Cuthbert Grant was born in 1793 at Fort Tremblante, Saskatchewan a North West Company trading post located on the Assiniboine River near the Saskatchewan – Manitoba border. His father was Scottish and his mother was of Cree-French descent (Métis). After his father’s death in 1799, Grant was sent to school in Scotland.

Cuthbert returned to the fur trade country in 1812 at the age of 19. He began working for the North West Co. at the time of much conflict between NWC and their rvivals the Hudson Bay Company (HBC). At the time there was also the beginning of a colony at the forks of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers (the Selkirk Settlers). Grant then earned the respect of the Métis and they looked to him for leadership.

Major events in the Red River Settlement such as the destruction of the NWC’s Fort Gibraltar made the Métis feel that their way of life was under threat. They appointed Grant to be “Captain General of all the Métis” (thus he is considered to be the first leader of the Métis Nation). He then went on to lead his people in the Battle of Seven Oaks on June 19th 1816.

The battle left the governor of the HBC Robert Semple and 21 settlers dead, and Joseph Letendre dit Batoche the lone Métis casualty. Grant was put on trial for his role in the battle but the charges were eventually dropped.

In 1824, after the merger of the NWC and the HBC, Grant was granted land along the Assiniboine River to establish a Métis community which he named Grantown. It was later renamed St. Francois Xavier and still exists today 15km west outside of Winnipeg.

In 1828, he was given a special license to trade in the area and was appointed “Warden of the Plains” with his main duties to police illicit fur trade.

In 1829, Grant decided to build a water mill on Sturgeon Creek to grind grain into flour. This was the first water-powered mill in all of Western Canada. However due to flooding it was continuously washed out and proved unsuccessful for Grant. He decided to abandon the watermill and construct a successful windmill in Grantown.

Our mill is a replica of the one he constructed. The exact location of the original mill is unknown, but based on historical maps the current mill is in an approximate location.

Later he was made a member of the Council of Assiniboia, also a Justice of the Peace, and a Magistrate. For many years he led the buffalo hunt involving up to 1,000 Red River Carts.

On July 15th 1854 Grant died from his injuries after falling from his horse.