Trials and Tribulations: The Red River Settlement and the Emergence of Manitoba, 1811–1870

A.A. den Otter is a professor of history at the Memorial University of
Newfoundland in St. John’s. He is the author of The Philosophy of
Railways.

The Red River settlement, part of today’s Manitoba, was the first
sustained European colonization effort on the Canadian prairies.
Although their holdings were situated on what is now considered prime
agricultural land, farmers in the Red River period (1811 to 1870) always
struggled to survive. A short growing season, tough soils, frequent
droughts, periodic floods, recurrent grasshopper plagues, and isolation
often frustrated even the most experienced and hardworking cultivators
and breeders. Nevertheless, the settlement’s inhabitants persevered
and in 1870, when it became part of Canada as the province of Manitoba,
it was relatively populous and evolved, with many of the contemporary
amenities such as churches, schools, courts, and stores.

J.M. Bumsted has written a very good survey history of the Red River
settlement and the birth of Manitoba. Touching on many aspects of life
in the settlement—religion, education, and economics, among
others—he presents a balanced and relatively comprehensive overview.
The book is an excellent introduction to the history of Euro-North
Americans as well as francophone and anglophone mixed-blood peoples in
the region. Unfortunately, the First Nations in Red River get only a bit
part.

The book’s comprehensive bibliography is testimony to the broad
scholarly knowledge of the author, but its lack of footnotes and its
publication by a popular press indicate a book aimed mainly at a general
audience. Regrettably, final editing and proofreading were sloppy, and
many easily corrected errors remain.