The St. Pierre Museum welcomed a new historical artifact on Friday and it was created by students from the community.

President Mireille Laroche says a high school class from Institut Collégial St. Pierre partnered with a professional cartwright to build a traditional Red River trading cart. The cart, she says, represents a historical St. Pierre merchant named Moise Goulet who helped bring commerce to the region.

“He was a merchant that lived 2 miles south of St. Pierre,” explains Laroche. “He would have a train of 64 Red River carts that he would use to transport his wares from Fort Gary all of the way to St. Paul, Minnesota. He would bring his goods through St. Pierre and onward to the United States.”

Laroche says her museum is already home to Goulet’s old house and so the addition of the cart is befitting.

Though the artifact was made by the local school, Laroche says it was funded by donations from the Manitoba Métis Federation. She notes that the cart is also intended to commemorate St. Pierre’s rich heritage as an original Métis settlement along the Red River.

Museum staff, members of the Manitoba Métis Federation, and students who had helped construct the cart all gathered on Friday for a small celebration.

“They all got together to unload the cart and place it on the museum grounds,” notes Laroche, “it was actually quite the tribute.”

According to Laroche, the people of St. Pierre have always been supportive of their museum. Seeing students take an active role in the preservation of their Métis history, she says, shows that the caring spirit lives on.

Museum staff, members of the Manitoba Métis Federation, and students from ICSP gathered for a small celebration on Friday (photo credit: Mireille Laroche).