History of Marie-Anne Gaboury Lagemodiere

Lifetime Adventures of Louis Riel’s Grandmother

May 7, 2009

Marie-Anne Gaboury Lagemodier, said to be the first white woman resident in western Canada, survived horrendous journeys and life-threatening situations.

Marie-Anne Gaboury was born in Maskinonge, Quebec, in the diocese of Trois-Rivieres in 1780, fifth child of Charles Gaboury and Marie-Anne Tessier. At age twelve, following her father’s death, she entered domestic service for the parish priest. During that time she received an education in French, Latin, and arithmetic.

Montreal to Winnipeg by Canoe and Portage

Marriage to Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) fur trader Jean-Baptiste Lagemodiere in 1806 brought about drastic changes in her life. Marie-Anne accompanied him on an arduous canoe and portage journey from Montreal. After arriving at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers (present-day Winnipeg), they continued on to an encampment near Pembina, North Dakota. The first of their eight children was born there during that winter.

In the spring of 1807, they arrived at Cumberland House, the HBC’s first fur trading post in the interior. The young family then travelled to an area near present-day Edmonton and remained in the northern region from 1807 until 1811. Living a semi-nomadic lifestyle with other French-Canadian trappers and their Native wives, Marie-Anne gave birth to several more children. She also accompanied her husband on many hunting/trapping expeditions.

Red River Settlement

Lord Selkirk’s 1812 decision to establish a Red River Colony for Scottish settlers quickly became a contentious issue. The North-West Company saw the plan as a scheme to monopolize the fur trade. Marie-Anne and Jean-Baptiste avoided the violent confrontations that ensued before he was asked by a HBC representative to carry dispatches to Lord Selkirk in Montreal. During the 1815-1816 winter, Jean-Baptiste successfully accomplished the task. On his return journey, he was captured by Native people who were acting for the North-West Company. He was prisoner at Fort William until Lord Selkirk regained the location in August 1816.

Saint Boniface, Manitoba

For his services, Lagemodiere was given a land grant where he built a log house in 1816 on the Red River’s east bank at the Seine. The family settled down to become successful homesteaders. One of their children born there was Julie (1822) who became the mother of Louis Riel, the Metis leader. Jean-Baptiste died at age 78 on September 7, 1855 at St. Boniface, Manitoba.

Marie-Anne Gaboury Lagemodiere died December 14, 1875 at Saint Boniface, Manitoba. The woman who travelled by all possible methods and suffered many privations, lived in isolation or within crowds, in tepees, and forts. She survived trips where she encountered mosquito swarms, buffalo stampedes, and terrible storms. She learned the languages of the Cree and Ojibway people as well as their medicines and survival tactics. She lived to see western Canada’s growth and the efforts of her grandson Louis Riel who is recognized as a founding father of Manitoba.

Marie-Anne: The Extraordinary Life of Louis Riel’s Grandmother by Maggie Siggins, McClelland & Stewart, (2008)

The copyright of the article History of Marie-Anne Gaboury Lagemodiere in Canadian Settlement is owned by Kathleen Airdrie. Permission to republish History of Marie-Anne Gaboury Lagemodiere in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.