Summary: | 41 HISTORY OF GRAND FORKS COUNTY proach very near to the old Red River trail during the later years of their visits to the valley, but rather ranged somewhat back from the river. That they were extensively hunted in ibis part of the state, the abundance of their bones that the settlers found scattered over the prairies bore convincing testimony. The last roving herd left in the west was wiped out in eastern Montana in 1883. A few were saved from total destruction by being protected in the National Park, also some in corrals by a. few ranchers. While the last of the herds were being killed off, their hides by the car-load were shipped over tiie Northern Pacific railroad, to be followed a few years later by car-loads of their bones over the same and other lines, destined to eastern sugar refineries and bone mills. The immense bone piles at some of the railroad stations in North Dakota, as collected by the settlers and sold to shippers during the later 'eighties, presented surprising objects, MANITOBA OPENED UP. 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 twenty-one year contest on the part of the Imperial government for the opening of the country. The organization of the Manitoba government was provided folio 1S70, and on August 23 of that year, Colonel Wolsey at the head of the 60th Canadian Rifles entered Fort Garry, and on September 2, Lieutenrnt Governor Archibald arrived and the colony was duly organized. James- W. Taylor, the American consul, arrived in November. At the time of tlie surrender of their privileges to the crown, the Hudson Bay company occupied twenty districts and possessed 120 posts in Manitoba and the Northwest territory, and employed 3,000 men. Fori Garry was their.principal stronghold. The first Fort Garry was established in 1821, at tlie time of tlie coalition of the Northwest and Hudson Hay companies. A second fort, that so often mentioned in Red River, Valley history, was built in the vicinity of tlie first in 1835, the old one being dismantled. Both of these forts stood upon the site of tlie city of Winnipeg which was founded 'in 1870. The . political power of the Hudson Bay company now being gone, they dwindled to a mere commercial organization, and in that capacity they continued to maintain .a few posts.this side of the boundary line so long as it w.as of any, profit to them todo so. The British Northwest now being open to settlement; a large immigration soon followed from Ontario and other eastern provinces of Canada. THE APPROACH OF THE RAILROADS. The railroads have wielded a vast influence on the later development of the Red River Valley.: As we shall have to take-'-tip again this subject, as these beared and were next built through Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
|