the Canada Presbyterian Church, Volumes 1-2
428:
http://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/10282.Rev.%20Flett%20doc.pdf
295:, in the Edmonton region. Flett and John Norris led the first brigade of
30:
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our assistance will aid him in getting it let us cheerfully give it".
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and material aid to schools and people in the northwest. By 1890 the
82:
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resigning in 1895. Flett died on 28 October 1897 at the age of 80.
285:
190:
174:
352:, 150 miles (240 km) away. He set up his headquarters on the
273:
610:"George Flett, Presbyterian Missionary to the Ojibwa at Okanase"
336:. At a convention of English and French Delegates in Council at
214:
178:
768:
Changing roles of women within the Christian church in Canada
751:"Memorable Manitobans: Alexander "Sandy" Murray (1839-1913)"
504:
249:. He was educated at the parish school and learned to speak
552:
432:
238:
182:
789:
The new peoples: being and becoming métis in North America
229:
George Flett's father, George Flett Senior, came from the
765:
Muir, Elizabeth Gillan; Whiteley, Marilyn Färdig (1995).
833:
Keeseekoowenin - Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
663:
652:
570:
528:
498:
821:
486:
540:
468:
444:
786:
Peterson, Jacqueline; Brown, Jennifer S. H. (2001).
360:
Hudson's Bay Company post, near the present town of
680:Goyette, Linda; Roemmich, Carolina Jakeway (2005).
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405:
403:
401:
399:
397:
395:
393:
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827:. Printed for the Committee by W.C. Chewett. 1862.
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456:
656:Annual report of the Department of Indian Affairs
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813:. Printed by the Call printing company. p.
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386:
679:
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193:and then became the first post master for the
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438:
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16:Canadian Presbyterian missionary (1817-1897)
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29:
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728:
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185:descent. As a young man he farmed on the
141:
732:Overland from Canada to British Columbia
653:Canada. Dept. of Indian Affairs (1890).
201:. Flett was an interpreter to the first
631:
546:
842:
792:. Minnesota Historical Society Press.
724:. Longman, Green, Longman and Roberts.
700:
665:"Gold in the Hudson's Bay Territories"
522:
120:
116:
607:
411:
717:
608:Block, Alvina (Spring–Summer 1999).
462:
422:
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865:Presbyterian missionaries in Canada
807:Robertson, John Palmerston (1887).
312:had stayed in Flett's house on the
272:and Sally Timentwa, daughter of an
213:, he became a missionary among the
13:
860:Canadian Presbyterian missionaries
701:Herzog, Lawrence (June 13, 2002).
189:, led a gold exploration party to
14:
876:
417:
635:Dictionary of Manitoba biography
771:. University of Toronto Press.
593:. University of Toronto Press.
137:
112:
669:Journal of the Society of Arts
224:
1:
753:. Manitoba Historical Society
380:
221:, serving from 1873 to 1895.
703:"Victoria Settlement at 140"
571:Dept. of Indian Affairs 1890
7:
638:. Univ. of Manitoba Press.
614:Manitoba Historical Society
511:Goyette & Roemmich 2005
487:The Home and foreign record
10:
881:
729:McMicking, Thomas (1981).
718:Hind, Henry Youle (1860).
659:. Dept. of Indian Affairs.
579:
328:provisional government of
308:The Presbyterian minister
161:Margaret Whitford (mother)
158:George Flett Snr. (father)
686:. University of Alberta.
683:Edmonton in Our Own Words
590:Canada's founding debates
587:Ajzenstat, Janet (2003).
439:Peterson & Brown 2001
354:Little Saskatchewan River
151:
96:
88:
78:
55:
37:
28:
21:
559:Muir & Whiteley 1995
499:Gold in the Hudson's Bay
247:Saskatchewan River Delta
632:Bumsted, J. M. (1999).
304:Presbyterian missionary
177:, Canada. Flett was of
92:Presbyterian missionary
199:Fort Victoria, Alberta
358:Riding Mountain House
233:, and worked for the
71:Strathclair, Manitoba
675:. The Society. 1863.
426:Barkwell, Lawrence.
374:Riding Mountain band
245:, which lies on the
243:Moose Lake, Manitoba
241:. Flett was born at
235:Hudson's Bay Company
195:Hudson's Bay Company
119:; died
573:, pp. 160–161.
211:Red River Rebellion
318:Saskatchewan River
314:White Horse Plains
297:Red River ox-carts
187:White Horse Plains
49:Saskatchewan River
707:It's Our Heritage
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219:Okanese Reserve
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59:28 October 1897
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539:
537:, p. 248.
535:Ajzenstat 2003
527:
515:
503:
491:
489:, p. 101.
479:
477:, pp. 74.
475:McMicking 1981
467:
465:, p. 148.
455:
451:Robertson 1887
443:
441:, p. 215.
431:
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366:Keeseekoowenin
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270:Alexander Ross
231:Orkney Islands
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67:(aged 80)
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742:0-7748-0393-2
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735:. UBC Press.
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755:. Retrieved
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348:to south of
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322:Fort Carlton
310:James Nisbet
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203:Presbyterian
171:George Flett
170:
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102:Frances Cook
23:George Flett
855:1897 deaths
850:1817 births
523:Herzog 2002
362:Elphinstone
225:Early years
209:during the
79:Nationality
844:Categories
757:2011-10-22
624:2011-10-22
620:. Winnipeg
412:Block 1999
381:References
346:Fort Pelly
338:Fort Garry
330:Louis Riel
207:Louis Riel
89:Occupation
63:1897-10-29
45:Moose Lake
463:Hind 1860
130:Mary Ross
97:Spouse(s)
286:Edmonton
191:Edmonton
175:Manitoba
83:Canadian
73:, Canada
580:Sources
274:Okanase
251:English
152:Parents
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61: (
47:on the
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263:Ojibwa
261:, and
255:French
215:Ojibwa
179:Orkney
140:
115:
713:(24).
334:MĂ©tis
144:)
136:(
132:
123:)
111:(
107:
794:ISBN
773:ISBN
737:ISBN
688:ISBN
640:ISBN
595:ISBN
259:Cree
239:Cree
183:Cree
181:and
142:1840
121:1839
117:1838
56:Died
38:Born
265:.
217:of
197:at
846::
815:57
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705:.
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138:m.
113:m.
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