Walter John Strickland Traill

Obituary

Source: "Pioneer" published by Old Settler's Association, Traill County, North Dakota, Page 17, Belmont Township 1947 WALTER J. S. TRAILL

Walter J. S. Traill, On Monday morning, June 20, 1932, there passed away at Grand Forks, B.C. Canada, not only a pioneer of the Canadian west, but a pioneer of Traill County and Frog Point, ND, now Belmont. In 1866, when eighteen years old, Walter Traill entered the service of the Hudson Bay Company, as his brother, William Traill, had one several years before. In July of the above year, he rode north from ST. Paul along the old cart trail, to Ft. Garry, in company with A. G. Banatyne, who become Winnipeg's leading merchant and whose creaking train of laden carts passed on its slow journey down the valley of the Red River, Caledonia,Frog Point and north to Winnipeg. The next four years were spent in the Swan River District, then in charge of Chief Factor Robert Campbell, famous explorer of the Canadian north west. During the first year, his time was divided between the district headquarters, Ft. Pelly, on the Upper Assiniboine, and Ft. Qu'Appelle to the southwest under Mr. Archibald McDonald. In the fall of 1867 he was to Ft. Ellice to replace his brother. In 1870 the regime of the Hudson's Bay Company came to an end in Rupert's Land amid the disorder of the uprising of the French Half-breeds under Louis Riel. Mr. Traill was given charge of a cart brigade laden with the winter furs from his district and, accompanied by officers and Mrs. Robert Campbell and her two children, conducted all safely to the United States, having eluded the guards sent out by Riel to intercept him. Mr. Traill was then appointed in charge of the Georgetown Hudson's Bay Post as an intermediary between the Company's agents at Ft. Garry and St. Paul. He supervised the transportation of freight and passengers between these points, which included Caledonia and Frog Point, taking personal charge of the Frog Point, station in 1871, which had been established the year before with C. W. Morgan in charge. This was the same year that a telegraph line was built going north, on the west side of the Red River. This line was about 30 rods west of where the Old Settlers Memorial Monument now stands.

Mr. Traill filed on land in section 22 in Belmont Township, which included the land that is now being used by the Old Settlers Memorial Ass'n, for their annual picnics. In 1875, when Traill County was organized, it was named after Walter Traill. In 1876 the Hudson Bay Company withdrew from the American side of the border. The next year Mr. Traill spent time on a furlough, it being his eleventh year in the Company's service. Some time later, Mr. Traill established a home at Pembina, North Dakota, and in 1881 he was married there to Mary E. Gilbert. They had one child who died in infancy.

During his lifetime the west of this continent had grown from a Wilderness of fur-posts connected by long-winding cart trails and Rivers, the home of the Redman, trader and buffalo, to a land of many railways, populous towns, and numerous farms; Steamboats, Locomotives and aeroplanes in turn had superseded ox-carts, dog sleds and the river batteau of the swarthy voyager. “In my Father's House are many Mansions,” and it is not improbable that in one of these there now meet those kindred spirits who lived during the passing of “The Great Lone Land”—intrepid explorers, traders and homesteaders, all Empire Builders and lovers of the vast region they aided civilization to conquer.