LEGARE, JEAN-LOUIS (218 ENGLISH)
JEAN-LOUIS - SON FRANÇOIS-XAVIER + JULIE MÉLANÇON
- B. 1841-10-25 St-Joseph Montcalm, QC
- M. 1873-04-22 Qu'Appelle, SK + Marie Ouellette
(François)
- D. 1918-02-01 Willow-Bunch, SK
JEAN-LOUIS LÉGARÉ
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In the south of the province of Saskatchewan, between 1876 and 1881, an influential merchant amongst the Métis and the American Indians of Wood Mountain and Willow Bunch, Jean Louis-Légaré distinguished himself (1876) by his role with the Native American Sitting Bull.
Arriving at Wood Mountain in 1870, Jean-Louis Légaré early won the respect of the Métis and American Natives of the area. He served as their interpreter between them and the American and Canadian governments. His excellent reputation won for him a commission in1878 as Justice of the Peace.
When Chief Sitting Bull and thousands of Sioux sought refuge in Canada after their victory at Little Big Horn in the autumn of 1876, Jean-Louis Légaré gave them help, even involving his personal wealth. Many years later, Father Adrien Chabot, and the historian-judge, Louis Prud’homme assign a very important role to him: that of returning Sitting bull to the United States. Jean-Louis Légaré influenced the Chief of the Sioux to cross the border. It is Jean-Louis Légaré who in 1881 organized and directed Sitting Bull and his followers across the border.
Jean-Louis also left his mark by his generosity. He gifted 80 acres of land for the construction of the church around which the village of Willow Bunch grew.
Ref.: Ouest-Nord-Ouest
NOTE: In addition, in 1912, my father and his friends met Jean-Louis Légaré , and my father said of Jean-Louis , that he was aware of everything around him and took care of many people. It is he who had encouraged the young group to continue towards Alberta, to the region of Grouard-Peace River. This young group did go towards Grouard where they found work and applied for their homesteads on April 8, 1913, a decision they never regretted.
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