Northwest Half-Breed Scrip - 1885

Land scrip refers to a certificate entitling the holder to obtain a certain portion of the public land either by entry or the payment of a portion of the price. This book covers awards made in the future provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and a portion of Manitoba to heads of household and minors who were born there before 1886. Scrip certificates of 160 acres or $160 were awarded to qualifying heads of household, and 240 acres or $240 to eligible children. In all, nearly $280,000 in money scrip was awarded to qualifying Métis. The purpose of the Scrip policy, which extended over several decades, was to eliminate whatever remaining claims Canadian Native Americans might make on the land. Because of the detailed application process required for the award of scrip, the extracts have preserved an enormous amount of genealogical information pertaining to the thousands of qualified applications. For example, in the case of the Northwest Métis, we learn each individual's place and date of birth, names of parents, source of half-breed descent, occupation, spouse's name, place and date of marriage, ages of children, and quite a bit about the nature of the individual's claim. The book is arranged alphabetically by the surname of the applicant.