Louis Espagnol

Courtesy of the Ontario Archives

Louis Espagnol’s connection to the area goes back to 1857 when he first came to Pogamasing. He came from a family – his father and three brothers – who were chiefs in the Spanish River First Nation. His family’s origin is interesting as many believe the first Spanish speaking person in the area was a female. However, my research has found a different explanation.

Louis’ grandfather was the first Spanish-speaking trader to come to the North Shore area in the late 1700’s. Like many of his French counterparts, he married into the Anishnabe community. According to Jane Espaniel (the anglicized and more common version of Espagnol) McKee, a granddaugher of Louis Espagnol, this new trader was called Manuel. Not much is known about Manuel, however, he had a son who was recognized by the British for his support in the War of 1812 and was awarded George III medals. The son (Louis’ father), was known as Frise, the Spaniard or Espaniole by government and Hudson’s Bay officials, was a signatory of the Manitoulin Treaty of 1836.

In the title photo of this website, Louis Espagnol is wearing his father’s medals that he received from the British for his loyalty and war (1812) service. Both were called George III medals: the one on the right has a very vague outline of George’s head. In two major wars, Aboriginals supported the British first in the War of American Independence and second, in the War of 1812. It was doubtful that the British would have won the War of 1812 without their Aboriginal allies.

The second medal is difficult to see as it reflects the light and makes it impossible to see what was on the face. But its vagueness trumps a more important question: what was it for? For the longest time I was unable to answer the question, that it until I came across an article in the Minnesota Historical Society journal regarding a gift of two George III medals to the society from the leading families of an Ojibway band in northeatern Minnesota. Apparently a medal was also given to many chiefs in recognition of their support and loyalty as well as service in a specific war. Many American Aboriginals supported the British in the two wars as they felt their rights were not being respected by the Americans, especially land-hungry settlers who wanted their land. See the following link for a clearer photo of the medals and additional background. Unfortunately the Espagnol medals were sold to a former HBC manager at Biscotasing and their location in unknown.(1812 medals)

The Espagnol legacy is obvious in other ways. Those familar with the region will recognize that there are several local places that bear the family name: the Spanish River, the town of Spanish and the town of Espanola.

Louis Espagnol was one of the first Anishnabe in the region to adopt European customs. He started working for the Hudson’s Bay Company at La Cloche in 1866. It was in the HBC records where I noticed his name changing from Sakquakegick to Louis Espagnol. Given that his father was known as Espaniole, he adopted this as his family name and took Louis as his Christian name. He had an association with the Catholic faith as he was married by a priest and his son was baptised. His appointment as manager of the Pogamasing post in 1869 was not the only Anishnabe appointment in the district, but it was the most enduring, as it lasted for twenty years.

The chapter on the fur trade in Pogamasing is told within the context of the broader Lake Huron District. From the many reports written to Montreal it was clear that Espagnol’s management of the Pogamasing post was very successful as the Pogamasing post was one of the top producing posts in the district. Further, the Lake Huron District was one of the top five in the Montreal Department (one of the four HBC departments) in the period (1865 to 1900) that I studied.

The building of the railway through the region in the summer of 1884 initiated the demise of the fur trading post in the Pogmamsing area. White trappers destroyed the beaver population which drastically reduced the local Aboriginal trappers’ take. The Pog post, it seems, was the canary in the coal mine of the Lake Huron District. Other posts closed shortly after, impacted by the railway and settlement.

Espagnol’s leadership did not stop with the fur trade. His role as chief came to the forefront as he advocated for his starving people most affected by the invasion of white trappers.