Georges-Antoine Belcourt
Encyclopedia
Georges-Antoine Belcourt (April 22, 1803 – May 31, 1874), also George Antoine Bellecourt, was a Canadian
Jesuit missionary
and priest
. Born in Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec
, the young Georges-Antoine was ordained in 1827. He established missions in areas of Quebec
and Manitoba
. On the frontier, he became involved in a political dispute between the local First Nations
population and the Hudson's Bay Company
, the monopoly fur trading company.
At the urging of the Company's Governor, Belcourt was recalled to Montreal. He was next assigned to Pembina, North Dakota
. He established two missions in the 1840s to convert the local Ojibwe (also called Chippewa) and Métis
to Catholicism
. In 1859, Belcourt left Pembina for Quebec, but was quickly redeployed to North Rustico, Prince Edward Island
. He established the Farmers' Bank of Rustico
(the first community-based bank in Canada).
Belcourt retired from his post in 1869 to live out his life in New Brunswick
, but was recalled in 1871, this time to the Magdalen Islands
. In May 1874, Belcourt was forced to retire due to ill health. He died in Shediac, New Brunswick
on May 31, 1874. He was designated a National Historic Person by the Government of Canada
in 1959.
to Antoine Belcourt and Josephte Lemire, who had married on February 23, 1802. His parents, devout Roman Catholics, brought their son up in the same faith, and the young Belcourt received his first Holy Communion in 1814. His confirmation was undertaken by the Bishop of Quebec
. At age 13, Belcourt enrolled in Le Petit Séminaire de Québec
to undertake a philosophical course of study, which he completed in 1823. Belcourt studied to become a priest
, and on March 10, 1827, Bernard-Claude Panet
, the Archbishop of Quebec
, performed Belcourt's ordination
in the chapel at the Seminary.
Following his ordination, Belcourt was appointed as an assistant at several parishes in the area, before becoming pastor of a parish at Sainte-Martine, Quebec
in 1830. As he was bilingual and spoke English as well as French, he was able to minister to his parish of mostly Irish Catholic Canadians.
and applied for such work. In 1830, Archbishop Panet requested that the young priest accompany him on a journey to Manitoba
. Following an interview in February 1831, Belcourt was enlisted to go on the trip. After spending two months learning the Algonquian language
, Belcourt departed from his home town on April 27 of that year a canoe of the Hudson's Bay Company
. On June 17, the priest's party arrived at Saint Boniface, Manitoba
, and Belcourt was assigned as one of three priests there. He was to assist the Bishop at the town's cathedral, and study the Anishinaabe language, so that he could later convert Ojibwe people to Christianity. Although the language was not yet documented in written form, Belcourt made rapid progress. Within a year he had learned enough to be considered ready to work directly with those whom he termed the "savages."
In 1832, Belcourt established the first native-only mission west of Saint Boniface, but Gros Ventre raids forced its closure the following year. In 1834, he established a mission in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec
, where he also began instructing the local Aboriginal population in agriculture. The priest established a log chapel there, and built smaller log cabins on the surrounding land to house the natives. The local bishop opposed his missionary work, as he believed the Aboriginal Canadians would not settle in one spot for long. Belcourt overcame this opposition, and in 1834 built a school at his mission, enlisting the assistance of a Chippewa-speaking woman to serve as a teacher. In 1836, the missionary admitted five natives to Holy Communion. He was discouraged by the Ojibwe readiness to return to their former spiritual practices after baptism.
In 1838, Belcourt travelled to Rainy Lake
to examine possible sites for a mission. He abandoned the plan after discovering that the First Nations
people were unwilling to give up their Hudson's Bay Company-supplied
liquor to convert to Christianity, as he required. In August 1838, the priest arranged to have a dictionary of the Chippewa language published, and returned to his mission at Baie-Saint-Paul. In the winter of 1839, Belcourt carved 280 oak balusters and candlesticks for his log chapel.
In 1840, the missionary established a mission among the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations
and repeated his Baie-Saint-Paul design: a log chapel at the centre surrounded by small cabins for the local population, with outlying farms. The mission closed ten years later; Belcourt blamed this on mismanagement by oblate
s he had entrusted with the management of the mission. In 1845, Belcourt served as the chaplain to some buffalo hunters, but returned to his first mission at Baie-Saint-Paul to teach a group of oblates the Chippewa language.
In 1846, a dysentery
epidemic swept communities along the Assiniboine River
in Manitoba. On June 22 of that year, Belcourt left his mission at Baie-Saint-Paul to join a group of hunters on their journey south for the summer. The hunters carried the disease, infecting others, and 25 people died of dysentery by July 5. On the worst days, eight people had to be buried. Belcourt and six of the hunters who survived travelled south to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in search of medicine, as the priest's supply had quickly run out. Belcourt's medicine supplies were replenished, and the missionary headed back to the encampment of hunters before returning to his mission.
, Earl Grey
, consulted with advisors who had little sympathy for the natives and took no action in the case. The Company criticised Belcourt for what it saw as his inciting discontent among the local First Nations. The Company administrators decided that the priest should not be allowed to remain in British North America
. The missionary was arrested, but was released after the charges against him were discovered to be unfounded. At the urging of the Company's Governor, the Archbishop of Quebec asked Belcourt to return to Montreal. When Belcourt returned, he asked the Governor of the Company to retract the charges for which he was arrested. The Governor apologised for what he described as a mistake on the part of the Company's chief Factors. The Church assigned Belcourt to Pembina, North Dakota
as a missionary to the Chippewa and Métis
of the Pembina River
basin, a tributary
to the Red River of the North
.
Upon arrival at Pembina, Belcourt constructed a small log cabin of 20 feet long by 30 feet wide, which was not enough space to seat everybody in his congregation. On August 14, 1848, the missionary baptised his first person in Pembina, and held a Holy Communion class consisting of 92 Native Americans
. Belcourt believed he needed more resources and requested money from the Archbishop of Quebec for food and building supplies. He also asked for another Canadian priest well-versed in both French and the Chippewa language, as he noted there were more Métis
than Chippewa in the Pembina area. Belcourt described the original territory of the Chippewa in the Pembina district as several hundred miles north to south, and east to west - much larger than the small reservation to which they were later assigned.
In November 1849, the young Albert Lacombe, a recently ordained priest, arrived in Pembina and immediately started to learn the Chippewa language. Despite claiming to have to resort to manual labour to pay for his food, Belcourt supported a household that included school teacher, a housekeeper, a Chippewa cook and several servants. Going thirty miles to the west, he established a mission at Turtle Mountain
to serve as a base for further expansion toward the Canadian Rockies
.
In 1853, Belcourt moved to what is now Walhalla, North Dakota
, and established a school and a church there. The priest envisioned a large metropolis for the area. He began to lay out a city planned in the European-style of a grid, with wide streets and several open squares. Despite his having planned for ample water, and the natural advantages of fertile soil and resources in the area, major development went elsewhere. Since the early twentieth century, agriculture has declined as a mainstay of family economies. The town has 885 residents.
A strong advocate of prohibition
of alcohol, especially among Native Americans and First Nations peoples, Belcourt petitioned the US Congress
to prevent the illicit trafficking of liquor from Canada into the United States. In March 1859, Belcourt left North Dakota to return to Canada.
and opened a high school, where he taught himself until he managed to attract a teacher from Montreal to the island. The priest created a study group, the members of which had to be teetotaler
s, and established a parish library, built with the assistance of 1,000 French franc
s a year from Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon I
. In October 1865, Belcourt resigned from his position at the parish at Rustico, and returned to Quebec for some weeks before requesting to be reassigned to Rustico. This request was granted, and the priest returned to the island in November. In 1866, Belcourt impressed local audiences by demonstrating a steam-powered vehicle, considered the first automobile to be driven in Canada.
Belcourt remained pastor of his parish at Rustico until 1869, when he retired. The priest intended to live out the rest of his life on a farm at Shediac, New Brunswick
, but was called back to the Church in August 1871, when he was asked to become the pastor of a parish on the Magdalen Islands
. Ill health forced his retirement from there in May 1874, and he returned to Shediac before dying on May 31, 1874. The town of Belcourt, North Dakota
was named after the late priest in honour of his efforts in the region.
In 1959, Belcourt was designated a National Historic Person by the Government of Canada
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Jesuit missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
and priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
. Born in Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec
Baie-du-Febvre, Quebec
Baie-du-Febvre is a municipality in the Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,063...
, the young Georges-Antoine was ordained in 1827. He established missions in areas of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. On the frontier, he became involved in a political dispute between the local First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
population and the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
, the monopoly fur trading company.
At the urging of the Company's Governor, Belcourt was recalled to Montreal. He was next assigned to Pembina, North Dakota
Pembina, North Dakota
Pembina is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 592 at the 2010 census.The area of Pembina was long inhabited by various indigenous peoples...
. He established two missions in the 1840s to convert the local Ojibwe (also called Chippewa) and Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
. In 1859, Belcourt left Pembina for Quebec, but was quickly redeployed to North Rustico, Prince Edward Island
North Rustico, Prince Edward Island
North Rustico is a village located in the northern part of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Canada.It became an incorporated municipality in 1954. The village is known to locals, as well as many others as "The Crick"...
. He established the Farmers' Bank of Rustico
Farmers' Bank of Rustico
The Farmers' Bank of Rustico operated in the village of Rustico, from 1864 to 1894. It is often considered to have been the first community-based bank in Canada. Founded and managed under the leadership of Father Georges-Antoine Belcourt , the Farmer's Bank of Rustico was established on April...
(the first community-based bank in Canada).
Belcourt retired from his post in 1869 to live out his life in New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, but was recalled in 1871, this time to the Magdalen Islands
Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
. In May 1874, Belcourt was forced to retire due to ill health. He died in Shediac, New Brunswick
Shediac, New Brunswick
Shediac is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Situated on Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait, the town calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing; the largest lobster...
on May 31, 1874. He was designated a National Historic Person by the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
in 1959.
Early life
Georges-Antoine Belcourt was born on April 22, 1803 at Baie-du-Febvre, QuebecBaie-du-Febvre, Quebec
Baie-du-Febvre is a municipality in the Nicolet-Yamaska Regional County Municipality of Quebec, Canada. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 1,063...
to Antoine Belcourt and Josephte Lemire, who had married on February 23, 1802. His parents, devout Roman Catholics, brought their son up in the same faith, and the young Belcourt received his first Holy Communion in 1814. His confirmation was undertaken by the Bishop of Quebec
Bishop of Quebec
The title Bishop of Quebec refers to more than one individual:* The Anglican Bishop of Quebec* The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Quebec- See also :* Bishop of Calgary * Bishop of Edmonton...
. At age 13, Belcourt enrolled in Le Petit Séminaire de Québec
Petit Séminaire de Québec
Le Petit Séminaire de Québec is a private French-language Roman Catholic secondary school in the Vieux-Québec area of Quebec City which was originally part of the Séminaire de Québec...
to undertake a philosophical course of study, which he completed in 1823. Belcourt studied to become a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, and on March 10, 1827, Bernard-Claude Panet
Bernard-Claude Panet
Bernard-Claude Panet was a Roman Catholic priest and Archbishop of Quebec.Born in Quebec City, the son of Jean-Claude Panet, he was from a family of 14 children...
, the Archbishop of Quebec
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec
The Archdiocese of Québec is the oldest Catholic see in the New World north of Mexico. The archdiocese was founded as the Apostolic Vicariate of New France in 1658 and was elevated to a Diocese in 1674 and an Archdiocese in 1819...
, performed Belcourt's ordination
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
in the chapel at the Seminary.
Following his ordination, Belcourt was appointed as an assistant at several parishes in the area, before becoming pastor of a parish at Sainte-Martine, Quebec
Sainte-Martine, Quebec
Sainte-Martine is a municipality of Quebec, located within the Beauharnois-Salaberry Regional County Municipality in the Montérégie administrative region. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 4,237...
in 1830. As he was bilingual and spoke English as well as French, he was able to minister to his parish of mostly Irish Catholic Canadians.
Early missionary work
During his time at Sainte-Martine, the young priest aspired to do missionary work in the west of British North AmericaBritish North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
and applied for such work. In 1830, Archbishop Panet requested that the young priest accompany him on a journey to Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
. Following an interview in February 1831, Belcourt was enlisted to go on the trip. After spending two months learning the Algonquian language
Algonquian language
Algonquian language may refer to:* Algonquian languages, language sub-family indigenous to North America* Algonquin language, the particular Algonquian language spoken by certain First-Nations people of Canada...
, Belcourt departed from his home town on April 27 of that year a canoe of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. On June 17, the priest's party arrived at Saint Boniface, Manitoba
Saint Boniface, Manitoba
Saint Boniface is a city ward of Winnipeg, home to much of the Franco-Manitoban community. It features such landmarks as the Cathédrale de Saint Boniface , Boulevard Provencher, the Provencher Bridge, Esplanade Riel, St. Boniface Hospital, the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface and the Royal...
, and Belcourt was assigned as one of three priests there. He was to assist the Bishop at the town's cathedral, and study the Anishinaabe language, so that he could later convert Ojibwe people to Christianity. Although the language was not yet documented in written form, Belcourt made rapid progress. Within a year he had learned enough to be considered ready to work directly with those whom he termed the "savages."
In 1832, Belcourt established the first native-only mission west of Saint Boniface, but Gros Ventre raids forced its closure the following year. In 1834, he established a mission in Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec
Baie-Saint-Paul, Quebec
Baie-Saint-Paul is a city in the Province of Quebec, Canada, on the northern shore of the Saint Lawrence River. Baie-Saint-Paul is the seat of Charlevoix Regional County Municipality. The city is situated at the mouth of the Gouffre River...
, where he also began instructing the local Aboriginal population in agriculture. The priest established a log chapel there, and built smaller log cabins on the surrounding land to house the natives. The local bishop opposed his missionary work, as he believed the Aboriginal Canadians would not settle in one spot for long. Belcourt overcame this opposition, and in 1834 built a school at his mission, enlisting the assistance of a Chippewa-speaking woman to serve as a teacher. In 1836, the missionary admitted five natives to Holy Communion. He was discouraged by the Ojibwe readiness to return to their former spiritual practices after baptism.
In 1838, Belcourt travelled to Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake is a relatively large freshwater lake that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity for US and Canadian locations. The U.S...
to examine possible sites for a mission. He abandoned the plan after discovering that the First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
people were unwilling to give up their Hudson's Bay Company-supplied
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
liquor to convert to Christianity, as he required. In August 1838, the priest arranged to have a dictionary of the Chippewa language published, and returned to his mission at Baie-Saint-Paul. In the winter of 1839, Belcourt carved 280 oak balusters and candlesticks for his log chapel.
In 1840, the missionary established a mission among the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations
Wabaseemoong Independent Nations
Wabaseemoong Independent Nations or more fully as the Wabaseemoong Independent Nations of One Man Lake, Swan Lake and Whitedog, is a Ojibway First Nation located 120 km northwest of Kenora, Ontario and east of the Ontario-Manitoba border of northwestern Ontario, Canada...
and repeated his Baie-Saint-Paul design: a log chapel at the centre surrounded by small cabins for the local population, with outlying farms. The mission closed ten years later; Belcourt blamed this on mismanagement by oblate
Oblate
An oblate spheroid is a rotationally symmetric ellipsoid having a polar axis shorter than the diameter of the equatorial circle whose plane bisects it. Oblate spheroids stand in contrast to prolate spheroids....
s he had entrusted with the management of the mission. In 1845, Belcourt served as the chaplain to some buffalo hunters, but returned to his first mission at Baie-Saint-Paul to teach a group of oblates the Chippewa language.
In 1846, a dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
epidemic swept communities along the Assiniboine River
Assiniboine River
The Assiniboine River is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meandering river with a single main channel embanked within a flat, shallow valley in some places and a steep valley in...
in Manitoba. On June 22 of that year, Belcourt left his mission at Baie-Saint-Paul to join a group of hunters on their journey south for the summer. The hunters carried the disease, infecting others, and 25 people died of dysentery by July 5. On the worst days, eight people had to be buried. Belcourt and six of the hunters who survived travelled south to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in search of medicine, as the priest's supply had quickly run out. Belcourt's medicine supplies were replenished, and the missionary headed back to the encampment of hunters before returning to his mission.
Arrival in North Dakota
In 1847, in response to perceived discrimination by the Hudson's Bay Company in regards to the fur trade, Belcourt prepared a petition to Queen Victoria to seek redress. The petition was signed by 977 First Nations people, but the Colonial SecretaryColonial Secretary
Colonial Secretary may refer to:* Secretary of State for the Colonies, British Cabinet minister who headed the Colonial Office, commonly referred to as Colonial Secretary...
, Earl Grey
Earl Grey
Earl Grey is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1806 for General Charles Grey, 1st Baron Grey. He had already been created Baron Grey, of Howick in the County of Northumberland, in 1801, and was made Viscount Howick, in the County of Northumberland, at the same time as...
, consulted with advisors who had little sympathy for the natives and took no action in the case. The Company criticised Belcourt for what it saw as his inciting discontent among the local First Nations. The Company administrators decided that the priest should not be allowed to remain in British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
. The missionary was arrested, but was released after the charges against him were discovered to be unfounded. At the urging of the Company's Governor, the Archbishop of Quebec asked Belcourt to return to Montreal. When Belcourt returned, he asked the Governor of the Company to retract the charges for which he was arrested. The Governor apologised for what he described as a mistake on the part of the Company's chief Factors. The Church assigned Belcourt to Pembina, North Dakota
Pembina, North Dakota
Pembina is a city in Pembina County, North Dakota in the United States. The population was 592 at the 2010 census.The area of Pembina was long inhabited by various indigenous peoples...
as a missionary to the Chippewa and Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
of the Pembina River
Pembina River
Pembina River can refer to:*Pembina River , a river in southern Manitoba, Canada and northern North Dakota, United States*Pembina River , a river in central Alberta, Canada...
basin, a tributary
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
to the Red River of the North
Red River of the North
The Red River is a North American river. Originating at the confluence of the Bois de Sioux and Otter Tail rivers in the United States, it flows northward through the Red River Valley and forms the border between the U.S. states of Minnesota and North Dakota before continuing into Manitoba, Canada...
.
Upon arrival at Pembina, Belcourt constructed a small log cabin of 20 feet long by 30 feet wide, which was not enough space to seat everybody in his congregation. On August 14, 1848, the missionary baptised his first person in Pembina, and held a Holy Communion class consisting of 92 Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
. Belcourt believed he needed more resources and requested money from the Archbishop of Quebec for food and building supplies. He also asked for another Canadian priest well-versed in both French and the Chippewa language, as he noted there were more Métis
Métis
A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences, regarded as racial, or the descendant of such persons. The term is of French origin, and also is a cognate of mestizo in Spanish, mestiço in Portuguese, and mestee in English...
than Chippewa in the Pembina area. Belcourt described the original territory of the Chippewa in the Pembina district as several hundred miles north to south, and east to west - much larger than the small reservation to which they were later assigned.
In November 1849, the young Albert Lacombe, a recently ordained priest, arrived in Pembina and immediately started to learn the Chippewa language. Despite claiming to have to resort to manual labour to pay for his food, Belcourt supported a household that included school teacher, a housekeeper, a Chippewa cook and several servants. Going thirty miles to the west, he established a mission at Turtle Mountain
Turtle Mountain (plateau)
Turtle Mountain, or the Turtle Mountains, is an area in central North America, in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of North Dakota and southwestern portion of the Canadian province of Manitoba...
to serve as a base for further expansion toward the Canadian Rockies
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. They are the eastern part of the Canadian Cordillera, extending from the Interior Plains of Alberta to the Rocky Mountain Trench of British Columbia. The southern end borders Idaho and Montana of the USA...
.
In 1853, Belcourt moved to what is now Walhalla, North Dakota
Walhalla, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,057 people, 452 households, and 271 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,004.4 people per square mile . There were 556 housing units at an average density of 528.3 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 89.78% White, 5.96%...
, and established a school and a church there. The priest envisioned a large metropolis for the area. He began to lay out a city planned in the European-style of a grid, with wide streets and several open squares. Despite his having planned for ample water, and the natural advantages of fertile soil and resources in the area, major development went elsewhere. Since the early twentieth century, agriculture has declined as a mainstay of family economies. The town has 885 residents.
A strong advocate of prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
of alcohol, especially among Native Americans and First Nations peoples, Belcourt petitioned the US Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
to prevent the illicit trafficking of liquor from Canada into the United States. In March 1859, Belcourt left North Dakota to return to Canada.
Return to Canada
Belcourt returned to Quebec, but was quickly sent back out to serve at a parish at Rustico, Prince Edward Island. Arriving in Rustico in November 1859, the priest performed his first baptism there the following month. At Rustico, Belcourt built a parish hall out of stone (which was continued in use to the 1950s), established the Farmers' Bank of RusticoFarmers' Bank of Rustico
The Farmers' Bank of Rustico operated in the village of Rustico, from 1864 to 1894. It is often considered to have been the first community-based bank in Canada. Founded and managed under the leadership of Father Georges-Antoine Belcourt , the Farmer's Bank of Rustico was established on April...
and opened a high school, where he taught himself until he managed to attract a teacher from Montreal to the island. The priest created a study group, the members of which had to be teetotaler
Teetotalism
Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal...
s, and established a parish library, built with the assistance of 1,000 French franc
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
s a year from Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. In October 1865, Belcourt resigned from his position at the parish at Rustico, and returned to Quebec for some weeks before requesting to be reassigned to Rustico. This request was granted, and the priest returned to the island in November. In 1866, Belcourt impressed local audiences by demonstrating a steam-powered vehicle, considered the first automobile to be driven in Canada.
Belcourt remained pastor of his parish at Rustico until 1869, when he retired. The priest intended to live out the rest of his life on a farm at Shediac, New Brunswick
Shediac, New Brunswick
Shediac is a Canadian town in Westmorland County, New Brunswick.Situated on Shediac Bay, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait, the town calls itself the "Lobster Capital of the World" and hosts an annual festival every July which promotes its ties to lobster fishing; the largest lobster...
, but was called back to the Church in August 1871, when he was asked to become the pastor of a parish on the Magdalen Islands
Magdalen Islands
The Magdalen Islands form a small archipelago in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence with a land area of . Though closer to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, the islands form part of the Canadian province of Quebec....
. Ill health forced his retirement from there in May 1874, and he returned to Shediac before dying on May 31, 1874. The town of Belcourt, North Dakota
Belcourt, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,440 people, 806 households, and 561 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 417.0 people per square mile . There were 856 housing units at an average density of 146.3/sq mi...
was named after the late priest in honour of his efforts in the region.
In 1959, Belcourt was designated a National Historic Person by the Government of Canada
Government of Canada
The Government of Canada, formally Her Majesty's Government, is the system whereby the federation of Canada is administered by a common authority; in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council...
.