by Joanna Dawson

As an executive member of the St. James-Assiniboia Pioneer Association, Sandra Horyski has been working tirelessly to uncover Cuthbert Grant from the pages of history. We agree that Cuthbert Grant’s story has gone untold for too long, which is why Sandra is our history hero.

Canada’s History recently spoke with Sandra to learn more about her work and her dedication to telling Cuthbert Grant’s story.

Cuthbert Grant was born in 1793 to a Métis woman and a Scottish fur-trader with the North West Company (NWC). After his father’s death in 1799, Grant was placed under the care of another NWC agent and sent to Montreal, where he was educated and began working with the NWC. In 1812, he returned to the West with the NWC and was placed in charge of a small outpost on the Qu’Appelle River.

This was a tumultuous time for those in the West. The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) and the NWC were competing for control of the area and both were struggling with resources in the face of an increasing population. Tensions were further exacerbated in 1812 with the arrival of another group of Europeans, the Selkirk settlers, and the creation of a new settlement.

Cuthbert Grant emerged as leader of the Métis and gained their support for the North West Company. The competition over land, resources and administrative rights resulted in a string of conflicts as the companies tried to assert their authority. The conflict erupted in 1816 at the Battle of Seven Oaks, when Grant and his followers clashed with the HBC’s local governor, Robert Semple. Semple and twenty of his men were killed, while Grant’s men suffered only one casualty. A year later, a commissioner from Lower Canada was appointed to investigate the conflict. Grant was sent to Montreal to attend trial for murder, theft and arson, although the charges were eventually dropped.

Grant returned to the West, where he established a settlement near present-day Winnipeg, called Grantown. He was joined by many Métis families and maintained his leadership, being named “Warden of the Plains,” a member of the Council of Assiniboia, a Justice of the Peace, and one of the two Sheriffs of Assiniboia.

Although generally considered the first leader of the Métis, Cuthbert Grant’s legacy is often overshadowed by that of his successor, Louis Riel. Luckily, Sandra Horyski and her fellow volunteers are working to change that.

They maintain Grant’s Old Mill, a working replica of the flour mill Cuthbert Grant operated on his settlement. The mill is filled with stories and testimonies of Grant’s leadership, strength and vision. A recently-commissioned portrait of Grant hangs prominently on the wall. It is the first known portrait of Cuthbert Grant and its creator only had a faded black and white sketch of the Métis leader to work with. It's just one of many steps the organization has taken to remember the first leader of the Métis.

For more information on Cuthbert Grant and the St. James-Assiniboia Pioneer Association, visit CuthbertGrant.ca or phone 204-986-5613 (summer), 204-253-4904 (winter).