Forgotten History – Peter Shawinipinessi & the Bedford Reserve

Jeff Green | Jun 14, 2023

In 1842, Peter Shawinipinessi, a veteran of the War of 1812, petitioned Sir Charles Bagot, the Governor General of British North America, to establish a 2,000 acre reserve in territory that was part of Bedford, Oso, and South Sherbrooke townships (which are now in South and Central Frontenac and Tay Valley townships) for his and 10 other families to settle on.

This was Sir Charles Bagot's response:

“The petition of Peter Shawinipinessi (Aka Peter Stevens) one of the Indians of the Lake of the two mountains tribe Humbly Sheweth – that your petitioner together with ten other Indians of the same tribe with their families have long been accustomed to spend the hunting season in the tract of country embraced within the limits of the townships of Bedford, Oso and South Sherbrooke – and now that their natural means of subsistence has become precarious by reason of the settlement of the country, they have of late turned their attention in part, to the cultivation of corn and potatoes and are now anxious to be protected by your Excellency in Council in the occupation of a limited tract of land within these townships whereon they may be allowed to support their families. And as the land is of a very poor quality, your petitioners hope they will not be refused. Referring your Excellency in Council to Mr. Morris of Perth and Mr. Kingston of Bedford for further particulars and your petitioner is in duty bound shall ever pray.”

And, in 1844, by an order in council from the government of the Province of Canada, the reserve was formally established:

On the Petition of Peter Shawinipinessi one of the Indians of Lake of Two Mountains Tribe, to be protected in the Occupation of a Tract of Land in Bedford, Oso and South Sherbrooke. It is ordered that the land prayed for be reserved from public sale and that the Petitioner have a License of Occupation during pleasure.

So far so good, but it did not work out as planned.

Although the land that was set aside was “of very poor quality” making it less likely that anyone would be troubled by the ten families settling there, and making use of the land and its resources to survive and thrive, the land did have timber, and like much of the land in the region in that era, the trees were taken for lumber. Twice Peter Shawinipinessi complained about the incursion of the lumber barons on the land, but in spite of fines being levied, the lumbering continued.

By 1851, census records show that a number of the Bedford families had already returned to Lake of Two Mountains near Montreal, the community they left in order to move to the Bedford tract. Others moved to what was then called Manawaki (now Kitigan Zibi) which was established around that time, and at least some of the others moved to other locations.

Finally, in 1861, W.R. Bartlett, the new Superintendent of Indian Affairs, denied the existence of the Bedford tract. Peter Shawinipinessi continued to live on an island in Bobs Lake for some time after that.

The landscape in the area changed dramatically in 1870, when the Bolingbroke dam was put in, raising the water level by 15-18 feet, and creating a single lake out of a more diverse set of lakes and lowlands. Also, the K&P railroad came through in 1871, establishing a station at the western shore of Bobs Lake, and the Golden Lake reserve (now Pikwakanagan) was established in 1873. In the 1881/1882 census, Peter Shawinipinessi was listed as a resident at Golden Lake, where he remained until his death in the early 1890s, when he was over 100 years old.

The Golden Lake reserve, which is smaller than the Bedford tract, was purchased by the Algonquins, rather than being granted. It is the only Algonquin reserve in Ontario.

(Much of the information above came from an account published on lanarkcountyneighbours.ca, the website of the Lanark County Neighbours for Truth and Reconciliation, a group that was formed in 2012, in Perth.)

The story of the Bedford reserve,, is part of the history of the dispersal of

Indigenous people in Frontenac and Lanark County, taking place just before the settlement of much of what is now North and Central Frontenac.

Algonquin communities, including the Shabot Obaadjiwan, and Ardoch Algonquins, trace some of their own roots to the families that attempted to settle in Bedford.

The research into the history of the Bedford reserve led the Lanark County Neighbours to decide to work in concert with Algonquin communities, those who are part of the Algonquin Land Claim, as well as those who are not. They decided to commission a plaque, and because of the support they received from the Township of Tay Valley, they found a location for the plaque on Road 36, just north of the Bolingbroke Dam.

The plaque was installed during the COVID pandemic, and a formal dedication ceremony finally took place last weekend.

The ceremony drew a number of descendants of Peter Shawinipinessi, some coming from as far away as Timmins and North Bay. After the formal ceremony, a public gathering for the entire community was held at the ABC Hall.

The MC for the event was Richard Lalonde, the Chief of the Tay Valley Algonquin Community. The first words at the ceremony were delivered by Mireille Lapointe of the Ardoch Algonquin Community. Tay Valley Mayor Rob Rainer and Lanark County Neighbours representatives spoke as well. The Lanark Drum Circle provided the Drum for the event.

Richard Lalonde outlined some of the history that preceded the thwarted establishment of the reserve, by talking about the role of Indigenous warriors in the War of 1812, when a US incursion was blocked by French, English and Indigenous soldiers, noting that the key role played by the Indigenous soldiers and their leader, Tecumseh, has been severely downplayed in the telling of the story of how the war played out.

One of the soldiers who fought in that war was Peter Shawinipinessi, and he received the medal of King George in recognition for his service. The medal has been passed down to the youngest son in each generation, and when Chief Arnold Stevens delivered his remarks, he pulled out the medal, which he inherited when his father, Simon Stevens, died in 1968.

“I have had the honour of wearing this medal for 55 years”.

Chief Lalonde also talked about an issue that has dogged Algonquin communities for decades and continues to be an issue, as the list of Algonquin benefactors is being compiled, as the Algonquin Land Claim heads towards completion.

He said that when the census takers came, his grandmother was told that if she said she was “Indian” her children would be taken from her, and that the only way to protect them would be to say she was French, and that she should not let anyone in the greater community know either.

“That is why we were raised not knowing our heritage,” said Lalonde, “I spent 35 years of research to determine who I am. It was then that I realised that it had been obvious all along, because what I learned from my grandmother about the natural world, about foraging, were Indigenous teachings that she learned as a child.”

After the speaking was done, The Table provided a lunch of stew, bannock and cornbread, which was fitting, given that the Lanark County Neighbours, who were instrumental in making the plaque dedication possible, were formed at The Table.

That did not stop Chief Lalonde from teasing The Table, however.

“When they said they would provide a lunch, they said they would bring some sandwiches, and we said, no, sandwiches won't do, you'd better make some stew.”

The event was organised and promoted by Tay Valley Township staff.