Lachlan McCallum

Numerous letters to and from Prime Minister John A. Macdonald are included in this collection.  One letter to McCallum from Macdonald comments on the management of the Indian Department.  Macdonald writes, "I know no man but Dewdney fit to manage the Indian Dept. He is the only man that can manage Crowfoot & the Blackfoot, Blood & Piegan Indians. He has the great advantage of knowing all about the B.C. Bands. He is the right man in the right place and I don’t want another Indian War on my hands." 

Lachlan McCallum was born in Tiree, Argyleshire, Scotland in 1823. He emigrated to Canada with his family in 1842. McCallum settled in Stromness, in Monck County, Ontario, where he remained for the rest of his life. He began his career as a businessman, but later became involved in politics, serving in the House of Commons and Senate.  McCallum also founded and was Captain of the Dunnville Naval Brigade. The Brigade was called into service in June 1866, when the Fenians invaded at Fort Erie. McCallum’s tugboat, the W.T. Robb, transported the men to Port Colborne to pick up troops being assembled to fight the Fenians.

A selection of digitized material from this fonds can be found in the Digital Repository.

Letter from John A. Macdonald to Lachlan McCallum, June 2, 1888

This letter from Prime Minister John A. Macdonald comments on the management of the Indian Department.