The Red River region continued to be important as a source of fur trade supplies, but throughout the 1820s and 1830s the economy of the region did not expand beyond subsistence agriculture. Simpson, on behalf of the Hudson's Bay Company, attempted many different enterprises and improvements to put the colony on a profitable footing. He established an experimental farm, imported sheep from the United States, built windmills for grinding grain and even attempted a short-lived Buffalo Wool Company. The population grew slowly, its composition reflecting the mixture of elements introduced by the fur trade and the Selkirk settlement. French-speaking Roman Catholic MΘtis were the most numerous. Next were the English-speaking, Anglican "Hudson Bay English" or "Country-born" (sometimes termed halfbreeds). Indian settlers were equal in number to European settlers who were mainly Selkirk's Highland Scots. Native peoples emphasized hunting and the practice of subsistence agriculture on river lot farms, while the Selkirk settlers tended to place greater emphasis on agriculture.
The pen drawing by Peter Rindisbacher shows typical Red River colonists in the 1820s. A Swiss colonist, his wife and two children are on the left. The German colonist in the centre belonged to the disbanded de Meuron regiment, recruited in QuΘbec from mercenary troops of the British army after the War of 1812. A Highland Scot or Hudson Bay English settler is seated on the right, while the man on the far right is either a colonist from French Canada or a MΘtis, possibly someone formerly involved in the fur trade. The room is a typical residence, sparsely furnished, with all cooking done on an open fire. There are distinctive cultural elements in the dress of each group, especially in the hats, sashes and cut of the coats. All have adopted, however, the Indian moccasin as footwear.
Courtesy: Picture Division, Public Archives of Canada (C-1937)
