The Barr Colony in Newspaper Reports Front Page ~ Manitoba Free Press, Winnipeg     Tuesday, April 7, 1903 Barr Colony Land Grant Trebled in Area Forty Townships Reserved for All British Party, the Advance Guard of Which Passed Through Winnipeg Last Night Strong, manly, clean, well dressed, intelligent, was the impression the vanguard of the Barr colony gave to all that saw them during their stay of an hour or so in the city last night on their way direct to their new farm homes northwest of Saskatoon. It is doubtful if any class of immigrants have ever created a more favorable impression in the city than the little advance guard of some sixty attached in their special coach to the east train last night. If the balance of the Barr colonists are like the first quota to arrive, they will need little sentimental sympathy, for they are in every way independent in spirit and finances. Nor is it an arrogant independence such as often has been seen among new settlers, but an independence born of confidence in their industry and determination to succeed. This first party is the scouting guard of the main band, and came over ahead of them in the Megantic, the balance following on the Lake Manitoba. They report a rough voyage on the ocean occupying fourteen days, but say they have recovered their spirits and appetites since they took to the road, and are high in their praises of the officials, both of the government and the railroad, who did everything possible for their comfort, and supplied them with a special car all the way from St. John. They had their own cooking utensils and a number of the luxuries of travel, and as the party was homogeneous and well acquainted, they passed a very good time. As an example of the industrious character of the party, one young man who had a scarcity of money and wished to earn all he could to prepare for his new home, did the duties of "chef" for the car, and made a good thing out of it besides relieving the individual families and groups of the onerous duties of the commissiariat. They wished to express their thanks to Immigration Commissioner Smith, who joined them at Ottawa, for his good services in assisting them, and for his copious advice and instructions as to the country and methods to be best followed. On a rough estimate they considered he answered at least a thousand questions, and when the train reached Winnipeg he was ready for more. "We hardly heard of Canada before this year," said one of them, "and now we don't hear anything else." The party is indeed drawn from all quarters of the earth. Some from the sheep ranches of Australia, where a five-year drought has killed off the sheep by the thousands and rendered extension of the industry impossible. Some from under the burning sun of India, large numbers from South Africa - a large percentage of them being returned soldiers - and the balance mostly from England, Scotland and Ireland. They say that it is almost an impossibility now to make farming in England pay, and as Australia and South Africa have proven unsatisfactory they were beginning to be at a loss where to go until Canada appeared as a haven of refuge. Asked as to how they had been persuaded to come out they said principally by advertising. Most of them had never seen Barr, and so far as they knew he had no agents. "We simply banded together and came," they said, "and here we are and eighteen hundred more are coming next week." Barr, they thought, had no idea himself of the extent his plan would reach when he started it and if he had worked really hard and organized thoroughly he could have had twice the number. "I suppose you were told you had no snap ahead of you and are ready for lots of roughing it?" they were asked. "Do we look like suckers?" was the reply, and another man showed his hands, which certainly looked quite capable of lots of "roughing it." As nearly the whole band are experienced farmers and many of them have spent years on the veldt of Africa and the sand plains of Australia, and in the jungles of India they are no lackadaisical loungers. Most of those who have had no experience on farms are remaining in Manitoba to learn western methods before taking up lands as they have been constantly advised to do. The balance will settle at once. As most of them have sold property before coming out they have considerable money and indeed a casual observer would pass through their tourist car and never suspect them of being settlers new to the country, but rather an ordinary trainload of well-fixed people. The first party consists of families for the most part. The children are well-dressed, good mannered and bright and the ladies refined. One of their first acts was to hunt for papers and to eagerly read the general news. The party left on the west train for Saskatoon. Attached to the same train were six coaches of general passengers and a large number of Englishmen bound for points along the line. Previous to this another train left about seven, packed to its utmost with old country settlers for stations west. On the Barr train were three heavily loaded baggage cars. Barr Colony Land Grant Trebled in Area Commissioner J. O. Smith returned last evening from a hurried trip to Ottawa, whether he had gone to consult with Deputy Minister Smart and Superintendent Scott regarding the arrangements necessary for the reception of the Barr colony. Last night Mr. Smith advised the Free Press that two important modifications had been made in the original plans. Owing to the greatly increased number of the Barr party, it was decided to increase the area of the reserve originally allotted to the colony. The government set apart all the homesteading lands of thirteen townships for the new arrivals, when the matter was discussed between the immigration authorities and Mr. Barr last autumn. It has now been decided to increase the Barr grant to forty townships. The reservation, as now decided on, will stretch from west of Battleford to the south bank of the North Saskatchewan. The second point on which the plans of the department differ from those originally intended, is that the Barr people will not be permitted to homestead more than 75 per cent of the land available for entry in any township. This conclusion was reached by the department, because it was felt that it would be advantageous to the colonists to have among them a leavening of Canadian or American farmers, who would be familiar with agricultural methods suitable to the district, and whose operations would be an object lesson to those who could not be expected to be familiar with the conditions of farm work necessary to success. The Barr grant, as now enlarged, will amount to almost 350,000 acres – enough to give homesteads to more than 2,100 families. The Rev. Mr. Robbins, the accredited agent of Mr. Barr, left on last night's delayed train for the west, in company with the fifty or sixty of the colony who arrived last night. They will go right through to Saskatoon. During his three or four days stay in the city, Mr. Robbins has had several interviews with Mr. Wm. Whyte and F. T. Griffin, of the C.P.R., and Acting Commissioner Moffatt and Mr. C. W. Speers. Many matters affecting the colony, such as the forwarding of supplies, and the freighting of effects from Saskatoon to the colony, were thoroughly gone into. Mr. Robbins' ideas and plans have been materially modified as the result of these consultations, the experience of the departmental and railway officials having suggested many improvements on his original plans. This newspaper article was referenced in Lynne Bowen, Muddling Through: The Remarkable Story of the Barr Colonists, 1992. WhistlerHistory   |   About This Project