Search for Dawson Trail gold filmed in Southeast

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This article was published 09/10/2023 (621 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There are many stories in Manitoba that centre around Indigenous peoples and the formation of the province, but perhaps one story will capture the minds of those looking for a fresh perspective.

Red River Gold is a docuseries by 3 Story Pictures that centers around the Red River Resistance, a booty of gold, and treasure hunters.

“As the Dawson Trail was being built and as the Wolseley expedition was coming through, and had already come through to quell the resistance that was happening with Louis Riel and the Metis in the Red River, a trove of gold coins that were being used to pay the military was following behind and somewhere along the trail – there’s a lot of speculation as to where it is – but essentially somewhere between Lake of the Woods and Ste Anne the gold went missing and it hasn’t been recovered and it hasn’t been spent,” said Saxon de Cocq, Metis writer, director and creative producer of Red River Gold.

“We’re looking for it and through that search for the gold we’re telling the story of the Red River resistance from a Metis perspective. Connecting and talking with the Metis population within those communities that run along the Dawson Trail.”

The Red River Resistance was an uprising in 1869-70 in the Red River colony in what would become Manitoba. The resistance was sparked by the transfer of a large section of Rupert’s Land to the Dominion of Canada. The land was occupied mainly by Metis farmers and hunters who were afraid their culture and land rights would be in jeopardy under Canadian control. The resistance mounted a provisional government headed by Louis Riel to negotiate the terms for entering Confederation.

The story of the Dawson Trail gold is that a solider for the Red River expedition troops was carrying a payroll of $10,000 in gold for Col. Garnet Wolseley between 1870-72. Indigenous tribes who had yet to receive compensation from the government for allowing troops through their territory started to trail the soldier around Brokenhead. While the soldier was able to keep ahead of his pursuers his horse soon began to tire. In order to escape his trackers, the soldier threw the bag of gold into the brush at the side of the trail. He was able to return safely to Upper Fort Garry, but without the gold.

“I always wanted to tell the story of the resistance but haven’t really come up with a unique way to approach it. The story of the resistance, which was previously referred to as a rebellion but that story had mainly been told through a colonial perspective. I always wanted to tell it through a Metis perspective.

“When I was doing this research on my relative, I came across the missing gold and it was sort of one of those eureka moments where I thought this would be a great way to attract a wider audience into the telling of the Red River Resistance. A piece of history that in my mind hasn’t been explored enough.”

Production on the docuseries began on Aug. 21 and will wrap on Oct. 5. The series will have vignettes of historical relevance along with present day gold hunters Memphis Pambrun, Laurie “Goldie” Gagne, and Bill “Moose” Marsh as they scan and dig for that lost gold which is worth $1 million today. Although the air date is still unknown, De Cocq estimates it will air on APTN sometime next year.

He said it’s extremely important to tell Indigenous stories and right now those stories and voices are being heard more than ever. He added that to understand who we are as a country and a collective those stories are important.

“I think Canadians have a tendency to gloss over our history and to try to make it look a lot shiner than it actually is. There’s a lot of drama. There’s a lot of turmoil. A lot of death and destruction that came at the hands of formation of our country. I think it’s important to understand that history. It’s not to lay blame, but it’s so that we know that, and we accept who we are as individuals in efforts to move forward together.”

De Cocq said there is a growing interest in Indigenous stories as they hadn’t been told enough in the past nor from an Indigenous perspective.

“I came across a book that showed the territories of different First Nations across Canada. And I thought to myself why have I never seen this book before? Why is this the first time that I’m digesting this perspective. It was an eye-opening moment for me and that’s because that perspective has never been told and I think like anything that awareness comes in bits as you move along individually and collectively.

“So, now we’re at a point where we’re asking the question of why we haven’t heard these perspectives at least I am and so maybe that’s reflective of what everybody else is asking why these stories are not being told and subsequently let’s hear these stories lets tell these stories so that we have a full understanding.”