62 Follow us on Twitter: @PrairieFarming Better Farming | February 2024 Marie Rose Delorme Smith, a Métis woman born in 1861, was a true pioneer of the Western Canadian ranching world. She defied cultural norms by becoming a rancher and homesteader at a time when these roles were predominantly held by Anglo-Saxon men. Marie Rose grew up near the Red River in Manitoba. She attended a Grey Nuns boarding school in Saint Boniface, Manitoba, where she received education in both French and English. She participated in her family's annual tradition of journeying through the Western Plains for buffalo hunting and trading with First Nation peoples. This experience fostered her resilience. Throughout her lifetime, she encountered significant periods of transition and witnessed the Prairies evolve from a fur trade-based economy to a more settled agricultural economy, as highlighted by Parks Canada. At the age of 16, as her family travelled west, she was reportedly “forced” by her mother to marry a much older, wealthy and hard-living whisky trader named Charlie Smith, according to the article, “A Métis Heritage: Charlie and Marie Rose Smith,” written by Mary Helene Parfitt (Smith) on the Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village website. With their family growing, Marie Rose and her husband Charlie settled on a homestead ranch called “The Jughandle” in 1880 near what is now the town of Pincher Creek, Alberta. Together, they had 17 children. Having cultivated both business skills and acumen, she ran the Jughandle Ranch, which raised hundreds of horses and cattle, while Charlie was often absent. After Charlie’s death in 1914, she obtained a second homestead and ran a boarding house to have the income to provide for her large family on her own. Roundup Time, a highly anticipated event on the ranch, showcased Marie Rose’s leadership qualities. Starting in May, riders and outfits from various locations would come together to lend a hand. Typically, six or seven outfits would journey together, starting in the “south country” near the mountains along the South Fork, then progressing north into the Porcupine Hills, as described in “A Métis Heritage.” Marie Rose faced many challenges during her journey as a rancher, going beyond the cultural backlash she endured. The harsh Prairie winters and the devastating loss of two sons in the First World War added to her trials. Following the 1885 resistance, Marie Rose, like many Métis individuals, chose to downplay her Indigenous heritage. Nevertheless, she ingeniously found subtle ways to preserve her culture. Through her remarkable beadwork and captivating storytelling, she continued to practice significant aspects of Métis tradition, as recognized by Parks Canada. By the 1930s, Marie Rose had more time to reflect on her unique life as a female leader and pioneer. She decided to write on her experiences, focusing on topics like ranching culture and frontier life. She also touched on controversial historical events such as the 1885 Rebellion of Louis Riel and the execution of Thomas Scott, but refrained from disclosing her identity as a Métis person at that time. Her serialized newspaper autobiography, “Eighty Years on the Plains,” provides a valuable glimpse into the life of a Métis woman navigating a world where her cultural heritage was frequently marginalized, if not completely denied, according to the Manitoba Historical Society. Marie Rose owned her own property during a time when very few Euro-Canadian women and even fewer Indigenous women were able to do so, and serves as a rare example of a Métis author who documented the important roles of women during the fur trade, buffalo hunting and homesteading eras, according to Parks Canada. Her story remains unknown to many, yet it illustrates the unique tapestry that helped shape the history of ranches across Western Canada. BF RURAL ROOTS Marie Rose with husband Charlie and daughter in the 1890s. Cultural Resources Digital Collections, University of Calgary photo A MÉTIS WOMAN'S STRUGGLE & SUCCESS Marie Rose Delorme Smith helped shape the history of ranches in Western Canada. By Eugenie Officer EUGENIE OFFICER Eugenie grew up on a farm and has a degree in history and agriculture and is working towards an MBA in sustainability. She lives in Assiniboia, Sask.
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