While other provinces mark the day as Family Day, Manitoba recognizes the third Monday of every February as a holiday to pay tribute to the province's honorary first premier, Louis Riel.

James Kostuchuk, a Portage la Prairie historian, says Riel is an undeniable founder of Manitoba.

file photoJames Kostuchuk.

"I think it's good that we now acknowledge Riel's importance. It wasn't always that way. When I was a high school student, we were taught a different version of history, and the acknowledgment of Riel today is something we can all be proud of."

Riel, who was a major figure in the Red River and North-West resistance, is credited with bringing Manitoba into Confederation in 1870 before eventually being sentenced to death years later in 1885 in Regina. Riel's death came as Prime Minister John A. Macdonald decided to charge him with high treason for his role in the 1885 resistance.

Kostuchuk explains that the Riel story does have Portage roots. He says it all started around 1869/1870 during the Red River Resistance, which basically led to an army being dispatched from Ontario to Manitoba.

"At the time, Riel had taken some prisoners of people who were causing him trouble at Fort Gary, and one of them escaped, and his name is Thomas Scott. That name is well known to Manitoba history students because he is the man who ultimately was executed by Louis Riel, but Scott came to Portage la Prairie, where they organized a group, and historically, it's been called 'The Portage Boys.' They decided that they would go to Fort Gary to liberate the prisoners. As it turns out, Riel decided to do that on his own, and there was no need for them to go near Fort Gary and cause trouble. But they did, and all of them were captured, and then eventually, Thomas Scott was executed."

The local historian illustrates that every story needs a villain, and Scott took that role as Riel's relentless opponent during this period.

"While there's no question that the Portage Boys were out to cause trouble with Riel, it turns out that there's very little evidence from the period of 1870 to show that Scott was, in fact, a villain. I think many historians today would argue that Scott died probably not because he was an evil person but rather because somebody needed to be made an example of."

Two other names tied into this time that are worth noting, according to Kostuchuk, are William Gaddy and Frederick Bird.

Gaddy, who had a street named after him in Portage until the 1950s, was sentenced to death for spying. However, Riel commuted that sentence before Gaddy ultimately escaped his imprisonment.

Bird was a part of the Portage Boys and was the community's first representative in the legislature in 1871. Bird was actually beaten up for being essentially too soft as someone who was supposed to be anti-Riel, notes Kostuchuk.

"In Winnipeg, a group of people physically grabbed Bird and gave him a really good beating because they didn't like the way he was representing Portage la Prairie in the legislature. It was a tumultuous time, and the Scottish Métis mercantile class from Portage opposed Riel. That is part of the story. It's maybe not the story we would like to hear on Louis Riel Day, but that is the Portage la Prairie connection to those events of 1869-1870."

Kostuchuk says that speaking of Riel, in the light he has to PortageOnline in 2024, may have had him chased out of the community in 1870.

"Now I feel quite fine coming here and talking to you about Riel," he laughed. "What is fascinating about this period is that both Riel and the Portage Boys are well represented in a lot of the period's writings. So, really it's a great opportunity for people to read the primary source materials, and start forming their own thoughts and opinions about these historical issues."

After that period, Kostuchuk highlights that Riel travelled to the States to work as a teacher before returning to Canada years later.

"In 1885, what had happened in Manitoba as settlers moved west was now happening in Saskatchewan, and so Riel returned to attempt to address the issues of the people that were in Saskatchewan. As a result of that, they actually went to war during the Battle of Batoche, where Riel surrendered. He was put on trial; they did find him guilty of treason. But as I recall, the jury also urged that his life be spared and that he shouldn't have the ultimate penalty for what he did. It is argued that many historians have said that he wasn't executed for what he did in 1885; he was executed for what had happened to Thomas Scott in 1870."

The local historian questions where Manitoba would be without Riel, perhaps never becoming our own province at all or even being taken over by the United States as the Fenians were lurking at Canada's borders at the time.

"One of the things that I appreciate is that Riel's statue at the Manitoba Legislature is one of the largest, and it's very fitting for his character," he continues. "When you see that statue, it's important to note that he has his back turned to the legislature. This speaks to that kind of rebellious nature, that desire to do what's right, not what's popular. When we talk about how our province came to be or how we came to celebrate our history, Riel gives us a strong focal point on which we can rally."

Kostuchuk says that a lot of this history that we know of during this time comes from settlers and their knowledge, which has been written about in books. He hopes that more of the Métis history from this period can be uncovered as we go forward.

"A lot of this is happening in real-time for us; I mean, acknowledgement of the Métis people by the government is, essentially, a recent thing, and we're still negotiating what that relationship looks like. But I think one of the things that Canada has always been good at is that we seem to learn from our mistakes, and you know, we keep entering into discussions with indigenous people, including the  Métis. That will give us a stronger country; coming together on Riel is a good step toward having a better community."

Anyone interested in these moments in history and the Portage connection to the Riel story is urged by Kostuchuk to read three books: 'North West Rebellion' by Major Boulton, 'First Furrows' by A.C. Garrioch and  'History of Manitoba' by R.B. Hill.