Reverend George Millward McDougall (1821-1876) National Historic Person
© J. G. Parks / Glenbow Library and Archives Collection / Libraries and Cultural Resources Digital Collections / University of Calgary / CU174988
Reverend George Millward McDougall was designated as a national historic person in 1969.
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada reviewed this designation in 2024.
Reasons for designation
Reverend George McDougall was an influential missionary who played a prominent role in early Methodist missions which aimed to convert Indigenous Peoples to Christianity in the Prairie West as part of colonization efforts. From his entry into the Northwest in 1860 at the mission at Norway House, McDougall was a leading religious figure in the region to his death in 1876. McDougall became the chairman of the Methodists’ Western district, responsible for administering, staffing, and supporting the mission in Victoria, North-West Territories (present-day Alberta), which he founded in 1862, as well as other missions at Woodville (Pigeon Lake), Whitefish Lake, and Morleyville.
A Canadian patriot and nationalist, McDougall encouraged Canadian colonization of the West, believing the Prairies held great potential for agricultural settlement. During his extensive travels across the region, he aimed to not only convert First Nations to Methodism, but also encourage them to transition from traditional ways of life as he believed that First Nations would need to adopt agriculture and other western cultural practices in order to survive in the changed economy. In 1866 McDougall removed Manitou Asinîy, a sacred stone revered by First Nations for its spiritual powers, from its resting place on a hill near the Battle River, with damaging consequences. In 1875, Lieutenant Governor of the North-West Territories Alexander Morris commissioned McDougall to speak to the First Nations in the area and inform them that the Queen’s representatives were coming to meet them and negotiate a treaty (Treaty Six).
McDougall believed that many aspects of Indigenous culture were inferior to European civilization. This ideology was common to many religious and government leaders of the day and represents a central element of longstanding policies and practices which had devastating impacts on Indigenous communities for many generations. Several Methodist missions associated with McDougall became longstanding religious institutions which were eventually incorporated into the United Church of Canada. After McDougall’s death, those at Norway House and Morley later developed Indian Residential Schools which separated children from their families, and attempted to assimilate them into Euro-Canadian society and destroy their culture and languages.
Review of designation
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada is reviewing designated national historic persons, events and sites for their connection to the history and legacy of the residential school system. This review responds to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action 79, which calls on the federal government to commemorate the history and legacy of residential schools.
Reviews are undertaken on an ongoing basis to ensure that designations reflect current scholarship, shifts in historical understandings, and a range of voices, perspectives and experiences in Canadian society.
In 2024, this designation was reviewed due to colonial assumptions and outdated terminology in the commemorative plaque text. The original text, approved in 1973, highlighted McDougall’s work in establishing Methodist missions in the Northwest from 1860 to 1876, as well as his role in the signing of Treaty 6. The original text did not reference the harmful legacies of the Methodist missions which he founded. The original text also included outdated language for Indigenous Peoples.
New reasons for designation were developed that reference the role and impact of Methodist missions in transitioning First Nations from their traditional practices to Western agricultural and cultural practices.
Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, June 2023; December 2023.
The National Program of Historical Commemoration relies on the participation of Canadians in the identification of places, events and persons of national historic significance. Any member of the public can nominate a topic for consideration by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
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