By the time Kate Ranoe returned to Toronto in October 1870, she was a seasoned war correspondent and deft travel writer. And yet, save for one Globe article published on October 31, 1870, there is no record of Ranoe ever publishing again. Below are some key passages from Ranoe’s account of the first portion of her journey home from Fort Garry to the North-West Angle via John Snow’s road.
Having accompanied the Red River Expedition through their long and toilsome journey to Fort Garry, witnessed the many obstacles that had to be overcome, shared in the difficulties and dangers of the Winnipeg River route, its foaming rapids and rocky portages, and seeing the impracticability of the latter portion of the route for purposes of regular travel, one can imagine that it was with feelings of great interest that I listened to the various descriptions of the new road leading from Fort Garry to the North-West Angle of Lake of the Woods…. The descriptions we received of the new road were so varied and perplexing that, womanlike, I became curious and expressed a wish to make my homeward journey by the new route; for I thought that, however hazardous a journey it might prove, it was well worth the venture, and that if even I suffered a little inconvenience, so great is the charm of contemplating new scenery, and so invigorating is the Gypsy-like life one has to lead in travelling through a new country, that fatigue is easily endured.
We left the landing place on the right bank of the Red River, opposite Fort Garry, at half-past nine, having taken a long time to get the carts and horses ferried across…. After riding 15 miles, we found a pool of water and therefore camped for dinner. Two more carts had joined our party; one was driven by a French half-breed, the other contained his wife and beautiful baby, as fair as a lily. The woman seemed a little astonished to see me, but with that innate politeness so characteristic of our neighbours, she did not wait to stare, but at once came up to wish me bonjour and to show me her baby, of which she was evidently very proud. She seemed to pity me for not being equally fortunate. She took it for granted that madame had not any children; for if she had a family, she would certainly not ride about and travel so many miles simply for the sake of seeing the country. Evidently, not a women’s rights woman — the acquisition and the establishment of a new province was nothing to her. She was, notwithstanding this drawback, a nice, intelligent, kind-hearted creature, and we were much indebted to her at nightfall.
The rule of the expedition — an excellent one — was to camp at sunset; but [next day] we were in search of a pool of water that had been much lauded, and therefore disobeyed orders, and should have suffered in consequence but for the thoughtfulness of the French half-breed’s wife…. One by one the stars peeped from their hiding places, and a faint pale ray of light in the deep blue heavens gave us hope that the moon would soon rise. We were just thinking that we should be obliged to camp for the night and dig for water when we saw a bright spark and a thin column of smoke curling up in the distance. We all rode to the spot as quickly as possible and found that the French half-breed had, at his wife’s request, remained behind to kindle a fire for us near the much-desired pool of water. The chosen spot seemed all we could wish, except the much-lauded water, which was decidedly muddy.
My small tent was at once pitched for me, the baggage carts were drawn up in a line, and the horses let loose…. Huge logs of wood were brought from all sides, and we were soon seated around a blazing campfire. Our home for the night was certainly most picturesque, and we forgot the fatigue of the day in the perfect beauty of the present scene.
At about half-past nine [the next morning], we reached the pretty village of Oak Point and were now 33 miles from Fort Garry. Here the various farms and cottages, with their neat gardens, had a bright want-nothing look about them. The farmers were evidently blessed with thrifty wives, for butter, milk, and eggs were to be had in plenty, and all good of their kind. After riding a few miles through the bush, we came to a large, well-built house, the property, I believe, of Mr. Snow, the surveyor of the road. The house was empty, but it had such a comfortable look about it that we all stopped to peep in at the windows. There was a nice stove in the kitchen, and had it been dinnertime, the temptation to enter the house by the window and make use of it would I fear have been irresistible. Contenting ourselves, however, with a drink of good water from a stream which flowed near the house, we cast our house-breaking intentions to the winds and continued our journey.
We camped for that night at Broken Head River, about 46 miles from Fort Garry. When I got down from my supposed place of comfort, I quietly resolved never to ride in a springless cart again if I could possibly help it; every bone in my body ached! Fortunately, a night’s rest does wonders, and I was rested and ready for an early start the following morning.
[The next day we] camped at nightfall, all well satisfied with the progress we were making. We had just finished supper when Colonel Wolseley and Mr. Irvine drove up to our camp; they had left Fort Garry early that morning and driven 76 miles in one day. The same distance had taken us three. It must be remembered that the men of our party had to march, and that the pace of the cart horses was not a fast one.
The next morning [the road] ended at White Birch Lake. Here we had to leave the carts, the baggage they contained being placed on eight pack horses…. Whilst we were waiting, a party of Indians came up, a chief’s son, some children, and two squaws…. The youngest of the two women was the only wife of the chief’s son. On one occasion her husband, returning from one of his journeys, brought home a companion for his wife, doubtless in his own mind calling her Mrs. Squaw No. 2. The pretty squaw objected to this intrusion into the family circle, and on the same evening, cut her rival’s fishing net into stems, tore her hair, and fairly beat her out of the camp. In mere justice, I am bound to admit that the intrusion was no fault of the intruder. Yet, as a woman, I must add that I respected my dark sister for intuitively knowing, this early, the rights which civilization would accord her, though I did not admire her manner of enforcing them.
After about an hour’s ride (or rather walk), we felt that we were approaching the open swamp [at the western end of Lake of the Woods]. Each minute the ground became softer and softer, and our difficulties of progression rapidly increased. My poor horse stumbled continually and became so restive as to be almost unmanageable. Owing to the narrowness of the path, my long skirt was perpetually caught in the branches of the trees, and I expected willy-nilly to be dragged off my saddle. My hands were so fully occupied that I longed for a supplementary pair where with to protect my head and eyes from the outstretching branches. A fashionable chignon would have been in perpetual danger.
We were obliged to camp for the night on a granite island at the edge of the swamp, not more than five miles from White Birch Lake, a short day’s journey indeed; but man and horse could do no more, and even the little woman of the party, though anxious to show how great were the powers of endurance of her sex, was forced to admit she was fairly tired out and would, but for the kindness of the superior beings who had promised to take care of her on the road, and who sought by every means in their power to save her each moment’s fatigue, has lain down on the bare rock and, womanlike, has cried herself to sleep, too weary even to unpack a blanket.
The distance from Fort Garry to the North-West Angle has been described as 90 miles; for those following the footpath, it was over 100, and the last 30 miles undoubtedly difficult to pass; but it must be remembered that even with the disadvantage of crossing an unmade road, the journey from Fort Garry to Thunder Bay is shortened by eight days.
As we crossed Lake of the Woods [the next day], the three large boats filled with Dawson’s men passed us…. The Globe canoe, in which I spent so many happy and eventful days when accompanying the expedition to Fort Garry, had in the kindest manner been placed at my disposal for the return journey.