The Barr Colony in Newspaper Reports The Globe, Toronto     Saturday, March 21, 1903 ~ page 12 Mr. Barr's Colony Mr. Bromhead Says Are Experienced Men Several Have Had Experience in Australia and New Zealand – A Reply to Those who Criticize the Location Selected (Special Despatch to The Globe) Winnipeg, March 20 - W.S. Bromhead, the personal representative of Rev. Mr. Barr, is in Winnipeg, and takes exception in an interview to criticisms in regard to the location selected for the Barr colony of English settlers in the Northwest Territories. "Nothing could be farther from our intention or desire," said Mr. Bromhead, "than that our colony should be isolated, but in order to secure a large enough block of land we found it necessary to go far afield. At the rate at which immigration is pouring in the isolation will not be a matter of long continuance, but what I would specially like to point out is that the settlers Mr. Barr is bringing over are by no means all people who have never been outside of Great Britain. A very considerable number of them are people who have had experience in Australia and New Zealand. The droughts in Australia are responsible for many Australian settlers returning home to the old country, and of these there are many coming out with our colony. Needless to say, agricultural industry is carried on in Australia under conditions, which, barring the winter, are the same as the conditions in western Canada. The machinery used is the same. Then, among our people there are not a few who have Canadian relatives or friends who are joining them, so that the colony will not prove to be an assemblage of absolute greenhorns, whose ignorance of the conditions they are coming to need arouse apprehensive forebodings." The Globe, Toronto     Tuesday, April 14, 1903 ~ Front Page On the Way to the West Barr Colony Trains Pass through Ottawa Fine-looking Young Men – Fuel and Lumber Two Great Necessities of the Colony – Arrangements for Their Supply – Transportation (Special Despatch to The Globe) Ottawa, April 13 - Trainloads of the British who are to compose the Barr Colony at Battleford have been passing through the city this evening, en route to the west. The first train, which arrived here at 5 o'clock, carried about 400 souls, and the others at intervals later on. The travellers are not of the class that one is accustomed to regard as immigrants. Without a single exception they were well dressed and all had more or less means. Many looked like the younger sons of country squires, others had the appearance of respectable yeomen, others, again, had the smart look of military reservists, while not a few seemed to be of the coachman class. There was also quite a sprinkling of artisans. Peaked caps and yellow leggings were conspicuous articles of attire. The majority were from 18 to 22 years of age. Ruddy-cheeked, clean-limbed and bright-eyed, they were young men such as any country might be proud to welcome, but whether they will adapt themselves readily to the conditions of the northwest remains to be seen. It will be no easy task to transport 2000 persons and an immense quantity of baggage and supplies for 150 miles over rough prairie roads to the site of the proposed colony, and it is to be hoped that the officials of the Dominion Government have made adequate arrangements for transportation and for shelter. Two great necessities of the new colony will be fuel and lumber. Mr. T.0. Davis, who will have the newcomers as his constituents states that there is any amount of lignite at a distance of not more than thirty miles from the new colony. As to lumber, the owners of three portable mills at Saskatoon have been granted permits to cut timber on the Government lands at Battleford, which, when manufactured, is to be sold at a rate not to exceed $22 per thousand. Mr. Davis thinks that oxen should be employed for transportation purposes from Saskatoon. Source: Online archive of the Globe and Mail newspaper available through the Vancouver Public Library.   Home