FIRST -- White family to settle in Western Canada, St. Boniface, Winnipeg MB
N 49° 53.366 W 097° 07.395
14U E 634805 N 5528025
Jean-Baptiste Lagimodiere and his wife, Marie Anne Gaboury were the first white family to settle in the Western part of Canada, now Manitoba.
Waymark Code: WMJYDX
Location: Manitoba, Canada
Date Posted: 01/16/2014
Views: 11
The beautiful St. Boniface Cathedral Cemetery is filled with the history of manitoba, especially its Francophones.
A small sign on a pole (in English and French) near the combination Lagimodiere family tombstone reads as follows:
"Tomb of Jean-Baptiste Lagimodiere, celebrated voyager, and his wife, Marie Anne Gaboury, the first white family to settle in the West"
A single obelisk-style tombstone records the names and burials of 12 members of this historic first family.
For more: (
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"Jean Baptiste Lagimodière (1778-1855)
Fur trader, pioneer settler.
He was born at St. Antoine de Chambly, Quebec, the son of Jean-Pierre Lagimonière and Marie-Joseph Jarret dit Beauregard. In the employ of the North West Company he made his first trip to Red River in 1800. He returned to Lower Canada during the winter of 1805-1806. On 21 April 1806, he married Marie-Anne Gaboury at Maskinonge and they moved to the Hudson’s Bay Company post at Pembina. They were the first white family to settle and raise a family on the prairies. They had eight children.
In the spring of 1807 they journeyed to Fort Cumberland and Fort des Prairies where the winter was spent, before returning to Red River. During the winter of 1812-1813 he was retained by Miles Macdonell as a buffalo hunter for the Selkirk colonists. In the winter of 1815-16 he travelled for almost five months over 1800 miles, mainly on snowshoes, from Red River to Montreal carrying despatches to Lord Selkirk. On the return journey he was captured by the Nor’Westers but later released. As a reward for this mission he received a grant of land from Lord Selkirk, on the east side of the Red River, thus becoming a pioneer of St. Boniface.
Lagimodière continued as a voyageur for the Hudson’s Bay Company for many years, and later became a successful farmer.
Grandfather of William Lagimodiere and Louis Riel.
He died at St. Boniface on 7 September 1855 and was buried in the St. Boniface Cathedral Cemetery. He is commemorated by Lagimodiere Boulevard in Winnipeg."
Thanks to Uberwaymarkers Peter and Gloria for better coordinates. :)
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