DUMONT, GABRIEL + Madeleine Welkey (72 ENG -- 71 fran)

    Gabriel Dumont  son of Isidore Dumont + Louise Laframboise
                              grand-son of Jean-Baptiste Dumont + Josette                                           "SARCEE"
                              b. 1837-12-      St-Boniface, MB
                              m. 1857-09-07 Pembina, MB + Madeleine                                                Welkey
                             d. 1906-03-19  Batoche,SK

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      Gabriel Dumont was essentially a man of the Prairies, a leader of the Great Métis Buffalo Hunds, a fermer and a man who felt a deep responsibility for his fellow-men. Durin the battles which the Métis fought in making their last stand as a nation, he also proved himself to be a brillant stategist. Dumont was born in 1837 near St-Boniface, Manitoba, into a Métis family of French and Sarcee, Indian heritage. In 1904 they moved to Saskatchewan and settled neart Batoche.

     As a young boy Gabriel became accomplished as a hunter, a fisherman, canoeist and rider. He frequently went along on the hunds and became an excellenet guide. He had a facility for languages and could speak five Indian languages as well as French, his native tongue. He did not master the English language, however.

   In 1872, Gabriel Dumont, as a married man, had joined his fellow Métis in settling down to the lessnomadic life in the Batoche-St Laurent area. He farmed, ran the ferry service and operated a small store. He was already a leader in the community and in 1873. when one-thousand residents formed a colony, Gabriel Dumont ws elected President by acclamation. In the years following 1873, Dumont was active in the Métis struggles to obtain title to their land and in attempting to set controls on the hunting of the rapidly disappearing buffalo hears. Dumont ws acutely aware of the dangers of the Métis race as the buffalo herds dwindled and the Eastern settlers advanced West. He recognized early the need to unite all peoples of the area. Whte English and French Métis and Indians, in petitioning the government in Ottawa for their rights. He played a major role in forming strategy and in eventually asking Louis Riel to return to Cwanada to help them.

    During the political confrontations with the Canadian Government in 1885, Dumont led his people into battle. He developed military strategy and fought at the side of his people to the end. It is now felf that Dumont's preferred strategy of using guerilla warfare tactics could have been superior under the circumstances to the military tactics that, Riel, as leader, eventually chose to use.

   When the battles were over, Dumont fled south to the United States, where he tried unsuccessfully to devise a plan to rescue Riel. In 1886, his reputaion "The Prince of the Plains" gave him the opportunity of joining "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show". He spend only a short time with the show, eventually making his way back to Saskatchwan via Montréal.

  In 1893, he built a log cabin at bellevue, Saskatchewan, near Batoche, ane reverted to the life style he had learned as a boy, fishing, fishing and hunting in the woods north of Battleford. He was active until his death in 1906.

  Not later than yesterday, October 5th, 1979, an elderly lady visitin gwith us related the following anecdote: "One evening, when we lived in Bonnd Madonne, Gabriel Dumont, a regular visitor at our home, had supper with us. Mother had roasted a nive wilf goose. Dumont enjoyedhis meal, socialted with us and eventually left for Batoche. The following dy we heart thathe had died of a heart attack.  This was in1906. I was very young, but to this day I remember vividly the  "Monsieur" who had his last meal at our home.

ref: History of St Louis, SK - page 75