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Arrival of the French
Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer, made contact with the Algonquins in the Ottawa Valley, shortly after he established the first permanent French settlement on the St. Lawrence at Tadoussac. This initial contact marked the beginning of deep involvement by the Algonquins with the French in the fur trade. This would have far-reaching consequences for their way of life and their interactions with other indigenous groups. -
A formal treaty of trade
The French had already learned about the trapping areas to the west controlled by the Hurons, who were Algonquin allies against the Iroquois. The quantity and quality of the fur available from the Hurons could not be ignored. In 1614 the French and Hurons signed a formal treaty of trade and alliance at Quebec. This, indirectly was a treaty between Algonquins and French, and the French would later help the 2 tribes in wars against the Iroquois. -
Attempt to open trade
The Iroquois by this time had exhausted the beaver in their traditional homeland and needed additional hunting territory to maintain their position with the Dutch, who at that time were transporting their purchases through modern day New York. Their inability to satisfy the demand for beaver was the very reason the Dutch had tried in 1624 to open trade with the Algonquins and Montagnais. This would anger the Iroquois later and cause more problems for the Dutch and Algonquins. -
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Beaver Wars
The Beaver Wars, part of a larger series of conflicts, were characterized by intense competition for beaver fur resources. The Iroquois, who had been displaced by the Algonquins and other indigenous groups in the St. Lawrence Valley, sought to expand their territory northward and eastward. The Algonquins and other tribes were displaced from their traditional lands, with many forced to abandon their villages and move to new areas. -
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Seven Year's War (French and Indian War)
it was a conflict between France and Britain, in which the Algonquins sided with the French and the Iroquois sided with the British and the colonists. The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war's expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution. (French and Indian War - Seven Years War, 9). -
Treaty of Paris
After the British captured Quebec and Montreal, the Algonquins and eight other indigenous groups met with the British representative, Sir William Johnson, and signed a treaty. In this treaty, they agreed to remain neutral in future conflicts between the British and the French. This treaty signaled the British victory and the end of the French presence in North America. Regardless of then being allied with the British, Algonquins continued to face land encroachment. -
British War of 1812
Algonquin warriors fought alongside the British during the War of 1812, aiding in the defeat of the Americans at the Battle of Chateauguay. The Algonquins' contribution to the British cause during the War of 1812 did not prevent the continued loss of their land. Encroachments and land sales resulted in further reduction of their traditional territory, reflecting a broader pattern of indigenous land dispossession during this period. -
Land Purchase
At the time of Confederation, the government of Quebec simply refused to consider the notion of Treaty, and for its part the government of Ontario was hostile to any recognition of Algonquin interests on the south side of the Ottawa River. This hostility even extended to the setting aside of reserve lands for the Algonquins. The people at Golden Lake (Pikwakanagan) were forced to purchase their own lands in 1873. -
Algonquin Park was established
Algonquin Park was established in 1893 when the Ontario government acted upon a recommendation of the Royal Commission on Forest Reservation and National Parks in "reserving a portion of the ungranted Crown domain to be set apart as a Forest Reservation and National Park." The area of present day Algonquin Park was part of the Algonquin hunting and fishing area which stretched from the great lakes up to and just north of the Ottawa River. -
Tuberculosis Epidemic
In the early 1900s, a tuberculosis epidemic followed by smallpox hit Algonquin villages in and around Wolf Lake and nearby Grassy Lake, around 200 kilometres west of Témiscaming, Que. Between August 1905 and 1906, tuberculosis wiped out families and emptied villages. Mission records examined by the Algonquin Nation Secretariat showed that at least 18 people from eight families in the Grassy Lake and Wolf Lake area died. The historical record said they were all buried at Grassy Lake. (Jorge, 3). -
Purchased Reserve
At the time of Confederation, the government of Quebec simply refused to consider the notion of Treaty, and for its part the government of Ontario was hostile to any recognition of Algonquin interests on the south side of the Ottawa River. The Algonquins of Abitibiwinni used their own funds to purchase their reserve at Amos in 1956; and Canada purchased a small reserve for Kebaowek in 1974. -
Land was set aside
The Timiskaming Reserve was established under the provisions of the 1851 Act. In 1853 Algonquin Indians received 15 552 hectares of land near Lake Timiskaming. Subsequently a total of forty surrenders were made to various individuals and companies reducing the total size to about 2 444 hectares. -
Constitution Act 1982
The Constitution Act, 1982 is a landmark document in Canadian history. It achieved full independence for Canada by allowing the country to change its Constitution without approval from Britain. Only the rights of the Algonquins of Ontario would be affected by a Final Agreement. A Final Agreement would fully set out the Section 35 Rights of the Algonquins to lands and natural resources in Canada, except the Province of Quebec. -
Algonquin Petition of 1983
In 1983, the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn, were residing in the province of Ontario. They petitioned the Crown to recognize Algonquin territorial title and rights to 36,000 square kilometres of their natal homelands in the Ottawa River watershed.