The Métis Community of Ste. Madeleine - A Park West School Division Community Initiative - Binscarth, Manitoba

The Métis Community of Ste. Madeleine

A Park West School Division Community Initiative

Ste. Madeleine was a
Métis community
located
approximately 15
kilometers southeast
of Binscarth,
Manitoba

Métis hunters were
in this area in the
early 1800’s but
Métis families began
settling in the area in
the 1880’s. Many
families came from
the Red River area
near Winnipeg.

Father DeCorby
established a parish in St.
Lazare in 1895 and seven
years later an auxiliary
mission was set up in Ste.
Madeleine.

In 1913 a log chapel
was built by local
Métis families so
that church services
could be held once
or twice a month in
Ste. Madeleine.

In April, 1872 the Dominion
Lands Act provided free
quarter section homestead
grants (160 acres). In Ste.
Madeleine most families
concentrated their homes on
about four sections of land
near the school and church.

In 1922, the one
                                                  room Belliveau
                                                  School was built for
                                                  Grades One through
                                                  Eight. Lessons were
                                                  sometimes taught in
                                                  French and English.

Students surrounding the schoolhouse foundation

From 1915 to 1935 the Métis community grew and thrived, increasing
to approximately 250 people. Times were hard and the land poor for
farming. Many families fell behind in paying their taxes.

In 1935, The Prairie Farm
Rehabilitation Act
designated certain lands for
community pastures to
prevent drought and soil
erosion. This was the time
of the “Dirty Thirties”
when drought conditions
were extreme and soil was
badly eroded and unfit for
farming.

The community of Ste. Madeleine was designated community pasture land.
Families that had their taxes fully paid were compensated for their land but the
majority of community residents were behind in their taxes and received no
compensation.

By 1938 all the homes in Ste. Madeleine were burned to the ground and the
church was dismantled. The town of Ste. Madeleine ceased to exist.

Today all that remains is
the stone foundation of
the Belliveau School
and the cemetery
encircling the mound
of grass where the
church once stood.

The cemetery is still
tended by the family
members and is used
as the final resting
place of Ste.
Madeleine inhabitants
and their families.

CLASS TRIP TO
STE. MADELEINE

    May 26, 2012

Binscarth Métis
Community Supporters

            Alan Venne and
            Rene Fleury

    Kate Venne and
    Rosalie Boucher Dreilich

Elder Rosalie shared
stories about
growing up in Ste.
Madeleine

Students made a rubbing of the commemorative plaque found in the center
                            of the cemetery

Students documented
the names of the
community families

Ste. Madeleine

Bellehumeur                              Lefranc
          Venne
                                   Fleury
 Ledoux                                     Smith
      Boucher                      Lemay
 Larose                                     Demerais
     Vermette
                                   Fisher
Favreau                                        Ducharme

          Boyer   May 26, 2012     Pelletier

 Bitner                                     Flammand

Grade 5/6 students from Inglis School and
Grade 6/7 students from Binscarth School

After our trip to Ste. Madeleine we returned to the Binscarth Métis local for lunch

Board Chair Don Cochrane
                              Inglis teacher Nadine Hickey
                              Binscarth teacher Shelley Robidoux
                              and education assistant Carla Arran

Ste. Madeleine Métis Centre
volunteer staff
Mary Fleury, Alan Venne,
Kate Venne, Mary Orr

Lunch consisted of
soup, bangs, rice
pudding and juice

A big thank you to everyone
 who supported the trip to
       Ste. Madeleine!

TEACHER SUPPORT PAGES

This resource was developed to support the Grade Six Social Studies curriculum:
  6-KI-011 Describe daily life on a prairie homestead between 1890 and 1914.
Examples: survey system, role of women, challenges facing early settlers, education..
  6-VH-013 Appreciate the struggles of past generations in achieving the rights that
people in Canada enjoy today.
  6-KP-048 Identify First Nations, Inuit, and Métis perspectives regarding self-
determination. Examples: resource use, land claims, treaties, government...
  6-KP-054 Identify factors that contribute to inequities in Canada and propose solutions.
Examples: poverty, racism, sexism…
  6-VC-003 Appreciate the struggles and achievements of past generations in shaping
Canada

STE. MADELEINE
                                  TIMELINE

1872 - Dominion            1902 - Ste. Madeleine         1922 - Belliveau            1935 – Prairie Farm       1938- Ste. Madeleine’s
Lands Act sets down        mission established         Schoolhouse built for         Rehabilitation Act        community members
regulations for                                            Grades 1-8                passed                    are forced to relocate.
homestead grants

         1880 - Father                                                                             1935- 1938 Ste.
         DeCorby founded the            1913 – log chapel               1935- community
                                                                                                   Madeleine designated
         Catholic mission of            built                           thrived and grew to
                                                                                                   to become community
         St. Lazare                                                     250 people                 pasture land

Ste. Madeleine:
Community Without a Town
is available through Pemmican
Publications Inc.
ISBN 0-919143-45-8

This project was made possible through the collaboration of:

                 Park West School Division

                        Inglis School

                      Binscarth School

       Cort Dogniez: Aboriginal Education Facilitator

             Ste. Madeleine Métis Cultural Centre