Rundle's Mission was established in 1847 on the shores of Pigeon Lake near

Thorsby, Alberta Thorsby is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is approximately west of the Leduc on Highway 39. Pigeon Lake and Pigeon Lake Provincial Park are located south of the community. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducte ...

, Canada, by a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

missionary named

Robert Rundle Robert Terrill Rundle (18 June 1811 – 4 February 1896) was a Cornish Methodist minister missionary from Cornwall, England. His most noteworthy activities relate to his missionary work in Western Canada between 1840 and 1848. Early life ...

. From the mission Rundle taught

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

people about

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, refusing to acquiesce to pressures from the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

or the government to further influence local

First Peoples There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

."Seeking the story of Mission Beach"
Virtual Museums Canada. Retrieved 8/22/07.

History

In the mid-19th century Pigeon Lake was a gathering place for

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

peoples and the

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

who were attempting to convert them to

. After working out of

Fort Edmonton Fort Edmonton (also named Edmonton House) was the name of a series of Trading post, trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) from 1795 to 1914, all of which were located on the north banks of the North Saskatchewan River in what is now ce ...

from 1840, in 1847 Rev. Robert Rundle received permission to establish a mission on Pigeon Lake from the

and the

Wesleyan Missionary Society The English Wesleyan Mission (also known as a Wesleyan Missionary Society) was a British Methodist missionary society that was involved in sending workers to countries such as New Zealand and China in the 19th century. Mission to New Zealand The En ...

. After initially focusing on the

Assiniboine The Assiniboine or Assiniboin people ( when singular, Assiniboines / Assiniboins when plural; Ojibwe: ''Asiniibwaan'', "stone Sioux"; also in plural Assiniboine or Assiniboin), also known as the Hohe and known by the endonym Nakota (or Nakoda ...

, Rundle began to focus on the

. He translated

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

s and biblical scriptures into written and spoken Cree. There was a

post at the lake, as well as a number of agricultural enterprises fostered by the mission. However, Rundle did not view his role as that of a "company man" or government representative. Instead, he sought to help the Aboriginal people around him survive in the face of incoming European settlement. When the Hudson's Bay Company pressured him to establish mission schools, he spent some time looking for an appropriate site - but intentionally did not establish the mission school. Robert Rundle permanently departed to England only a year later after he took a bad fall from his horse and seriously injured his arm. When it did not heal properly, he decided to return home to England to seek proper medical attention. After he left, a follower named Benjamin Sinclair took charge, only for the church to be abandoned in 1850. Methodist Reverend Thomas Woolsey opened it for a short time after 1855, and abandoned again due to the area's poor suitability for farming.

Modern facilities

In 1948 the Reverend Dr. Gerald Hutchinson moved to Pigeon Lake, and inquired why a local lake access point was called "Mission Beach". After finding no suitable explanation he spent the next fifty years researching the answer. In 1965, Hutchinson's work exploring Rundle's Mission was recognized, and the site was dedicated as a National Historic Monument; in 1997 the site where early mission buildings and native burial grounds are located was recognized as The Benjamin and Margaret Sinclair Provincial Historic Site. Rundle's Mission is now held by the Government of Alberta and managed by the nonprofit Rundle's Mission Society. In 2001 Hutchinson was recognized for his work at Rundle's Mission by Museums Alberta with a "Lifetime Achievement" award. Due directly to Hutchinson's labor, today Rundle's Mission is home to a hand-hewn log lodge, two bungalows and an interpretive boardwalk with a natural artesian spring. There is also a beach area on the lake, called Mission Beach, and a nature reserve next door."Rundle's Mission Historic Site"
Canada Virtual Museum. Retrieved 8/22/07.

Bibliography

* Hutchinson, G.M. (1990) ''The Meeting Place: Rundle's Mission at Pigeon Lake.'' Rundle's Mission Conference Centre.

Heritage Community Foundation Alberta Online Encyclopedia.

References

{{coord, 53.0770, N, 114.1429, W, source:wikidata, display=title History of Alberta Museums in Alberta Provincial historic sites of Alberta 1847 establishments in the British Empire Christian missions in North America National Historic Sites in Alberta Methodism Leduc County

History

Modern facilities

Bibliography

See also

References