Hay-cutting began on the 20th (afterwards 25th) July, and the scene of operations was the wild prairie. The outer two miles of each river frontage belonged, for hay purposes, to the frontage owner up to a certain date, but for the most part cutting was done on prairie that was free as air to everybody. The best hay meadows were located in good time before the above date, and on the night before people were camped all around them. Each one knew pretty well just the spot he was going to strike next morning, and if more than one had their eyes on the same spot, it became the property of the one who reached there first and made a “circle” by cutting around the field he wished to claim. There was sometimes (in dry years when hay was scarce) great rivalry, and we have seen camps all ready to start on the stroke of midnight, and actually starting to mark out circles in a thunderstorm. We have seen a circle entered by another than the one who made it, but it was in the case of someone who had tried to circle the whole prairie for himself, and in such case the unwritten law of the camp said that it served him right. There was rarely any trouble to speak of, and we look back to the camp on the prairie with its many tents like a white village as a most delightful and health-giving experience.

I thought this week would be a good time to look at one of the essential entries in the Red River farmer’s Day Timer. It’s an aspect of the livestock farmer’s life even to today: making hay.

by Elizabeth Campbell

I was alerted to a new-to-me website this morning – one that mentions the Red River Colony. So, naturally, I went in to have a look!

Just to let members on the Electronic Newsletter subscription list know that it has been emailed. If you believe you are on the list, but have not received your copy, please email the editor (address on the last page of a previous Newsletter) or send a notice through the Contact Us page here on the site!

All TLSARL members and Red River Settlers’ Descendants are invited to attend!

For more information, contact George through the Contact Us Form.

by Elizabeth Campbell

Anyone interested in joining a TLSARL trip to Scotland in the summer of 2012? We are still planning, but need to know who is seriously interested so we can plan destinations according to descendant interests – there’s no point in going to Kildonan if no one from the Kildonan descendants is on the tour, right?

by Elizabeth Campbell

Ross concludes his list with the following entry:

by Elizabeth Campbell

The third of Selkirk’s supposed motives in Ross’ list leaves me scratching my head a bit.

by Cathie Morgan

I have in my possession my late great Grandpa Matheson’s egg basket. According to family stories, he used it to gather eggs from the hen house he and my great Grandma had in their backyard at Stony Mountain.

Alexander Matheson's Egg Basket, used c. 1920. Photo: E. Campbell

by Elizabeth Campbell

The second in Ross’ list of reasons Selkirk had for establishing the Red River Settlement fits hand in glove with the first. Considered together, these motives set an image in the mind’s eye of a greedy British aristocrat, sitting in his counting house, rubbing his hands in glee as the gold pours in. And a lot of people still see the Fifth Earl of Selkirk in that light. But I will get to that later…