Trader Burns

Pat Burns
Cattle King
Copyright 1979 Western Producer Prairie Books
200 pages,
ISBN 088833-010-3 (cl).
ISBN 088833-010-9 (pa).

Minnedosa was changing in other ways, like a young eagle acquiring feathers. After getting stores, mills, and professional people, it obtained its own branch-line railroad and when the Northwest Rebellion broke in April, 1885, the townsmen, with a strong sense of responsibility for protection, rallied behind Capt. E. Brisebois to form a homeguard. "The arms and ammunition having arrived," the local newspaper stated, "Brisebois desires a thorough organization before opening the cases.'"

At the same time, immigration was picking up; 48,000 immigrants came to Canada in 1881 and 112,000 in 1882. The Dominion land agent was instructed to reserve all even-numbered vacant sections in the townships immediately north of Burns' land "for purpose of a Scandinavian Colony .... The district selected is all that could be desired."

A few weeks later, the first of the colonists led to an announcement that: "A number of Icelanders with their families arrived in Minnedosa this evening and intend settling in Clanwilliam [Municipality]."

After a few more weeks, the editor reported: "Five families of Hungarians ... arrived in Minnedosa on Friday evening last," to locate a short distance northeast of Pat Burns' farm, "and went out there yesterday'".

The Presbyterians did not allow the Icelanders and Hungarians to capture all the newspaper space; a totally irrelevant item appeared in the same issue of the Minnedosa Tribune."The young man who by mistake put dog tag no. 53 in the collection plate at the Presbyterian Church on Sunday evening can obtain the same from the treasurer, W. Murphy, who will be happy to exchange it for the twenty-five cent piece evidently intended.'"

The real estate madness reached its peak in Winnipeg in 1882 and subsided in the next year. Winnipeg, in spite of its booms and busts, strengthened its claim to the title of "Gateway City," and with rising immigration, was bound to flourish. As of March 21, 1881, Manitoba boundaries were extended westward and northward to give the province the impressive size known today. Suddenly, on that date, Pat Burns and his neighbors were in the province of Manitoba rather than in the Northwest Territories. Some homesteaders objected to being placed in Manitoba, presuming the change would result in higher taxes. To Burns, the change was of no special consequence. What with freighting, trading, and farming, his life was already full and he was spending about as much time in the province as in the Territories.

As time passed, he was finding less time for farming and then less time for freighting. Dealing in livestock could keep him busy at all seasons. He was away from the farm so much that neighbors wondered if the homestead would escape cancellation. The danger was real. It was fair criticism, both before and after receiving title for the land in 1885, that Burns was becoming slightly out of touch with his farm. It would come to him as a shock when, in 1885, his attention was directed to the local newspaper which showed a list of farms in the Municipality of Clanwilliam about to be sold for taxes. The notice read, brutally, that unless the tax arrears were paid in the meantime, "I shall on Monday, the 19th day of October, at two o'clock, sell by public auction ....""

Listed among the properties to be sold was the "north half of the N.W. 1/4 of 18-16-17-W1," which was part of the Burns farm. The amount of arrears was small, only $8.61, and his failure to pay could have been explained as an oversight. Nevertheless, the owner had not paid his taxes in full and it suggested something more than an oversight. Like any other businessman, Burns was giving his best attention to the more profitable of his enterprises and that was in droving. He was becoming well known all the way from Minnedosa to Winnipeg, and before long, the local editor was treating him as a visitor when he appeared in town. Late in 1885, the news read that: "Mr. P. Burns of Winnipeg was in town this week:'" and days later, "Mr. P. Burns, the cattle buyer, is in town visiting old friends and doing a little business at the same time."

The Minnedosa region was becoming an important producer of cattle and other livestock and the editor of the weekly Tribune gave credit to the shippers, John Wake, Pat Burns, and Sewell and Proven. "Six years ago," the editor wrote, "there were only three cows in the settlements north of Minnedosa. Now many settlers have herds ranging up to 100 head. The first shipment out of the district was made in 1883, not quite three years ago, when about 20 head were shipped by J. Wake to Winnipeg."" From this beginning, the editor noted boastfully, shipments in the recent year, March of 1885 to March of 1886, made by the three leading dealers had risen in value to $35,200.