Personal Environmental History – St. Malo, Manitoba and the Red River Colony
October 17, 2022 By: Isabelle La Roche
I was born and raised in North Vancouver, British Columbia, between Upper Lonsdale and Lynn Valley. My mother was born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario. Her parents both came from England and immigrated to Ontario after the Second World War. I believe they both lived in London, England, and I remember my Grandmother telling me stories of the war as a little girl. Her family owned a little shop, and she would have to hide in their little bomb shelter in the basement during overnight bombings. She told me about the massive rats that would crawl all over her throughout the night. I don’t know much about my maternal grandparents’ lives before they moved to Canada and had their children. On my father’s side, I was able to track his ancestors back to settlers from the 1600s who came from France and arrived in New France, and later Lower Canada, eventually Quebec (Wikitree, n.d.). Their use of agriculture and the environment around them was much more apparent than my maternal grandparents. My paternal grandfather and Grandmother were born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. My father and his six siblings were all born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. My grandparents bought a dairy farm in 1970, just south of St. Malo, Manitoba. The family lived there for years, raising 40-50 Dairy cows, pigs, chickens, ducks, horses (Clydesdales), and turkeys. My Grandmother worked in the garden mostly and picked wild berries to make la gelée (jam). They needed to be self-sufficient on the farm, so my Grandmother was adamant about reusing everything and ensuring nothing was ever wasted. The animals they raised had been brought over by Europeans and introduced to the environment centuries prior. The introduction and domestication of animals in North America is fairly new compared to Europe. The crops and vegetables they grew and the animals they cared for were most likely non-native to the area. Dairy wasn’t even introduced to North America until the 16th century.
It’s important to state that my ancestors were French settlers of the red river, a land that used to be occupied heavily by Indigenous nations like the Cree, the Sioux, and the Assiniboine. St. Malo is located in the path of what was known as The Crow Wing Trail, a 150 milometer trail that connected Fort Garry and the Red River Settlement to St. Paul, Minnesota. During the late 1850s and early 1860s, it was a route heavily used for the fur trade after the Sioux nation rose up to defend their territories. This route skirted the open prairies and was considered more shielded, offering better protection in case of attacks and better shelter and wood for camping (Ledohowski, 2003). Indigenous people pre-colonization utilized the land according to the seasons. According to the Crow Wing Study Region, the Native imprint on the cultural heritage landscape was only seen through subsurface archeological sites and the oral traditions that gave spiritual connection and significance to these sites (Ledohowski, 2003). My family’s interaction with the environment around this area was mostly man-made. These fields had been cultivated and created by non-Indigenous farmers, as were the tools used on this farm. The desire to farm this land that used to belong to Indigenous people must’ve been a French-colonial mindset long since set in from the old New-France seigneurial system. Moreover, the only reason my family ended up on this land was due to colonization and farming lands that didn’t originally belong to them.
My grandfather was raised on a dairy farm with his parents and eight other siblings. The dairy industry in this region established itself in the French settlements along the Seine River since the grasslands near the river provided rich grazing lands for cattle herds. Conditions along the Rat River, particularly around the settlements of St. Pierre-Jolys, La Rochelle, and St. Malo encouraged the establishment of dairy and cattle farming (Ledohowski, 2003). My father and uncles have detailed many stories from their childhood on the farm; here are some notable retellings. My dad “jokingly” threw a pitchfork at my uncle and pierced his arm after my uncle “accidentally” threw a bale of hay at my dad. My dad and uncle were play-fighting in the house on the farm, and someone got pushed a little too hard into the wall and left a gaping hope. The hole was covered by a calendar and was never found by my grandparents until they moved out of the house. Lastly, my other uncle got his head run over by a tractor wheel. The soft mud on the ground was the only reason he survived that accident.
My father and his brothers were also taught to hunt in the woods fairly young. Their uncle Richard taught them tracking, gun safety, and how to butcher the animal properly. This created a relationship between my dad and nature that I still see today. My dad still loves being in nature and outside, alone or with people. He goes hunting almost every year, and he brings back deer and moose meat to share among family and friends. My dad still practices what he was taught growing up on the farm—making sure not to waste anything, how to preserve garden vegetables and canning, and appreciating nature and what it can give back to us. Recently, my dad went back to his farm roots. His dream was to buy land and build a farm and house. That is what he has done! My parents bought 5 acres of land on Vancouver Island three years ago. My dad bought a little John Deer tractor and got to work clearing all the tree stumps that had been left behind from the logging. He built a log house that my mom designed with him and a shed for all his equipment, tractor, and tools. He eventually wants to build a greenhouse to grow all sorts of vegetables, and he will likely purchase goats and chickens to keep him occupied. I believe he also wants to buy a calf yearly to raise and butcher, but I’m not so fond of the idea… My dad was raised with a very “survival” mentality when it comes to animals. Kill to eat, or you don’t eat. Having grown up in the city, my affinity for animals is definitely in contrast to his, and I’ve told him many times that if he gets a calf, I’ll just name it, so he doesn’t kill it… To be fair, I do understand that this is a way of getting meat more ethically since you know exactly where it comes from, how it was raised, and how it was butchered. Class would’ve likely played a role here. My dad was raised in a poor household who worked a lot harder to survive and adequately feed all the family members. I was raised in a world that was much easier in terms of survival. Food was more easily found and affordable. The class I was raised in made my appreciation for nature somewhat different since I never had to think about seasonal crops and long-term harvesting planning to be able to eat.
I can trace my dad’s appreciation for cultivating land, respect and love of nature, and desire to be more self-sufficient back to his parents. My grandparents didn’t have a choice. They couldn’t afford to not be self-sufficient and grow their own food. Often they ate the old sheep or cows that needed to be put down anyway. They never butchered for no reason. It was a question of survival. Today, my parents have the means to do what they wish, but my dad’s values were heavily ingrained in him from his experience on the farm. My mom loves how much my dad enjoys being in the countryside and on the farm. Both of them have difficulty relaxing and are constantly busy, so this life is definitely for them. My dad told me that he hopes to be able to leave this farm behind for us one day as his legacy toward a more sustainable future. He hopes my brother and I can appreciate what he was once taught about the environment around him and the rewarding aspects of being more self-sufficient in today’s world.
Sources:
Bocquel, B. (2007, January 21). Interview avec Pierre et Carmen LaRoche . Centre du Patrimoine. other, Programme de subventions destinées au patrimoine du Gouvernement du Manitoba. Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://archivesshsb.mb.ca/link/archives137609.
Family Tree & Genealogy Tools for Pierre Laroche. WikiTree. (n.d.). Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Laroche-Family-Tree-639
Ledohowski, E. M. (2003). The Heritage Landscape of the Crow Wing Study Region of Southeastern Manitoba. Historic Resources Branch Manitoba Culture, Heritage & Tourism. Retrieved October 17, 2022, from https://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/hrb/internal_reports/crow_wing_study.html.