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The bell is purchased
The bell is purchased for the by the Diocese of St. Albert in Batoche, Sask., and baptized with the name Marie-Antoinette. It is inscribed with "Vital-Justin Grandin, évêque de St. Albert." -
The bell is taken
Batoche, the capital of Louis Riel's provisional government of Saskatchewan, falls to Canadian troops during the Red River Rebellion, which pitted soldiers from Upper Canada against the Metis. Soldiers from Millbrook take the bell from the church tower, calling it "spoils of war." -
Louis Riel surrenders
Louis Riel surrenders, ending the Red River Rebellion and dashing the independence dreams of the Metis. -
Millbrook: The bell goes on display
The bell resurfaces in Millbrook, home to many of the soldiers at Batoche in 1885, and is put on display in the village's fire hall. A year later, the fire hall itself burns down and the bell is damaged. It's later moved to the town's Legion hall. Exact dates are unknown. -
The bell vanishes again
In October 1991, a group of Metis from the prairies visits Millbrook's Legion Hall and asks to see the bell, which has been on display for decades. Several requests by Metis for the return of the bell had been rejected by the Legion. One week later, the bell is stolen in a break-in; also missing are medals belonging to a Millbrook soldier who had been at Batoche. -
Crossings: The story on stage
4th Line Theatre's CrossingsIn 2000, Millbrook's 4th Line Theatre presents Crossings, a play about the rebellion and the bell. Robert Winslow, founder of 4th Line, is a descendent of one of the soldiers who carried it off. -
A return to Batoche
Examiner articleReports out of Saskatchewan claim the long-lost bell has been kept safe for two decades and is about to be returned to the church in Batoche after undergoing restoration and repair work. The bell is to be returned in July. However, Robert Winslow, a descendent of one of the soldiers who took it, says it was always a different bell, taken from a different prairie church. -
The Bell is revealed at Batoche
A group of Metis unveil the bell in Batoche before sending it on its way to a Winnipeg museum, where it will be displayed with other Riel artifacts.
