The inability of Riel's Provisional Government to obtain guarantees for the Métis in Manitoba in 1869-70, as well as the dwindling herds of buffalo, convinced many that they must adopt some of the agricultural ways of the whites or be swallowed up by eastern settlement. They looked westward to the Saskatchewan country as a place to make a fresh start. Their fathers and grandfathers had wintered there in the past, and in 1872, it was decided to establish a settlement along the South Saskatchewan River. It would stretch from St-Louis-de-Langevin in the north to La Coulee des Tourond (Fish Creek) in the south spanning the Carlton Trail, the main trade route between Fort Garry and Fort Edmonton. In 1873, Xavier Letendre "dit Batoche" built a ferry where the Carlton Trail crossed the South Saskatchewan River. Soon a little village flourished on the banks of the river. By 1885, the community numbered about 500 people
The Métis laid their farms out in long river-lot fashion, cultivating a small portion of them, but living principally by freighting, trading and raising cattle. They were a sociable people holding parties and dances in their homes to celebrate weddings, New Year's and other special occasions, or just to make the long winters pass more quickly. The annual "la Fete des Metifs," celebrating St. Joseph, the patron saint of the Métis, was held on July 24. It featured foot, horse and wagon races (naturally with wagering on the side), handicrafts and large amounts of food and drink.
There were problems within the settlement. In 1878, the government had surveyed some of the tradition river-lot farms of the Métis already at Batoche, but many who arrived later had to settle on lands surveyed in the eastern Canadian square-township system. There were also difficulties with acquiring "legal" land titles, obtaining scrip (a certificate which could be exchanged for a land grant or money), resurveying the rest of the settlement and acquiring greater representation in Territorial and Federal politics.
Unrest during the period was not restricted to Batoche. First Nation peoples were demanding food, equipment and farming assistance promised in their treaties. Settlers across the Northwest were angered and disillusioned with Sir John A. Macdonald's national policy of railway development and protective tariffs. The farmers were denied consideration on grain liens, couldn't get their crops to market and had to pay higher prices for eastern Canadian manufactured farm implements because of the high tariffs placed on cheaper American equipment.
Metis leaders such as Gabriel Dumont, Maxime Lepuine, Moise Ouellette, Pierre Parenteau Sr. and Charles Nolin, held meetings and drafted petitions to draw the government's attention to the situation. When the Canadian government failed to respond, another meeting was held in the spring of 1884. Action was needed. Three men were sent to a small mission in St. Peter's, Montana, to invite Louis Riel, the Métis leader in Manitoba in 1870, to lead his people in this new struggle.
