James Isbister (November 29, 1833 – October 16, 1915) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Métis leader of the 19th century. Prominent among the

Anglo-Métis A 19th century community of the Métis people of Canada, the Anglo-Métis, more commonly known as Countryborn, were children of fur traders; they typically had Scots (Orcadian, mainland Scottish), or English fathers and Aboriginal mothers.B ...

of the area, he is considered to be the founder of the city of

Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Prince Albert is the third-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada, after Saskatoon and Regina. It is situated near the centre of the province on the banks of the North Saskatchewan River. The city is known as the "Gateway to the North" because ...

Life

An interpreter for the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

for many years, Isbister was talented linguistically, speaking

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

Gaelic Gaelic is an adjective that means "pertaining to the Gaels". As a noun it refers to the group of languages spoken by the Gaels, or to any one of the languages individually. Gaelic languages are spoken in Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and Ca ...

, Cree,

Dene The Dene people () are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages. ''Dene'' is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" ha ...

, and

Michif Michif (also Mitchif, Mechif, Michif-Cree, Métif, Métchif, French Cree) is one of the languages of the Métis people of Canada and the United States, who are the descendants of First Nations (mainly Cree, Nakota, and Ojibwe) and fur trade work ...

. Isbister began

farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

in the summer of 1862 one mile east of the present day

federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

penitentiary A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correcti ...

at Prince Albert. The area he farmed is close to present day 17 Avenue and 14 Street West. Isbister was probably the first man in what is now known as

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...

to grow

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

on his own farm. He also worked on the John Smith Reserve (currently the Muskoday First Nation) as a farm instructor. By 1866, when Isbister moved a short distance away, several families were living in the district, which was known as Isbister's Settlement. By 1884, both settler and Métis discontent was growing rapidly due to poor agricultural conditions and unresolved land issues in the

Saskatchewan Valley The Saskatchewan Valley is a geographic area in Saskatchewan, Canada encompassing generally a triangle from North Battleford, to Saskatoon, north to the Saskatchewan River Forks east of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Historically home to the Cree ab ...

region. As a community leader, Isbister was selected as one of the four delegates (along with Gabriel Dumont) sent to recall

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...

from

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

to lead the people in seeking government action to address the situation. Local settlers' perception of government inaction culminated in the North-West Rebellion of the following year (1885). Like most other Anglo-Métis of the area, Isbister disassociated himself from the movement led by Riel when tensions ultimately erupted into violence. Despite this, he was denounced by the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

press Press may refer to: Media * Print media or news media, commonly called "the press" * Printing press, commonly called "the press" * Press (newspaper), a list of newspapers * Press TV, an Iranian television network People * Press (surname), a fam ...

in Prince Albert. Following the North-West Rebellion, Isbister was active in the Anglican Church of Canada in the Prince Albert area, and lived out his last days in that community. He is buried in the Anglican St. Mary's Cemetery just west of the Penitentiary not far from where he farmed initially.

References

Print

* Prince Albert: The First Century, Gary W. D. Abrams, 1966, Modern Press Saskatoon * The Voice of the People: Reminiscences of the Prince Albert Settlement's Early Citizens 1866–1895, Manon Lamontagne, Monique Lamontagne, Verna Redhead, Bob Serjeant & Bill Smiley, 1984, Marion Press Ltd Battleford Saskatchewan.

Internet

External links

Dictionary of Canadian Biography, James Isbister
1833 births 1915 deaths People of Rupert's Land Métis politicians Hudson's Bay Company people Canadian Anglicans People from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan People of the North-West Rebellion Pre-Confederation Saskatchewan people Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Canadian Métis people {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub

Life

See also

References

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Internet

External links