Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | M | Manitoba History

The Nor'Wester comes to Red River.

Article Excerpt
In late September 1859, William Coldwell and William Buckingham traveled from Toronto to St. Paul, Minnesota. From there, they planned to travel to the Red River Settlement to start a newspaper, The Nor'Wester. The enterprising journalists purchased Red River Carts and oxen, loaded their equipment and, along with Reverend John Black and his family, headed off. Buckingham mailed a letter, on the eve of their departure, to his colleagues at the Toronto Globe. In it, and in two subsequent letters, he described their plans and the events of the road. The journey had an inauspicious start when their oxen reared up and dumped their printing press on the ground. It begs the question: How might the course of Manitoba history have been different if Coldwell and Buckingham had, in frustration, abandoned the venture at this point? These three letters were transcribed by Ward Skinner of Nova Scotia, from handwritten originals in the possession of Janice Forbes, great-granddaughter of William Buckingham. We are grateful to Mr. Skinner for bringing them to our attention. Editors.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

On the Eve of Starting (1)

We shall travel with our own teams and drive through four-in-hand. Mr. Burbank, one of the most enterprising citizens of St. Paul, and to whom we are indebted for many favours, highly approves of the plan. Our material and luggage weighs close up on thirty hundred, and the Rev. Mr. Black's luggage, &c, is something over six hundred. There are our two selves, Mr. Black, his wife, her sister, and his little boy. Our cavalcade will include what I have just enumerated, a teamster, provisions, tent and bedding for the journey, three Red River carts, each drawn by an ox and carrying ourselves and part of the baggage; and a waggon and two yoke of oxen. We gave $40 for each oxen, $10 for the...