Exploring the History of the Cadotte Lake Metis Nation
Early Years..
The culture of the Cadotte, Bison, Haig and Otter Lakes area has a long and rich history. Records of Indigenous Peoples trading fur in the area date back to the early 1800s, when they would travel overland by trail to the Northwest Company's Horseshoe House or the Hudsons Bay Company's Battle River Post. Stories and evidence suggests that the area has been inhabited for centuries, with evidence of seasonal camps and burial sites. Cadotte Lake was named after a trapper who had died near the lake.
The First Families
By 1898 or 1899, Cadotte River was reported to have been inhabited by three Cree families. They belonged to the Peace River Landing and Lesser Slave Lake bands. The families would spend the winter months at Cadotte River for hunting and trapping purposes. Traveling back to their bands during the summer months. In the 1920's and 1930's this lifestyle continued. A letter written from Archie Cardinal discusses the settlement in the area during the time from 1927 to 1935. The letter explains how people traveled using the old freight roads at the time.
Elder and community member Irene Carifelle described how people lived from Harmon Valley to Cadotte Lake as they "had to move around to survive". She did the same with her family, eventually settling down in Cadotte by the late 1950's but would still visit Harmon Valley. People would "travel, kill a moose, stop and sleep, butcher the moose, make dry meat, smoke hides and then move on," says elder Irene Carifelle.
Irene Carifelle was born in Simon Lakes in December 1922 and moved to Cadotte Lake from Nampa with her parents when she was nine years old. When first moving to Cadotte Lake there were only two households, her father William Noskiye and one of her uncles. As Irene grew her family she continued the same traditions as her parents, traveling back and forth between Cadotte Lake and Harmon Valley.
Population Growth
In the 1930's a dirt road was constructed from Grouard to Peace River. This brought an influx of southern, non-Indigenous trappers to the area. These people came from the south because of the depression and lack of employment.
The 1960's saw a significant population growth in Cadotte Lake. This was largely due to the exploration of oil. In 1954, test wells were drilled and capped three kilometres northwest of Marten River. The priest of the Roman Catholic Mission, who appeared to have known about oil in the area, encouraged the Marten River community to move thirteen kilometers southwest to Cadotte Lake. Promises of building material and a road to Peace River were made. Promises were not met, leading many to attempt to move back to the Marten River area. Unfortunately, government officials intervened and the attempts to move back were unsuccessful. Trappers, who often could not read, were encouraged to sign a quit-claim surrendering rights to their cabins at Marten River. Three days after the last quit-claim was signed, the cabins at Marten River were destroyed. Leaving the population to remain at Cadotte Lake.
Culture Change
In 1936, the registered fur management areas (RFMAS) were established, having a substantial effect on the Indigenous peoples resource management strategies. A report on fur returns at Little Buffalo Lake Store from 1935 to 1936 provides a glimpse into the number of trappers living in the vicinity of the Little Buffalo Store and the families who depended on these lands for their livelihood.
Many view the 1950's and the start of the logging and oil industries as the period during which traditional ways of life were irreversibly affected in the Cadotte Lake area. Before the influx of these industries, Cadotte Lake consisted only of wagon trails that followed creeks. Major changes were said to emerge with the paving of highway 688 from 1979 to 1981. Up until this time the only service provided in Cadotte Lake had been a payphone. The paving of highway 688 and improvement to highway 986 to Cadotte Lake from Peace River substantially shortened trips that once took three or more days by wagon. This would have an irreversible impact on the traditional livelihood of the people in Cadotte Lake through an influx of non-indigenous peoples and industry to the area.