| Summary: | THE LONG AGO. 39 The International abandoned in 1861, on the outbreak of hostilities, was brought to Abercrombie in 1863, by Capt. Barret, and in 1864 was sold to the Hudson Bay company, it having become apparent that the country could not be opened- up against the interest of that powerful organization. They did not want immigration and trade, nor mails or other appliances of civilization. The boat made one trip that year., The cart brigades again put in an appearance and the country became devastated by grasshoppers. In March 1869 the Earl of Granville succeeded in terminating the Hudson Bay contracts and that company surrendered possession of the country, thus ending a 12 year contest on the part of the Imperial Government for the opening of the country. The organization of the Manitoba Government was provided for in 1870, and August 23 of that year Colonel Wolsey at the head of the 60th Canadian Rifles entered Fort Garry and Sept. 2 Lieutenant Governor Archibald arrived and the colony was duly organized. James W. Taylor, the American consul arrived in November. In December, 1870, the United States land office was opened at Pembina, and then the first public land was entered in North Dakota. There was then no regular mail to Fort Gany, and no recognized means of communication between Manitoba and the outside world. The cost of shipping freight from St. Cloud, the end of the railroad, to Fort Garry was $4 per hundred lbs. In the spring ot 1871 Messrs Hill and Griggs of St. Paul built the "Selkirk" which was put on the Red River that season, with Capt. Alex Griggs, the founder of Grand Forks, master. This boat arrived at V/innipeg April 19, and having arranged to carry goods in bond a woncjerful trade was immediately opened with the Northwest. The success of the "Selkirk" forced the "International" into general trade. In 1871 the stage route was extended from Georgetown to Winnipeg, Capt. Blakely having contracted with the Dominion government to carry the mail from Pembina to Winnipeg. Thefirst stage arrived in Winnipeg Sept. 11. 1871. During the winter of 1871 all of the boats running on the Red River passed under control of Commodore Kittson. In 1872 an extensive business in flat boating developed. Scores of flat bo-nts were built- in 1872 and engaged in trading with down river points, the boats being sold at their destination and used for lumber. Logs were also run down the Red Lake river and used for lumber. In 1874 an opposition line of steamers was put on the Red River by Manitoba and St. Paul parties, knov/n as the Merchants Line The boats were the "Minnesota" and "Manitoba." The latter was sunk by the "International" in a collision. These boats finally passed into the hands of Mr. Kittson in 1876 The Kittson Line was organized about 1876 and was called the Red River Transportation company. The principal boats were the "International," Capt. Painter; the "Minnesota." Capt. Timmens; the "Manitoba," Capt. Alex Briggs; the "Dakota," Capt. Seigers; the "Selkirk," Capt. John Briggs; and the "Alphia," Capt. Russell. The railroad was extended to Fisher's Landing in 1877 and Dec. 2, 1878, the track layers joined the rails of the Canadian Pacific, and what is now the Great Northern at the international boundary at Emerson and the development of the Red River Valley was commenced in earnest. The stage company transferred its business to the Black Hills and the steamboats gave v,ay to the railroads little business having been done on the river since that time. Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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