Although French fur traders and priests made a lasting impression on the Indian and Metis population of the Canadian West, the number of French-speaking settlers who came from overseas during the Laurier period was not large. The Immigration Branch blamed tight restrictions in France and Belgium for the scarcity. The slide shows a group of French 'gentlemen' settlers who founded the Trochu Colony in Alberta in 1903. Many of these men had prominent military and aristocratic backgrounds; with their financial resources and special training, they were able to establish a successful ranching operation. The outbreak of war, in 1914, resulted in the return to France of every able-bodied man and this exodus unfortunately marked the end of the colony.
