Rain-in-the-Face 'Iromagaja'. The first photograph of Rain-in-the-Face, taken shortly before his arrest and incarceration at Fort Lincoln in 1874. He was one of the leaders during the Fetterman disaster of 1866, the worst defeat the U.S. Army had suffered on the frontier up to that time. His prowess as a warrior continued throughout the Sioux Wars. Wounded and lamed during the fight, he led his band against Custer, and later followed Sitting Bull into exile in Canada. Rain-in-the-Face and his followers surrendered to General Miles at Fort Keogh, Montana, in September of 1880. (Harbaugh, P., 1982)
Rain-in-the-Face, 'Iromagaja' (ca. 1835-1905). Warrior of note during the Red Cloud Wars. He became known to the army through the ears of Charley Reynolds, Custer's chief scout. Reynolds overheard a boast by Rain-in-the-Face during a war dance at the Standing Rock Agency in December of 1874. 'Iromagaja' told of killing two civilians traveling with Custer's 1873 Yellowstone Expedition. The tale was reported to General Custer, then Commander of Fort Abraham Lincoln, D.T. Captain Thomas Custer (brother of the General) was ordered to arrest the chief. He was imprisoned at Fort Lincoln but he managed to escape, vowing to avenge his incarceration at the hands of Captain Custer. 'Iromagaja' united a large band of warriors and joined Sitting Bull's hostiles, where in June 1876 in the valley of Little Bighorn, it is said Rain-in-the-Face was avenged. (Harbaugh, P., 1982)
The original photograph remains in the custody of the donor, who scanned the digital copy and sent it to the McKee Archives in 2014. The donor's paternal grandmother graduated from Brandon Normal School in the Spring of 1912.
Scope and Content
Portrait of the students of Brandon Normal School Spring 1912 class.
Gerry Beaubier was born in Wainwright, Alberta to Beatty and Babe Beaubier. He completed his high school in Saskatoon, before receiving a BSc in Geography from Brandon University.
Before attending university Gerry served in the army as a special reserve, while working as a night clerk at the Bessbourough Hotel in Saskatoon. His post-graduate career consisted primarily of work for Canada Agriculture, under the PFRA Branch (Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration). Later he would work as an Executive Manager, helping develop forage and range management programs for several post secondary schools, including, Assiniboine Community College, as well as schools in Red Deer, Lethbridge, and Saskatoon.
Gerry Beaubier married Joyce Abercrombie, of Saskatoon. Together they had two sons: Neil and Dean. Neil, an Account Advisor for the Royal Bank, was born in Regina, and currently works in Swift Current. Dean was born in Swift Current, received his PhD in Education and currently lives in Forrest working at Elton Collegiate.
The Beaubiers, who were originally from Ireland, emigrated to the Canadian West, making Gerry part of the fourth generation of his family to call the region home. His great-grandfather, along with his grandfather and great uncle were amongst the first one hundred settlers in Brandon. Together they first built the Beaubier House, a boarding house for early settlers and travellers. After it burnt down they began construction on the Beaubier Hotel, which stood at the corner of 8th Street and Princess Avenue in Brandon until August 17th, 2008. His grandfather, David Wilson Beaubier, continued to build and operate hotels throughout the prairies, including the Empire Hotels (of Brandon and Saskatoon) and The Park (Moose Jaw).
David Wilson Beaubier served as a secretary of the Orange Lodge of Manitoba. As an Orange Lodge Colonel, he worked with other Orange Lodge members, to recruit throughout the prairies for the purpose of World War One. For his efforts , David was promoted to Leftenant Colonel, and later Captain of the 99th Manitoba Rangers. David's sons (Gerry’s father, at University of Manitoba, and uncle at McGill), were both working towards undergraduate degrees when war broke out in 1914, and each would leave school to join their father at Camp Hughes.
Custodial History
Gerry Beaubier collected these photos primarily in the years 2000-2011, largely
from family and friends who knew of his interest in the topic. They were donated to the S.J. Mckee Archives in 2011.
Scope and Content
Collection consists of digital photographs of those who trained for battle in World War I at Camp Hughes and in Brandon, Manitoba. It also includes a digital copy of the cover of the Nominal Roll of Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers and Men, who departed from Brandon in 1917.
The photos, taken primarily at Camp Hughes, are of a number of battalions, including the 34th, 100th, 108th, 181st and 214th. The photo, PT in England, is a postcard sent home from Beaty Beaubier. The Massey Harris building seen on the right side of, WW1 B parade0001, was used to house troops throughout the war. The man standing alone at the front of the parade in, 181 Parade, is David Wilson Beaubier.
Notes
Information for the biographical and custodial histories was provided by Gerry Beaubier on September 25, 2013. Description by Dustin Lane (October 2013).
