REYNARD, BROS. ALEXIS O.M.I. (3 ) (132 ENGLISH -- 131fran)

   REYNARD, BROS. ALEXIS, O.M.I.  (end)  (132 ENGLISH)

                                                     LA FILLE DU PARADIS
                                                     --------------------------

(Excerpt taken from the Joseph and Mathilda Plamondon family history)

 In the middle eighteen hundreds (1840 - 1860), the Oblate Fathers and the grey nuns were in charge of a mission at Ft. Chipewyan as well as the Lac la Biche Mission. The Grey nuns at Fort Chip had raised an orphan girl there, however, they decided that it was in the best interest of the girl to transfer her to the Lac La Biche Mission. The young girl then left with the Tremblay family, and Oblat Brother and an Iroquois layman, who had came west with the Oblate Fathers. They left by boat on the Athabasca River, then came as far as House River (a tributary to the Athabasca River), whereupon the river became so treacherous they had to abandon travelling by boat. The Tremblay family went back to Fort McMurray, while the Oblate Brother, the Iroquois decided to walk across county from House River to the mission in Lac La Biche. 

   Unfortunately they never reached their destination. A search party was sent out and they found, along the route, the remains of the Oblate Brother, but not a trace was found of his companions. It was rumored that the Iroquois had been seen in Rocky Mountain House area the following year, but the young girl had completely disappeared. My brother, (Ed. Plamondon) had been told of the happening by the Metis people living in our area and of course he had retold the tale to all of us. 

  And so it was that a number of years later, Cliff and I were on our furthest part of our ill-fated travellers had passed. We were camped this one cold and clear night with the northern lights dancing in the sky. We were sitting by our camp fire when suddenly we heard a mournful cry that sounded very human; this was repeated five or six times. We had never heard anything like it in all the years spent trapping and hunting in the bush. It hit  us right in the pit of our stomachs, then we recalled the story of the orphan girl. We gave a name to that voice and called "it"! La Fille du Paradis (The girl from Paradise). Since it was good moose hunting country, we'd go back year after year and yes, even in later years after year and year with my sons and nephews and sometimes on cold, clear nights we'd hear the same mournful laments. It kept digging inside me, so I finally composed a melody which I play on the violin and called it "Les soupirs de la fille du Paradis". - ("The mournful laments of The girl of Paradise)

NB The Plamondon Family are gifted people with music, signing, violin etc.

ref: (Plamondon Book)