FAIRFORD CIRCA 1912

(SETTLED 1795) 

We are all sisters and brothers lets unite our hearts and spirits toward a better tomorrow. Today is the history of tomorrow. 

Before the settlement of the Europeans, the Saulteaux were the keepers of this beautiful land. They were a branch of the Ojibway from the Sault St. Marie area and were known for their peaceful existence with other tribes in what is now known as Manitoba. According to Mr. Dobbs, a Saulteaux native missionary the peace was abruptly disturbed when the Sissetones from the Dakotas attacked the settlement and exterminated most of the Saulteauz with the exception of a small band led by Wooden Tent. He led his men to Berens River from where they organized their retaliation over three years. This carefully orchestrated reprisal resulted in the complete massacre of the Sissetones which allowed the Saulteaux to flourish again. Wooden Tent stands as a hero in Saulteaux history. His descendents, the Woodhouses live in Fairford today. 

Fairford’s original name was Pinaymootang, meaning partridge crop. The name Fairford was adopted in honor of Rev. Abraham Cowley who established the first mission for the church of England in 1842 and was instrumental in helping the natives adapt to the white man’s ways of farming and religion. He was from Fairford, England. The Northwest Company set up a post in 1795 The Hudson’s Bay Company, in 1819. In 1821, the companies amalgamated and ran the post under The Hudson’s bay name until 1912. The arrival of the railway in 1911 foreshadowed many changes for the Natives and the European alike. Time has brought both good and bad for both cultures a challenge for today and the future. 

I spoke to Louis Letandre, aged 80. He fondly recalls the childhood activities of his time which included jumping the train as it arrived in Fairford, to ride it to the water tower north of town. Louis is part Ojibway and French and speaks Saulteaux. Jenny Watt, aged seventy six, was a warbride from Holland who recalls the dense brush and the kindness shown by neighbours. She says she has never regretted her move to Canada. Gladys Moar, aged eighty five, recalls life in a residential school which has left an indelible mark on her life. She believes that time hasn’t necessarily produced happier people, as people then had taken more time for each other. It is with this mix of heritages that Fairford retains its color and uniqueness today. 

I chose to do the trestle bridge north of town as the focus of my painting as it includes the north bank of the river that was a Metis village in 1912, and and before that a Native settlement. The Grist Mill in the middle left of the canvas and the Hudson’s Bay post in the far upper right no longer exist except in the annals of history. St. Helen’s Anglican church; Topnick’s store and the trestle bridge still stand today as landmarks of Fairford’s colourful past. You will notice that the activities depicted represent a wonderful blend of both cultures.

Click here for close up.