An Enduring Legacy:
The Story of Harriet Inkster and McGowan Park

Romance of the Fur Trade

A small brick plaza sits in the park behind Seven Oaks House.  It marks the site where yet another historic Inkster house once stood. ​

Its first owner, Harriet Inkster, was born on October 8, 1846. She was educated at St. John’s School and later at St. Cross Ladies School.

On July 13, 1868 Harriet married William McMurray (1824-1877) at Norway House. It’s unclear why they were at a trade post in remote Northern Manitoba, rather than with her parents at Red River. William was a widower 22 years her senior. It was William’s 2nd marriage; his first wife Anne Christie Ballenden died in 1862. William was a trader for the Hudson's Bay Company and oversaw a number of trading posts in the (historical) North West Territories. Fort McMurray, Alberta was named for him in 1875.

Harriet inherited the same sense of adventure her brothers displayed. Unlike many fur-trade wives, she traveled with her husband to remote trading posts in rural Saskatchewan and Alberta. Correspondence she sent to her family, describing her life, is included under William’s papers at the Provincial Archives of Manitoba.

Their son, John Dougald, was born on October 17, 1870 at Fort Chipewyan on the western tip of Lake Athabasca in northern Alberta. In 1871 William was promoted to Inspecting Chief Factor and they relocated to Ile-â-la-Crosse in the English River District.

In June of 1872, Harriet delivered Mary Louisa at Seven Oaks and sadly buried the infant the following year. Another daughter, Harriet Jane, was born in 1874. A fourth child, James Hamilton, arrived in 1875.

McMurray House, vacant in 1996 (City of Winnipeg)

Harriet Inkster, 1860s

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New Beginnings

William died dramatically on March 7 1877, while on a visit to Seven Oaks House. He died “by choking, with a portion of the food he was partaking of at supper.” – presumably surrounded by his extended family. The family dining table still sits in Seven Oaks House.
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Harriet was a widow at 31, left with several young children (some sources say 5; we can only identify 3 living at this point). She had a small house built behind her parents’ home.

William McMurray in 1866 (McCord Museum)

Blueprints of McMurray House, 1909 (City of Winnipeg Archives)

In 1909 Harriet had a new home designed by the architect Ernest Chivers. The City of Winnipeg describes her home as a “2 ½ storey frame structure…built in the Dutch Colonial Revival Style.” The imposing house had an eclectic design, with six bedrooms, ornate columns and a two-level verandah/balcony.

Unfortunately we have no information about Harriet’s life in this period. While her husband may have left her with a significant nest egg, we presume that her children and her wealthy siblings Colin and Marak, who also lived on the family property, likely helped support her.

Harriet Inkster McMurray, c.1880s (St John's Cathedral)

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A Legacy of beauty

Harriet seems to have had a deep appreciation for Indigenous artworks. These belts, made from porcupine quills, are signed with her name. They are mostly likely Dene in origin, and they were probably collected by Harriet or William during their travels.

This set of beaded cushions was also owned by Harriet. They likely date from the 1860s or 70s and are executed in a recognizable Red River Métis style. The diversity and type of beads used suggest that whoever made them was wealthy and had easy access to materials. The size and materials of the three cushions match, but they have very different designs and seem to have been made by different artists.

We know that beadwork, embroidery, and even birch-basket making were skills passed down in Harriet’s family. There are examples of items made by her relatives in several museums, including the Manitoba Museum and the Royal Alberta Museum. We also know that the family’s matriarch, Nahovway ‘Margaret’ Sinclair spent her last years living at Seven Oaks. We can assume that these family traditions were passed down to the Inkster children, including Harriet.

It seems very plausible that those cushions could have been a family project. We can't help but picture three of the Inkster daughters, guided by their mother or grandmother, learning to bead in the gardens outside Seven Oaks House. Some of the designs and approaches to beading used even resemble pieces made by other Sinclair women.

Photo by the Manitoba Museum

Photo by the Manitoba Museum

This beaded valence hung above a fireplace for many, many years. It was once on display in the parlour of Seven Oaks House, but a closer look tells us that it doesn’t belong there.

The centre panels are smoke damaged and covered with soot. The side panels are still bright and clear – telling us that it lived above a much smaller fireplace. We now suspect this piece was used in Harriet’s house.

The Parlour c1970. Note the beaded valence hanging from the mantel. (City of Winnipeg Archives)

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A dark shadow

Harriet died on May 12, 1922 at the age of 75. The home was inherited by her daughter Harriet Jane 'Jean' McMurray (1874-1948), who married Lieutenant-Colonel Ernest W Mermagen (1871-1947) on September 27, 1899. Mermagen was an immigrant from England who served in the First World War and was decorated with the Order of the British Empire.

"Manitobans As We See 'Em, 1908-09" (Manitoba Historical Society)

Wedding of Harriet Jane McMurray to Ernest Mermagen at Seven Oaks House, 1899

The family's story takes a dark and unexpected turn: Mermagen was an official with the Indian Residential School Commission in the 1930s. This Anglican body operated the Elkhorn Residential School near Brandon, contributing directly to the abuse of children and the Canadian government’s policy of cultural genocide against Indigenous people.

Conditions at Elkhorn were serious enough that the school was closed in 1949, after numerous complaints from Opaskwayak Cree Nation (The Pas Indian Band). The Truth & Reconciliation Commission has identified at least 26 students who died at the school, including one recorded only as "Dummy Bad Boy".

In a tragic irony, Tommy Prince (great-great-great grandson of Chief Peguis) attended the Elkhorn Residential School around this time. Evidence suggests that older generations of the Inkster family had a close relationship with the descendents of Chief Peguis.

​Peguis' son, William Prince addressed John and Mary Inkster as his “son-in-law and daughter”. 

1935 booklet detailing the Missionary Society's work at Elkhorn. (University of Alberta)

​"Nov 24, [18]58
My Dear Son-in-law & Daughter,
I beg of your kindness to send me some provisions as I have no Provision to feed my men to finish my house. I never feel strong enough to go up to see you myself as you told me. I therefore send my son you will greatly oblige to send me one bag of Pemmican and a bail of dried meat. I send up two £ [pounds sterling] by my son to you.
Yours most truly,
William Prince
Chief of the Saulteaux Tribe"

Library & Archives Canada - Identified as "Letter from Chief Wiskookenew, Indian Settlement"

As far as we know there was no blood relationship. Prince led "The Indian Settlement" at St. Peter's (modern East Selkirk). He was also seen as the leader of the Anishinaabeg in the Red River area. It's possible that Prince claimed Mary Sinclair Inkster as his 'daughter' because of her Indigenous ancestry -- although her background was Cree-Metis.

There is evidently something here beyond a simple business relationship, as St. Peters is very close to Lower Fort Garry. It's not clear why Prince would have contacted the distant Inksters for help in this desperate situation, unless there was an existing friendship.

Colin Inkster later acquired a medal given to Chief Peguis by Lord Selkirk in 1817, to mark the signing of the Peguis Selkirk Treaty. This medal is now on display at the Manitoba Museum.

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Honouring the past

After Harriet Jane’s death in 1948, the property passed to her daughter, Elizabeth Anne 'Nancy' Mermagen. Nancy married Lieutenant-Colonel Clarence L. McGowan (1908-1982), a career officer who served in World War 2 and later worked as an engineer.

Nancy was deeply involved in the restoration of Seven Oaks House and its re-opening as a museum. She provided countless artifacts for display, including many items with direct family connections and examples of beadwork and Métis embroidery. She also donated hundreds of her belongings to the Manitoba Museum, suggesting that the items kept at Seven Oaks had some special significance.

For many years, Mrs. McGowan kept the massive iron key used to unlock the front door of Seven Oaks House. At the beginning and end of each day, the young women hired to act as tour guides would visit her to borrow the key. It had to be returned promptly after each use.
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The McMurray/McGowan property deteriorated as Nancy aged, and many people in the neighbourhood remember a looming “haunted” house hidden in the bushes along Rupertsland Blvd.

Nancy McGowan at an Indigenous cultural event at Seven Oaks House Museum, 1995 (City of Winnipeg)

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McGowan House in 1994 (City of Winnipeg)

A community divided

​In 1994 Nancy donated her home and land to the City of Winnipeg. Her legacy would be to expand the park that her great-aunt Mary ‘Marak’ Inkster established for the community in 1912.
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Some community members worked to have the home historically designated and added to the Seven Oaks House Museum. The modern building had heating and could have been used for winter exhibits or class room space. It also would have provided a summary of Winnipeg’s early architectural history in one place: The family General Store (1830s), Seven Oaks House (1850s), Bleak House (1870s), and McMurray/McGowan House (1900s).

Others insisted on a quiet green space. Mrs. McGowan herself opposed the plan and insisted that the land be designated as a “passive” park space, with no sports fields or play structures. Late one night, a crew of City workers entered McGowan House and gutted it. All of the woodwork, fixtures and items of value were removed to an unknown location. By morning the house was found to be un-restorable and was slated for demolition. Records suggest that someone with political influence arranged the incident.

The home was demolished after being used to film an episode of the YTV series "The Adventures of Shirley Holmes".

Seven Oaks in 2021

Seven Oaks in 1911

Digging deeper

One of the only details we have about Harriet’s later life comes from the 1921 Census. Early censuses counted the 'man of the house' and described his household a bit like property in relation to him. 
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​It lists Harriet as a 74 year old “mother in law” residing in E. Mermagen’s home on Rupertsland Blvd (Ernest is incorrectly recorded as Edward).  We know the situation was actually the opposite.

The early census also listed people's "race or tribe." It tells us that Harriet was “Scotch” and lists both her parents’ origins as Scotland. It also gives a mysterious note that Harriet "immigrated" to Canada in 1873. 

During the time Harriet & William worked in the fur trade, Alberta and Saskatchewan (historically called 'The North West Territories') were not yet Canadian provinces. She resided in the territories when Manitoba entered confederation in 1870. She likely had to apply for Canadian citizenship after she returned to Winnipeg with her children in 1872.
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The question of ethnicity and identity are interesting factors in Harriet’s story. She received scrip payments from the Government of Canada in the 1870s and 1890s, and applied for her son in 1901. Scrip was a type of payment issued to Métis citizens in order to address historical land claims. On these applications she indicated her background as “Half-breed” (a historical term for Métis) and acknowledged her mother’s Indigenous ancestry.
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Is it a coincidence that Harriet became “Scotch”’ at the same time that her home “belonged” to a Residential School administrator?

Scrip payment for $160 received by Harriet Inkster in 1878. (Library & Archives Canada)

Her 1901 application lists her deceased husband, William McMurray as a “white man”. A backhanded compliment from his HBC personnel file makes it clear that he was in fact Métis, and that he faced discrimination as a result. It also gives us some clues about why she may have identified her husband as white:

"...Mr. McMurray is a very efficient post manager and otherwise an intelligent man... He is a half-breed it is true, but he is also a very interested servant for the Company"

​John Rae to G.Simpson, 23 April 1851 (E.15/8 - HBC Archives)

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Question 13. What is the name of said person's father?
Answer: WM McMurray

Question 14. What was the mother's name before marriage?
Answer: Harriet Inkster
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Question 15. Is the father a Whiteman, Halfbreed or an Indian?
Answer: An whiteman

Question 16. Is the mother a Whitewoman, Halfbreed or an Indian?
Answer: Hfbd

The application was denied because John Dougald had left the (historical) North-West Territories before 1885.

Details from John Dougald McMurray's scrip application (Library & Archives Canada)

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These prejudices intensified after Manitoba joined Canada and immigration increased. By the 20th century many Métis families hid their Indigenous ancestry. Prominent individuals like Harriet and brother Colin Inkster described themselves as Scottish in public to avoid discrimination. In private they still decorated their homes and their personal items with beadwork, embroidery and quillwork in classic Métis style.

Some individuals in the Seven Oaks area with Scottish-Métis ancestry have told us that their grandparents referred to themselves using terms like "Black Scots" or "Smoked Scots". This is an interesting parallel with a historical French term that was used: "Bois-Brûlés" (burnt-wood people).

Colin Inkster's tobacco pouch. Floral embroidery on caribou hide.

Photos by the Manitoba Museum

These traditional arts were passed down from mother to daughter over generations. They could be celebrated safely at home, away from an increasingly intolerant colonial society. Our museum and our society owe women like Harriet and Nancy a tremendous debt for the work they did in preserving local culture.