If there is one event in the settlement history of Yorkton that shows the extent of the political influence of the York Farmers Colonization Company, it was the erection of a military fort at the original site of Yorkton in 1885. Yorkton was then 4 kilometers north of our present location, on the banks of the Little White Sand River. The fort's existence is a little known fact because it was erected overnight, so to speak, and almost as quickly demolished. "Fort Watson" came into existence at the height of the conflicts of the North West Rebellion. Métis, led by Louis Riel and angered that their many petitions about land rights, status and poor living conditions were ignored, rose in rebellion against the Dominion Government. Some Indian bands and some white settlers who had grievances of their own were also sympathetic to their cause.
In March of 1885, York Colony settlers began to hear news of a battle between the North West Mounted police and Riel's men at Duck Lake. The settlers seriously wondered if Indian bands in the region of Yorkton might get involved in the uprising. The settlers soon went to consult with James Armstrong, Managing Director of the York Farmers Colonization Company, who was often present in the colony. It did not take long before he made a trip to Ottawa, no doubt to talk the Company President and Member of Parliament, N.C. Wallace. The two men called on the authorities to explain that several Reserves surrounded the Yorkton settlement, and there were fears that the Native people might well join in the Métis Resistance. Thus, they were requesting military protection for the settlement.
The Minister of the Militia called on Captain T. Charles Watson, a British Army veteran of Foreign Service. The Minister requested that Watson take charge and set up a military establishment at the Yorkton colony, and for this special assignment he was promoted to the rank of Major. In April of 1885, accompanied by Sgt. Major Gardiner, drill inspector, he set out for Winnipeg, where he procured arms and ammunition. Here are excerpts from a report in The Manitoba Free Press of April 15, 1885. The situation at Broadview - Seventy stand of arms and 6,000 rounds of ammunition arrived on Saturday night. Major Watson of Ottawa arrived here Friday in company of Mr. Armstrong. Several men were sworn by the Justice of the Peace to accompany Major Watson to the headquarters at Yorkton. According to Mr. Mackay, the Presbyterian missionary on the reserves, the Indians appear to be in a wholesome state of fear, as they are continually asking him whether the white people are coming to kill them. It is said to be a great deal of sickness among the Indians.
After obtaining the latest news on the Rebellion and recruiting men for his new militia Major Watson and his party with their cargo of arms and ammunition set out on the rugged trails leading to Yorkton.
On their march northward, a tedious one owing to the condition of the ground at that season of the year, and the well-known slow pace of the oxen, they reached Yorkton. At first, the troops occupied the flour mill and tents, using the Land Office to store ammunition. A great number of the settlers came into Yorkton, and a large number of men enlisted. The Major proposed building a log house and stockade, and the settlers promptly did so, with their own teams hauled logs, 11 feet long by 1-1/2 feet in diameter, distances varying from 7 to 18 miles, giving their time, labor and teams so that a fine stockade was built. It was located on three town lots, making an area of 150 feet square, owned by York Farmers' Colonization Company. The estimated number of logs used in the stockade was somewhat over 2,000. A ditch 3 feet deep was dug around the square. Frost was in the ground, about 1 foot 6 inches from the surface, necessitating the cutting of the soil with an axe - a tedious and laborious work. The logs were sunk in the ground three feet deep, leaving clear eight feet above the earth. At corresponding angles bastions were formed, commanding the front and side face, and also the rear and side face of the stockade.
According to a letter written in The Yorkton Enterprise by pioneer Charles H. Smith, many settlers had been surprised at the arrival of Major Watson, along with all the array of ammunition. Many refused to enlist in the militia until the Major gave his word that they would not be transferred to any field of battle outside of Yorkton. Some settlers' families came to stay at the fort, and many men drove their cattle on the banks of Armstrong Lake where they camped for several days. Records show that the people of the Little Bone Reserve, some fifteen miles south of Yorkton, came to see what was going on. From the Major's report we learn that on April 20th two members of the Little Bone Band visited the fort, and the next day the whole Band camped in the brush on the east side of the Little White Sand River. They held a pow-wow near the Major's tent, expressed friendly sentiments and asked for provisions. They were given tobacco, tea, pork, flour and bacon.
Watson communicated with the Lieutenant Governor who assured him that the people of Little Bone were well behaved and lived by the hunt. Soon though, the Major heard reports of some Native men raiding dwellings, stealing cattle and having beef barbecues. Out of the 62 members of the Home Guard (also referred to at times as the Yorkton Rangers) the Major sent out a detachment of 25 men to the Native encampment at Cussed Creek, approximately 15 miles (25 kilometers) northwest of Yorkton. One rumour had it that the group was planning to go join the rebels at Duck Lake. Their numbers had swelled we are told when some members from Files Hills Reserve had joined the encampment. Ranger John F. Reid, from the Orkney settlement and John Welbury, an interpreter of sorts entered the camp for a parley. Reid and Welbury read the Lieutenant Governor's Proclamation to Chief Little Bone ordering the band to their reserve; otherwise they would be treated as rebels. Little Bones complied with the order. It was a testy time; there could have been bloodshed, with the Rangers being outnumbered. However, it was also a fact that the Major's orders were to avoid bloodshed. Another excerpt from the Free Press, tells us the following: Mission Work in War Times, by Reverend J.H.L. Joselyn: I dined with carpenters on the Reserve and learned that many Indians were only deterred from going West to join Riel by the forfeit of rations which such steps would incur.
The Home Guard volunteers had some other encounters with Native men, some when rifles were drawn, and a few shots fired aimlessly, but at no time was anyone wounded or killed. It was another story at battle sites such as Duck Lake and Batoche where people on both sides of the conflict were killed and wounded. It is understandable that the Yorkton settlers were living in fear, and so did the people of the Reserves. But, life went on and the colonists celebrated the Queen's birthday, holding sporting events in the afternoon followed in the evening by a dance and a military concert held at the Fort.
Riel surrendered on May 15th. The Major dismissed from duty the Home Guard members on June 8, and returned the ammunition, the tents, etc., to a Winnipeg depot.
Unfortunately, the records are blank as to what if any use was made of the fort buildings. All we know is that the whole compound was torn down within a couple years. Not much has been written about this episode in our history, and to date no photos of Fort Watson have been located. Government officials seized all rifles from the Little Bone Band. The Yorkton Home Guard volunteers received military Bounty Warrants or cash, or land as grants for having served in the Yorkton militia.
While the fort received very little attention in the annals of Western Canadian history, there is one fact that is indeed of importance - Fort Watson appears to be the most elaborate military installation built from the ground up during the Riel Uprising. It is also almost certain that Fort Watson never would have been built, but for the political influence of the York Farmers Colonization Company.
Terri Lefebvre Prince,
Heritage Researcher
City of Yorkton Archives,
City of Yorkton, Box 400,
37 Third Avenue North,
Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W3
306-786-1722 [email protected]
