31:
286:, where he instructed the local Aboriginal population in European-style agriculture. The priest had a log chapel built, with smaller log cabins on the surrounding land to house the natives. The local bishop opposed his missionary work, as he believed the Aboriginal Canadians would not settle in one spot for long. Belcourt overcame this opposition, and in 1834 built a school at his mission, enlisting the assistance of a Chippewa-speaking woman to serve as a teacher. In 1836, the missionary admitted five natives to Holy Communion. He was discouraged by the Ojibwe readiness to return to their former spiritual practices after baptism.
730:
433:, and established a school and a church there. The priest envisioned a large metropolis for the area. He began to lay out a city planned in the European-style of a grid, with wide streets and several open squares. Despite his having planned for ample water, and the natural advantages of fertile soil and resources in the area, major development went elsewhere. Since the early twentieth century, agriculture has declined as a mainstay of family economies in the area. The town has 885 residents.
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903:
453:
354:. The missionary was arrested, but was released after the charges against him were discovered to be unfounded. At the urging of the Company's Governor, the Archbishop of Quebec asked Belcourt to return to Montreal. Belcourt asked the Governor of the Company to retract the charges for which he was arrested. The Governor apologised for what he described as a mistake on the part of the Company's chief Factors.
915:
927:
273:. He was to work with the Ojibwe people to convert them to Christianity. Although the language was not yet documented in written form, Belcourt made rapid progress. Within a year, he had learned enough to be considered ready to work directly with those whom he termed the "savages," as was customary at the time.
325:
in
Manitoba. On June 22 of that year, Belcourt left his mission at Baie-Saint-Paul to join a group of hunters on their journey south for the summer. The hunters carried the disease, infecting others, and 25 people died of dysentery by July 5. On the worst days, eight people had to be buried. Belcourt
417:
arrived in
Pembina and immediately started to learn the Chippewa language. Despite claiming to have to resort to manual labour to pay for his food, Belcourt supported a household that included a school teacher, a housekeeper, a Chippewa cook and several servants. Thirty miles to the west, he
350:, consulted with advisors who had little sympathy for the natives and took no action in the case. The Company criticised Belcourt for what it saw as his inciting discontent among the local First Nations. The Company administrators decided that the priest should not be allowed to remain in
301:
liquor, as he required for conversion to
Christianity. In August 1838, the priest arranged to have a dictionary published in the Chippewa language, and returned to his mission at Baie-Saint-Paul. In the winter of 1839, Belcourt carved 280 oak balusters and candlesticks for his log chapel.
377:. Upon arrival at Pembina, Belcourt constructed a small log cabin of 20 feet long by 30 feet wide, which was not large enough for all of his congregation. On August 14, 1848, the missionary baptised his first person in Pembina, and held a Holy Communion class consisting of 92
385:
than
Chippewa in the Pembina area. Belcourt described the original territory of the Chippewa in the Pembina district as several hundred miles north to south, and east to west - much larger than the small reservation to which they were later assigned.
381:. Needing more resources, Belcourt wrote to the Archbishop of Quebec for money for food and building supplies. He also asked for another Canadian priest well-versed in both French and the Chippewa language, as he noted there were more
309:, where he repeated his Baie-Saint-Paul design: a log chapel at the centre surrounded by small cabins for the local population, with outlying farms. The mission closed ten years later; Belcourt blamed this on mismanagement by
466:. Arriving there in November 1859, the priest performed his first baptism among the local people the following month. Belcourt built a parish hall out of stone (which was used into the 1950s) and established the
313:
he had entrusted with its management. In 1845, Belcourt served as the chaplain to some buffalo hunters, but returned to his first mission at Baie-Saint-Paul to teach the
Chippewa language to a group of oblates.
214:, to Antoine Belcourt and Josephte Lemire, who had married on February 23, 1802. His parents, devout Roman Catholics, brought their son up in the same faith, and the young Belcourt received his first
489:
He asked for reassignment to
Rustico and returned to the island in November. In 1866, Belcourt built and demonstrated a steam-powered vehicle, considered the first automobile to be driven in Canada.
330:
in search of medicine, as the priest's supply had quickly run out. With his medicine supplies replenished, the missionary headed back to the encampment of hunters before returning to his mission.
846:
957:
470:. He founded a high school, where he taught until recruiting a teacher from Montreal to the island. The priest created a study group, the members of which had to agree to be
366:
338:
In 1847, in response to perceived discrimination against First
Nations people by the Hudson's Bay Company in the fur trade, Belcourt prepared a petition to
517:
195:
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444:
to prevent the illicit trafficking of liquor from Canada into the United States. In March 1859, Belcourt left North Dakota to return to Canada.
241:, in 1830. As he was bilingual and spoke English as well as French, he was able to minister to his parish of mostly Irish Catholic Canadians.
227:
343:
172:
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378:
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to undertake a philosophical course of study, which he completed in 1823. Belcourt studied to become a priest, and on March 10, 1827,
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692:
606:
327:
306:
269:, and Belcourt was assigned as one of three priests there. He was to assist the Bishop at the town's cathedral, and study the
219:
257:. Following an interview in February 1831, Belcourt was enlisted to go on the trip. After spending two months learning the
463:
893:
653:
967:
492:
Belcourt remained pastor of his parish at
Rustico until 1869, when he retired. The priest intended to live on a farm at
486:. In October 1865, Belcourt resigned from his position at the parish at Rustico, and returned to Quebec for some weeks.
734:
467:
456:
176:
500:. Ill health forced his retirement from there in May 1874, and he returned to Shediac before dying on May 31, 1874.
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266:
237:
Belcourt was appointed as an assistant at several parishes in the area, before becoming pastor of a parish at
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and applied for it. In 1830, Archbishop Panet requested that the young priest accompany him on a journey to
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72:
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raids forced its closure the following year. In 1834, he established a mission at Baie-Saint-Paul on the
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160:
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In addition to performing his missionary work, Belcourt engaged in political advocacy on the behalf of
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223:
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At the urging of the
Company's Governor, Belcourt was recalled to Montreal. He was next assigned to
440:
of alcohol, especially among Native
Americans and First Nations peoples, Belcourt petitioned the US
717:
George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest, 1803-1874: His Life and Times
659:
573:
George Anthony Belcourt Pioneer Catholic Missionary of the Northwest, 1803-1874: His Life and Times
406:
452:
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258:
249:
During his time at Sainte-Martine, the young priest aspired to do missionary work in the west of
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heads of families protesting ongoing encroachment on the buffalo robe and pemmican trade by the
819:
688:
322:
283:
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497:
423:
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187:
496:, but was called back to the church in August 1871. He was asked to pastor a parish on the
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546:
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30:
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to Catholicism. In 1859, Belcourt left Pembina for Quebec, but was quickly redeployed to
880:
276:
In 1832, Belcourt established the first native-only mission west of Saint Boniface, but
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339:
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129:
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907:
183:
854:
479:
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261:, Belcourt departed from his home town on April 27 of that year in a canoe of the
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to examine sites for a mission. He abandoned the plan after discovering that the
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437:
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148:. On the frontier, he became involved in a political dispute between the local
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483:
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Belcourt returned to Quebec, but was quickly sent out to serve at a parish at
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to seek redress. The petition was signed by 977 First Nations people, but the
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133:
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190:. In May 1874, Belcourt was forced to retire due to ill health. He died in
83:
405:. Belcourt forwarded the petition and letter of protest to the governor of
513:, was named after the late priest in honour of his efforts in the region.
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peoples. In 1849, Belcourt gathered a petition of one hundred names of
474:. He established a parish library, built with the assistance of 1,000
140:, Belcourt was ordained in 1827. He established missions in areas of
851:
Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada
719:. St. Paul, Minnesota: North Central Publishing Company. p. 108.
310:
164:
141:
575:. St. Paul, Minnesota: North Central Publishing Company. p. 6.
451:
163:. He established two missions in the 1840s to convert the local
182:
Belcourt retired from his post in 1869 to live out his life in
607:"George Anthony Belcourt: Pioneer Missionary of the Northwest"
847:"Reverend Georges-Antoine Belcourt, National Historic Person"
879:
Bond, John; Belcourt, Georges-Antoine; May, Letitia (1857).
662:: Minnesota Historical Society. 1872–1920. pp. 241–244
413:. In November 1849, the young and recently ordained priest
787:"First Automobile Built in Prince Edward Island by Priest"
655:
Collections of the Minnesota Historical Society. Volume 1
305:
In 1840, the missionary established a mission among the
210:
Georges-Antoine Belcourt was born on April 22, 1803, at
891:
687:
Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press. p. 212.
815:
North Dakota: A Guide to the Northern Prairie State
108:
97:
89:
79:
61:
40:
21:
763:. Canadian Human Rights Commission. Archived from
761:"Human rights in Canada: a historical perspective"
613:. Canadian Catholic Historical Association: 75–89
326:and six of the hunters travelled south to the
818:. Fargo: US History Publishers. p. 236.
540:
538:
186:, but was recalled in 1871, this time to the
8:
958:19th-century Canadian Roman Catholic priests
422:to serve as a base for expansion toward the
265:. On June 17, the priest's party arrived at
179:(the first community-based bank in Canada).
112:Bring the first car to British North America
681:Hackett, Frederick; Hackett, Paul (2002).
29:
18:
600:
598:
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594:
592:
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588:
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218:in 1814. At age 13, Belcourt enrolled in
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534:
429:In 1853, Belcourt moved to what is now
297:people were unwilling to give up their
194:, on May 31, 1874. He was designated a
635:
624:
361:, as a missionary to the Chippewa and
121:(April 22, 1803 – May 31, 1874), also
321:epidemic swept communities along the
16:French Canadian priest and missionary
7:
156:, the monopoly fur trading company.
516:In 1959, Belcourt was designated a
173:North Rustico, Prince Edward Island
14:
812:Federal Writers' Project (1968).
925:
913:
901:
551:Dictionary of Canadian Biography
357:The Church assigned Belcourt to
328:Fort Berthold Indian Reservation
307:Wabaseemoong Independent Nations
35:Belcourt c. 1860, approx. age 57
715:Reardon, James Michael (1955).
571:Reardon, James Michael (1955).
289:In 1838, Belcourt travelled to
234:in the chapel at the Seminary.
1:
731:"Walhalla city, North Dakota"
684:A very remarkable sickness...
464:Rustico, Prince Edward Island
299:Hudson's Bay Company-supplied
963:People from Centre-du-Québec
547:"Bellecourt, George-Antoine"
220:Le Petit Séminaire de Québec
882:Minnesota and its resources
793:. St. John. August 23, 1941
735:United States Census Bureau
167:(also called Chippewa) and
984:
418:established a mission at
123:George Antoine Bellecourt
93:George Antoine Bellecourt
28:
885:. Chicago: Keen and Lee.
518:National Historic Person
468:Farmers' Bank of Rustico
457:Farmers' Bank of Rustico
267:Saint Boniface, Manitoba
196:National Historic Person
177:Farmers' Bank of Rustico
119:Georges-Antoine Belcourt
23:Georges-Antoine Belcourt
605:Reardon, James (1951).
334:Arrival in North Dakota
230:, performed Belcourt's
634:Cite journal requires
545:Morton, W. L. (2000).
511:Belcourt, North Dakota
494:Shediac, New Brunswick
459:
431:Walhalla, North Dakota
375:Red River of the North
239:Sainte-Martine, Quebec
212:Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec
192:Shediac, New Brunswick
175:. He established the
138:Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec
73:Shediac, New Brunswick
55:Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec
455:
436:A strong advocate of
359:Pembina, North Dakota
352:British North America
251:British North America
245:Early missionary work
161:Pembina, North Dakota
767:on September 2, 2010
741:on February 10, 2020
522:Government of Canada
478:a year from Emperor
403:Hudson's Bay Company
271:Anishinaabe language
263:Hudson's Bay Company
228:Archbishop of Quebec
224:Bernard-Claude Panet
200:Government of Canada
154:Hudson's Bay Company
132:diocesan priest and
968:People from Shediac
407:Minnesota Territory
259:Algonquian language
152:population and the
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344:Colonial Secretary
504:Legacy and honors
323:Assiniboine River
284:Assiniboine River
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498:Magdalen Islands
448:Return to Canada
424:Canadian Rockies
411:Alexander Ramsey
379:Native Americans
188:Magdalen Islands
90:Other names
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50:
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33:
19:
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873:Further reading
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127:French Canadian
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17:
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5:
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636:|journal=
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340:Queen Victoria
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216:Holy Communion
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130:Roman Catholic
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109:Known for
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71:
69:(aged 71)
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59:
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51:April 22, 1803
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150:First Nations
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98:Occupation(s)
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64:
60:
56:
43:
39:
32:
27:
20:
889:
881:
858:. Retrieved
855:Parks Canada
850:
841:
829:. Retrieved
814:
807:
795:. Retrieved
790:
781:
769:. Retrieved
765:the original
755:
743:. Retrieved
739:the original
725:
716:
710:
698:. Retrieved
683:
676:
664:. Retrieved
654:
648:
627:cite journal
615:. Retrieved
610:
572:
566:
554:. Retrieved
550:
509:The town of
491:
488:
482:, nephew of
480:Napoleon III
461:
435:
428:
395:Anishinaabeg
388:
356:
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209:
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122:
118:
117:
67:(1874-05-31)
65:May 31, 1874
953:1874 deaths
948:1803 births
920:Catholicism
860:November 3,
831:November 3,
797:November 3,
771:November 3,
745:November 3,
700:November 3,
666:November 3,
617:November 3,
556:November 3,
472:teetotalers
438:prohibition
317:In 1846, a
279:Gros Ventre
101:Priest and
80:Nationality
942:Categories
529:References
484:Napoleon I
291:Rainy Lake
232:ordination
206:Early life
136:. Born in
134:missionary
103:missionary
47:1803-04-22
932:Biography
371:tributary
369:basin, a
348:Earl Grey
319:dysentery
202:in 1959.
660:St. Paul
442:Congress
255:Manitoba
146:Manitoba
125:, was a
84:Canadian
894:Portals
520:by the
373:to the
365:of the
311:oblates
198:by the
908:Canada
822:
691:
226:, the
165:Ojibwe
142:Quebec
399:MĂ©tis
391:MĂ©tis
383:MĂ©tis
363:MĂ©tis
169:MĂ©tis
862:2010
833:2010
820:ISBN
799:2010
773:2010
747:2010
702:2010
689:ISBN
668:2010
640:help
619:2010
558:2010
393:and
144:and
62:Died
41:Born
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