‘Many miles on it’: St. Vital Museum unveils restoration of Red River cart

A ceremony over the weekend celebrated the restoration of a piece of Prairie life in Winnipeg.

A special ceremony on Saturday was held at the St. Vital Museum recognizing the restoration work on a historic Red River cart.

“We treasure everything we have at the museum, but the Red River cart is something very special to the development of St. Vital and indeed all of the prairies,” said John Hindle, president of St. Vital Museum.

“We have a very special Red River cart that actually made the trip to Batoche, Saskatchewan where the last major battle took place between the Canadian government and the Métis army.”

Hindle said the original cart was ageing to the point there was a chance the old cart could collapse.

The cart on display was one of five carts that made its way to Batoche, for a reenactment of the 1885 Battle of Batoche.

“For us to have one that’s like it was in the 1800s, it’s pretty neat,” Hindle said.

“It was in really rough shape,” said Armand Jerome, who restored this Red River cart with his wife Kelly.

“This cart had been on many journeys and many miles on it.”

Jerome said he and his wife spent more than 200 hours on this particular project. He said when they picked it up, the cart fell apart, and pieces had to be carefully carried in the back of their truck.

Jerome said one of the challenges was finding enough parts to restore the five-and-a-half-foot high wheel. He said the cart was first used in 2001 and a year later for the 2002 North American Indigenous Games.

He said he appreciates the history of what these carts were originally used for during life on the Prairies, they could hold up to 1,000 pounds of furs or meats needing to be transported.

“In order to carry that kind of weight and to handle the banging from the prairies, the hills, the gullies, you needed a hard wood,” Jerome said.

“When you think of oak, seasoned oak is very hard.”

Hindle said a cart like this was vital for Prairie life.

“It was so versatile they could actually float it as a raft across a river,” Hindle said.

“It’s just a showcase now of the museum.”